Black Bean Soup

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Ingredients:

~ 8 quartered cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp diced red onion

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp salsa (we used cantina style)

3/4 tsp garlic

2 - 3 cups vegetable broth

1 can black beans drained and RINSED

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese

Add the quartered cherry tomatoes and onion to a small pot with the olive oil, and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently, letting the onion cook down. Once the vegetables are soft, add 2 tbsp of salsa plus ~ 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then add 3/4 of the can of black beans and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro, and remove the soup from heat.

Once cooled enough to try, slowly add 1 ladle of soup to the blender. Be sure the soup is cool enough so it does not crack the glass. Leave the center portion of the blender lid off and cover with a towel, letting out some steam. Blend on a low setting, (on ours "mix" worked well,) and slowly ladle in more soup until it is all in the blender. Be careful not to over blend! Once the majority of black beans are incorporated into the broth, return your soup back to the pot. (You can use some broth to rinse out the blender and get all of the soup back into the pot.)

Add the remaining 1/4 can of whole black beans to the pot. Return the soup to medium heat and stir in ~1-2 cups of broth until soup reaches desired viscosity (it will be thick, but you don't want it too heavy). Once the broth is added, stir in 1/4 cup of cheese, and add another 1 tbsp salsa, 1/2 tsp of garlic, and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Remove from heat then garnish with a sprinkle of cheese, some chopped cilantro and some smoked paprika, and enjoy!