AID STATION: Zesty Black Bean Soup

With the winter months upon us, all I want to do is eat soup! My body definitely is seasonal-dependent.  In the summer months, I really can't drink anything hot or eat hot soup, and the winter months are the complete opposite.  It's actually hard for me to want to eat fruit in the winter because it's not warm and cozy.  

So in the search for new yummy soups, I came across a quick, delicious, and nutritious recipe from the Whole Foods App on my iPhone for a Zesty Black Bean Soup.  I love this app because it lets you search according to meal course (appetizers, beverages, desserts, etc.), category (budget, kids, entertaining, etc.), special diets (like vegan or gluten free), and ingredients, so you can really customize your search.  It also lets you save recipes as favorites, share them via Facebook, email, and Twitter, and add the ingredients to your shopping list with one click.  If you don't have a smart phone for the app, you can go to the Whole Foods recipe site to search for recipes.


I made this Zesty Black Bean Soup last night and added some pasta to it to make it a little heartier.  It was delicious!  

Zesty Black Bean Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Nutrition

Per serving (about 19oz/541g-wt.): 280 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1540mg sodium, 45g total carbohydrate (13g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 12g protein

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound baby carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 quart vegetable broth
Hot sauce to taste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (I actually leave this out)
I also added about 1/2 box of whole wheat pasta for some extra yum! 

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, bay leaf and salt and cook until carrots are just tender, about 7 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add cumin, cinnamon, beans, corn, tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. (If you're going to add pasta, I added it the last 10 minutes and brought the soup to a low boil, then reduced the heat). Stir in hot sauce and chopped cilantro. Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with more cilantro.