12 days of cooking: day 3 - black bean and rice soup

As simple as this recipe sounds (and was!) it was so perfect for a chilly late fall evening. Something that can be made very quickly and simply, this was very filling, super yummy, and really healthy! The recipe comes from an old International Vegetarian cookbook I bought at a used bookstore when we lived in Portland.

Ingredients:
1 lb (about 2 1/2 cups) dried black beans
6 cups water
4 cups veggie stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons each of cumin and oregano leaves
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups sour cream
4 green onions, including tops, thinly sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
lime or lemon wedges

Rise beans and sort through, discarding any foreign material. Drain well. Place beans and water in a 4 to 5 quart kettle and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beans swell and absorb most of the water (30-45 minutes). Add stock and continue simmering, covered, until beans are tender (about 1 hour.)
Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until onion is soft. Set aside.
In a blender or or food processor, whirl about 2 cups of the beans and a little broth until smooth. Return puree to kettle. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, onion mixture, rice and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until soup is steaming.
Serve with sour cream, green onions, radishes and lemon or lime wedges on the side.

The great thing about this recipe is that it requires very minimal supervision, and the beans can be left cooking while you do other things. And if you don't have time to use dried black beans, you can opt for canned and have dinner ready even faster! I left off the sour cream, green onions and radishes, and added fresh cilantro and topped with a little cheddar cheese. It was delish!

I've got my second loaf of Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread in the oven as I type, and can't wait to tell you all about it!

It's also snowing again - we got a couple of inches last night and are expecting a couple more through tomorrow evening. This is the second Sunday in a row that it's been snowing, and we've been enjoying the snowy mornings by walking down to the local bakery, enjoying some coffee and a bagel and walking home, taking in the beautiful cold snow.

The kitties are also enjoying their snow days :) 

And I'm getting some more Christmas knitting done!

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday afternoon!