Costa Rican Black Bean Soup

Enjolinfam's Note:

This sounds like a really good black bean soup...though I love most ALL black bean soup! I'll update once I've tried it. I'm posting this for ZWT 4. This is a recipe I got by Cinda Sanners from her "Soup Buffet" show.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 1 cup s ...

• 1 cup celery , finely diced
• 1 medium sweet onion , finely diced
• 1 medium red pepper , finely diced
• 1 cup fresh tomato , chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups black beans , canned including liquid (4 - 15 oz. cans)
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¾ teaspoon celery salt
• ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon clove
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• salt
• sour cream , can add a spoonful on top (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, sauté celery, onion, red pepper, tomatoes, garlic and ginger in oil over medium heat until vegetables are tender and onion is clear.
2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Meghan]

Really great combo of flavors! I made a few adjustments in using a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, adding some chipotle pepper and cilantro soup base but the overall combo of seasonings in this reacipe give it a fresh light taste!

[Starrynews]

Yum, this is definitely a keeper. I love the blend of spices. It is a wonderful variation on black bean soup. I omitted the salt and added a little water because I like to rinse my beans before use to get rid of the excess sodium, so I didn't have any canned liquid to add. I garnished with sour cream, chopped parsley, and a little bit of 4 cheese blend. Excellent! Thank you for sharing!

[Maito]

This a really good soup. I halved the cayenne pepper, and it was still fairly spicy. I also subbed celery seed and 1/4 tsp of salt for the celery salt, since I didn't have any. I topped this with cilantro and squeezed lime and lemon over it at the table, and that definitely brightened up all the flavors. Served 4 as an entree. Here is my video of the soup being made: http://www.recipezaar.com/sitenews/post.php?pid=944&pn=1&pageref=Photo_Video-927138&vw_arrange_order=DESC&vw_sort_order=MOST_RECENT