Mexican Bean Soup

This gluten-free vegan warming soup is a great choice for the cold season!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, very finely chopped
1 hot pepper, chopped (omit if you don't like spicy)
1 teaspoon of thyme
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground red sweet pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked red sweet pepper
½ red pepper, chopped and seeded
½ green pepper, chopped and seeded
690 ml of vegetable broth
2 cans (400g each) of red beans (or other beans of your choice)
½ teaspoon salt (depending on how salty your vegetable stock is)
1 can (225 g) of sweet corn
fresh herbs (coriander, parsley) and black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery and hot pepper (optional). Fry until the onion becomes transparent and golden-brown in color.
3. Add spices (thyme, sweet paprika powder, smoked paprika powder, cumin) and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add chopped peppers, vegetable stock, beans and a pinch of salt.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, on low heat for about 15 minutes or until the celery is tender.
6. Transfer about ¼ of the soup mixture to a blender. There should be enough liquid in this part of the mixture to effectively mash the mass.
7. Puree until creamy, then return this mixture back to the soup.
8. Taste and, if necessary, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then add the sweet corn and mix well.
9. Serve with toppings of your choice, such as guacamole (Mexican avocado relish), yogurt or sour cream, cheese, fresh herbs. Delicious!

Yield: 2 servings
Recipe: wholefoodsoulfoodkitchen.com