The black bean, black turtle bean, scientifically known as Phaselous vulgaris , which also entails other famed beans as the pinto and white bean, has been around for some 7,000 years. That is a long time, and we can thank the aboriginals of South America for their introduction to the world. I suppose we could also thank the genocidal conquistadors for then introducing them to western cuisine, but, I am not gonna.

Black beans are pretty healthy, or so I hear from those people who know such things, such as medical professionals and trained nutritional experts.By trained, I mean actually schooled people, and not many of the quacking quacks you often find in vegan circles. Simply said, black beans are good for us, and we should eat them.

I heard some rumor about fiber and this and that, so yeah, they are good for us. I do not know, as any avid reader of my posts could tell you, healthy foods is not perhaps my true talent or passion. I probably should correct that sooner than later, perhaps before I need bigger pants,but that is a story for another time.

So, black beans…You can buy the canned variety, or you can buy the bag of dry beans and soak and cook them. I tend to go the soak and cook method, as I find i enjoy them more. I have no scientifically facts to back up this claim, and really they may in-fact be all the same. But, the soaking and cooking method makes me feel closer to my foodie -snob roots, so I just go with that.

I could go about telling you how to soak and cook them, but I am just gonna go with the thinking that you already know how to, and do not need my assistance. I hope so, anyways.

Now, this is a soup, and I have often been quoted or been known to say how I am not all that keen on soups. I am not.But, once in a while the urge hits me, so I make a soup. I just find that unless you do it right, and add enough seasoning, they are just bland bowls of liquid with crap in it. No one wants that, I think? You might, I guess. Weirdo.

Ingredients.
- 3 cups of beans, soaked, cooked, rinsed.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 1 small onion.
- 2 large tablespoons of minced garlic. I guess you could just make it three.
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped up.
- 6 baby bella mushrooms, chopped up.
- 6 cups of vegetable broth. Or, 6 cups of water with some of that broth powder stuff.Low sodium is best, I loathe over-salty soup.
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- Few dashes of salt.
- 1 bay leaf.
- A dash or red pepper flakes.
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder.
- A can of diced tomatoes. Or, you can dice them, yourself.Just avoid allowing much of the juice getting into the soup.
- 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn.I cheat and use frozen here, as I cannot really tell much of a difference.( I lose foodie points.)

You will need a big pot, one that you would deem suitable for making soup. I think that is fairly straightforward enough. Add the oil, onions, and put it over medium heat. Let this cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Now, add the mushrooms, celery, and half of the three cups of black beans.That would be a cup and a half for those mathematically challenged souls out there.

I wold add some salt and pepper to this, and stir it a bit, and let this cook for 2 or so minutes. Now, you may add the vegetable stock, as well as the cayenne, red pepper flakes, and the bay leaf.Lid that sucker, and let it cook for about 30 minutes.Remove the bay leaf.

So, I was a bit foolish and thought I could dump all this into my food processor, all in one go, thus saving myself some time. This was, well, not a wise move on my part.For, even though it all fit, it swirled around and made a mess. Not good.

I would do the processing in batches, until you have done the whole pot. You can puree it to any degree you want, as it is your soup.

You can then return it to the pot it came from, adding the remaining black beans, corn and diced tomatoes. I then added a wee bit more cayenne, and the chili powder.You may add as much of anything you wish, as it is a soup, and soups are easy in that way.

I am easy, or so the rumor goes.No, that is untrue, and I am clearly trying to just create some kind of persona.

Anyways, let this cook for 5 minutes,or so, maybe 10 minutes, till everything is warmed up, and then serve with a sprinkling of Daiya Cheddar on top.

I wanted a grilled cheese, but this could also be fantastic with some nachos that you could just dip in.I suppose you could also have soup and a salad.But, that is boring.

You do not want to be boring, do you?