Japanese Black Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, with liquid
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks chopped celery
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can drained diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin (I love cumin!)
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 (16 ounce) can fat free refried black beans

Preparation

Most times I can't find chicken broth so I use 2 cans of chicken noodle soup strained so you just have the broth, with water added to equal 5 cups.
Put everything in a big pot and cook until the veggies are tender. Put 2/3rds of the soup in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot. Add the refried beans as the last step. Why last? They tend to settle on the bottom and can burn. Stir and smash the congealed beans until they are no longer one huge clump o'beans.
Variations I have tried include adding salsa, spooning it over rice or mashed potatoes, topping it with sour cream and green onions or just adding some chopped onions on top. Definitely a crowd pleaser!