Black Bean Soup With Avocado Salsa
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Black Bean Soup With Avocado Salsa
(4 servings)
Sometimes plain soup, no matter how lovely, wants just a little something. Here that something is a rather unlikely but complementary avocado salsa.
Adapted from "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes" by Paulette Mitchell (Chronicle, 2004).
For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup freshly chopped onion
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (may substitute more cumin)
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup orange juice
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt to taste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Ground chipotle chili pepper or red hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)
Tortilla chips for serving (optional)
For the salsa:
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 ripe avocado or mango, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chili pepper to taste
Pinch brown sugar (optional)
For the soup: In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 to 60 seconds.
Add the stock, orange juice, beans and salt, black pepper, ground chipotle pepper and/or hot pepper sauce to taste, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
For the salsa: In a bowl, combine the salsa ingredients. (If using mango, you may be want to add a pinch of brown sugar.) Set aside at room temperature.
To serve, top each serving of soup with a mound of the salsa and serve with spoons or tortilla chips.
Per serving (using avocado): 286 calories, 10 gm protein, 29 gm carbohydrates, 16 gm fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 3 gm saturated fat, 559 mg sodium, 10 gm dietary fiber
-- Renee Schettler