Black Bean Soup

I know, I know, I like to make soups.  But, can you blame me?  They blend the best.  not to mention it's fall, well, I say it's winter now that there is snow all over the place, and the best thing to eat in the winter is a bowl of hot soup.

It all started with a trip to Winco.  I decided it was time to pick out things that I could use to make meals, rather than just getting whatever sounded good.  So I grabbed a bunch of cans of different kinds of beans.  Then, pursuing allrecipes, I saw a recipe for black bean soup.  It looked yummy, but I decided it needed a little tweaking.  Beans in chicken broth isn't enough in my mind.

To start, fry 1/4 a package of hickory smoked bacon that has been chopped up into small pieces in a large sauce pan.  Don't crisp the bacon, just heat it through enough that it starts to shrink.  Then add 1/2 a chopped up sweet onion and i clove minced garlic, cooking the onion until it turns clear.  The moisture from the onions will prevent the bacon from crisping, so don't worry.

Next, add 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water. Add the following spices:  black pepper, salt, oregano, parsley, FRESH cilantro leaves, cumin, chili powder, and onion powder.  Then, a dash of lemon juice.  As it just barely begins to boil, add two cans of black beans and 1 cup frozen corn.  As it simmers and the liquid reduces down, smash up some of the beans, that will help to thicken the actual soup as well.  Cook on medium heat until the beans are tender and the corn is well done.

Then, serve it up with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro on top.  It's a very rich and hearty soup guaranteed to clean you right out, hehehe, sorry.  But it tastes fabulous!