Black Bean Soup

My husband loved the Cubans I made last weekend, so he requested them again. This time I thought I would make them for Saturday night's dinner and press them on my panini press. I was trying to think of what I could make with them, not really wanting to do the black beans and rice thing, which we do a lot when we have tacos and such. He suggested a black bean soup. It was perfect because I knew I had seen recipes for black bean soup in one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks. The below recipe is a variation of her Black Bean Stoup (thicker than a soup, thinner than a stew) that is in her 365 No Repeats cookbook - my favorite cookbook of hers I think.

This soup is healthy, high in protein and can be made vegetarian if you use veggie stock instead of chicken stock.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 dried bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans
2 Tbsps cumin
1 and 1/2 tsps coriander
Salt and Pepper
couple of pinches crushed red pepper
2-3 Tbsp hot sauce
1 quart (4 cups) chicken or veggie stock/broth
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
sour cream and chopped scallions for topping the soup

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the hot pot, then add the bay leaves, garlic, onion and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the bell pepper and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. Drain 2 cans of black beans and add them. With the remaining can, pour the entire contents into the food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the pot. Season with cumin, coriander, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and the hot sauce. Add the stock and can of tomatoes, bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and scallions.