Quick Black Bean Soup

Hi everyone! Now that my URL has been updated, I feel like I can start posting recipes again. As was the case last year, my summer cooking will be somewhat simpler than during the rest of the year, because I’m deprived of a lot of the tools I normally use (no stand mixer, no food processor or immersion blender, no Bundt pan… I had to use the cheese grater as a citrus zester, too!). The first meal I made after we had unpacked was this black bean soup. It’s a recipe I got from my friend Jen, and it appealed to me because it was healthy as well as quick and easy to make. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, because there are so few ingredients, but it was really good! I halved the recipe as written below, but note that it doesn’t really matter if you’re in Canada and have 19-oz cans of beans instead of 15-oz cans; just use your best approximation. I served it with some crackers and Damafro’s lactose-free garlic and herb goat cheese (which I can’t get in the States), but a good piece of bread would be nice, too. Enjoy!

1 Tbsp oil
1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (15-oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable broth or stock
1 cup crushed tomatoes with rich purée
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
parsley or cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Purée soup if desired (I couldn’t, but it was really good without puréeing).