Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Rice

I got this recipe from one of my new favorite food blogs: Iowa Girl Eats.
This recipe was so easy and everyone loved it!  

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced2 garlic cloves (I probably did 4 cloves)salt and pepper2 teaspoons chili powder1/4 teaspoon cumin2 cans seasoned black beans, drained but not rinsed (She used Trader Joe’s Cuban-style beans, but I just used regular)1-1/2 cups water1 cup chicken broth4-5 dashes green Tabasco sauce (I omitted for the kids)
Toppers: sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream (avocado is key!)

For the rice:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 lime
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro (I just used 3 t dried)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, then saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly. Add chili powder and cumin then saute for 30 more seconds.

Add drained beans, water, and chicken broth, bring soup to a boil, then lower heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop 2 ladle-fulls of soup into a blender or food processor then blend until almost smooth. Alternatively use a hand-held immersion blender to process 1/3 of the beans in the soup pot. Add blended soup back into the pot then add hot sauce and stir to combine

For the Cilantro-Lime Rice: While soup is simmering, bring water, oil, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice, place a lid on top, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir to fluff then add lime juice and chopped cilantro.

To serve, scoop cooked rice into bottom of bowls then top with hot soup. Top with sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Super Quick Black Bean Soup

I found this recipe on another blog a long time ago and HAD to try it because it just sounded too quick and too easy. It really is good though and with chips and cheese, it's surprisingly filling.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans black beans, undrained (i’d like to dry draining and rinsing sometime to get rid of 40% of the salt.)
1/2 c salsa
1 T Chili powder
1 c broth (I used chicken)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dump everything into a pot and bring to boil
2. When it has simmered a little (not much), blend it with your stick blender, or pour into a blender to puree.
3. Serve with avocado slices, cheese and tortilla chips!

Vegetarian Chili

2 cans (each 19 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained or 4 cups soaked, cooked and drained

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, with juice

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies, with liquid

3 Tablespoons chili powder (I used Penzey's)

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

for topping:

sour cream

more cilantro

In slow cooker, combine everything except the cilantro; stir it up.

Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours, until bubbling and hot, and somewhat darker than when it all went in. Add cilantro; cook another 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls and top with dollop of sour cream and additional chopped fresh cilantro.

The whole thing can be assembled up to 12 hours in advance and refrigerated in the cooker stoneware. Just slip the insert into the cooker the next morning and cook away. I find that this is better cooked and eaten the following day; flavors meld and deepen.