I wanted to try a black bean soup in the Crockpot. This recipe is a little spicy, but a great way to warm up on a cold winter day. I served the soup with a grilled cheese quesadilla, plain greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), and chunky tomato salsa. As a garnish for the soup, I added a dollop of greek yogurt and sliced green onions. To make the quesadilla, I coated a frying pan with Pam cooking spray and grilled 1 whole wheat tortilla to which I added 1/4 cup fat free cheddar cheese, 1 TBS corn, 1 TBS chopped green onions, and 1/2 chopped slice of a cooked vege bacon strip. As pictured, this meal is approximately 337 calories. The soup has about 107 calories per serving.
Hearty Black Bean Soup
3 medium carrots or 18 baby carrots, sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves minced
1 can (30 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis (10 ounces)
2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco Pepper Sauce, adjust to taste)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
juice of 1/2 of a fresh lime
Chop the carrots, celery and onions.
I used my Kitchen Aid mini chopper for the fresh cilantro as this was easier than trying to hand chop it myself.
For the fresh lime juice I used a hand juicer which worked great.
Combine all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until vegetables are tender. Yields approximately 8 servings at 107 calories.
