Black Bean Soup = Amazing

In accordance with my plan to not spam with the same old recipes, I thought I'd post something of my own. It's snowy and cold [[for most of us]] and just plain ugly out-- but I think this soup is enough to brighten your day. Or at least it brightened mine. Ok, that was unbelievably corny, but you know what I mean.

When Andy and I went to Yellow Springs [[I haven't quite gotten to writing about our trip, but I will]], we went to this cafe/restaurant-- The Winds Cafe. At night, it's this slightly expensive fine dining experience, and during the day, it's upscale still yet not as unaffordable of a place to eat. Which was cool for us, because we got to go without cleaning ourselves out for the weekend. We were really going there for this tofu sandwich they offered, but as it turns out, there was honey in the sauce. So, we went for the black bean chili and some other delicious, Indian-inspire dish that escapes me [[and the online menu]] now. Both top notch. The coolest part was that when we double checked to make sure that the tofu sandwich was vegan, the cook was informed enough about vegan food to know that honey is in fact not vegan. [[Which sort of ties into my blog about how no one knows the difference between vegetarian and organic-- how refreshing that moment was!]]

Anyways, back to the soup. My point was, that awesome black bean chili from The Winds inspired me. So, my soup is wonderful, delicious, yada-yada-yada-- try it.



The Recipe
Cook Time: about 30 Minutes
Serves: 6-8 people [[or two meals for two people in our case]]

* 2 Tbs. olive oil
* 10 slices Smart Bacon, chopped up into little pieces
* 1 1/2 medium white onions, chopped
* 6 garlic cloves, pressed
* 14 1/2 ounces No-Chicken Broth
* 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 tablespoon chili powder [[this and all spices to taste really-- this is a guess really, I honestly don't know how much i put it. I just dump a whole bunch in til it tastes awesome]]
* 2-3 teaspoons paprika
* 2-3 teaspoons red pepper
* 2-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* splash in some Worcestershire sauce
* 2 25 oz. cans of black beans, drained
* 1 small can of black beans, smashed
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 bunch cilantro


* Tofutti Sour cream, for garnish
* Some left over white onions and cilantro for garnish

First, you want to take a large pot, heat some oil. Test it with a small chunk of smart bacon, make sure it sizzles and bubbles around it, but not too much or you'll burn your smart bacon! Then, put all the bacon in, cook for about 4 minutes. Add the onions, cook for another 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another minutes. Then, add the No-chicken Broth, ketchup, and tomatoes. Add the spices. Then, add the two large cans of drained black beans. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the smashed black beans, cook for another 5 minutes, until desired thickness. Add your salt, pepper, chopped cilantro, stir. Serve with a dollop of Tofutti Sour Cream and white onions.


<3