Moosewood Black Bean And Chipotle Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, green or red, chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained (or cook 1 cup dried beans)
1 chipotle chile in adobo
2 cups tomatoes, chopped fresh (or 12 ounce undrained canned)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
salt, to taste
sour cream, to top
fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Warm the oil in a non-reactive soup pot.
Saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.
Add the carrots and cumin and cook on medium heat, sitting often for a few minutes.
Add the celery and peppers, lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. A.
dd the beans chipotle, tomatoes, orange juice, and water, and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.
If you're not using canned beans, add 1/2 cup of beans cooking liquid or additional water.
If you like a thicker broth, you can blend one or two cups of the soup until pureed, and stir it back into the remaining soup.
Top with optional sour cream and cilantro.