Spicy Black Bean Soup

I've been in a little soup kick lately. Maybe being snowed in for two days has had an influence on that! Anyway, this is a delicious, easy soup that is even better as leftovers. I happened to have some extra ingredients on hand that I thought would kick it up a few notches listed at the end.

And rather than putting it through the blender, I just whirled my immersion blender in the pot until it was to the consistency I wanted.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
• 1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño chili with seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, undrained
• 8 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream or cottage cheese
  
• Tortilla chips

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, green chilies, garlic, jalapeño, and cumin. Sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans with juices. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Puree 3 cups soup in batches in blender. Return puree to same pot. Mix in 6 tablespoons cilantro. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream or cottage cheese and tortilla chips. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro.

I also added 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chilies in adobe, 1 tablespoon dry oregano, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, can of corn with juice, and a pint of chopped cherry tomatoes.