Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried black beans (about 6 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (14-ounce) can organic vegetable broth
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 hard-cooked large eggs, coarsely chopped
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.
2. 2. Heat the olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add beans, 2 1/2 cups water, oregano, red pepper, cumin, broth, and chiles; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
3. 3. Place half of bean mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup. Return to pan. Stir in tomato paste and salt; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1/3 cup chopped eggs. Sprinkle each serving with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.