Calypso Black Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. TabascoTM), or to taste
1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers, for garnish

Preparation

Place the olive oil in a deep, heavy pot, and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and 1 red pepper; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the black beans. Add the mango, banana, cumin, ginger, and hot pepper sauce; stir and cook until fruit softens. Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring soup mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid reduces, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place soup in batches into a blender, and blend until smooth; or use a stick blender to blend in the soup pot. Serve garnished with dollops of sour cream and sprinkled with red bell pepper.