Mexican Black Bean Soup

My wife plucked this from one of the various emails she receives. It's quick. It's easy. It's good.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 (24 ounce) cans black beans
• 1⁄2 cup chickpeas, canned
• 1  onion
• 1  red bell pepper
• 2  garlic cloves
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 1  teaspoon oregano
• 4  cups water
• 1  tablespoon  chicken soup powder
• 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Cook until beans are tender, approximately 1/2 an hour.
3. Puree with a hand-blender until a few chunks remain but mostly smooth.
4. Serve with tortilla chips if desired for crushing into each bowl of soup, but it's pretty good by itself too.