Black Bean Soup

This soup is very tasty and surprisingly low in calories. I tried it at a friend's house and thought it was delicious. I was amazed when I saw the list of ingredients. There are some "hidden vegetables" that make this soup super healthy -- and you can't even taste them. So, if you have a hard time getting vegetables in, this is the soup for you.

Preparation and Cooking Time: About 45 minutes 

Yields 4-5  (1 cup) servings

What you will need:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 minced garlic cloves

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

Saute these ingredients in a large pan for 4-5 minutes on medium to high heat. Then add:

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1  (3.5 oz) can chopped green chilies

2 cans beef broth

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 dash black pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. oregano

1 bay leaf 

Simmer all ingredients uncovered for 20-25 minutes until carrots are soft. Remove the bay leaf. 

Place soup in food processor or blender. (This part is always weird to me--but the end product is really good.) Blend until smooth. Transfer soup to a more "appetizing" dish.

I serve this soup with low fat sour cream, Weight Watcher's mexican cheese blend, and baked tortilla chips.