Brazilian Black Bean Soup

I had black bean soup at a restaurant for the very first time a few weeks ago and I loved it! I hope that this recipe is as good as what I had. I like this recipe because you can cook all of your veggies while you're cooking your beans. (Overnight soak time is not included in prep time)

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  cups dried black beans, soaked overnight
• 6  cups water
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 3  cups onions, chopped
• 10  medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  teaspoons cumin
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1  medium carrot, diced
• 1  medium bell pepper, diced
• 1 1⁄2 cups  orange juice
•  black pepper, to taste
•  cayenne pepper, to taste
• 2  medium tomatoes, diced (optional)

• Garnish

•  sour cream
•  cilantro
•  salsa

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight in plenty of water.
2. Place the soaked beans in a Dutch oven with 4 cups of water.
3. Bring to a boil,cover and simmer until tender -- about 1 1/4 hours.
4. Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet adding onions,1/2 of the garlic,cumin,salt and carrot,over medium heat just until carrot is tender.
5. Add remaining garlic and bell pepper,saute until everything is very tender -- 10-15 minutes.
6. Add the sauteed mixture to the beans,scraping every last morsel.
7. Stir in orange juice,black pepper,cayenne and optional tomatoes.
8. Puree all or some of the soup with an immersion blender or food processor.
9. Simmer over very low heat for 10-15 minutes more.
10. Serve topped with garnish.