Black Bean Soup

While we were on our Caribbean cruise, I had the most delicious black bean soup during one of our formal dinners on the ship. I’m generally not a soup person, especially in the summer, and especially while on vacation in the Caribbean… but this soup was SO good.

I really should have asked for the recipe, but of course, I forgot to. So, when we got home, I tried out my own version of the black bean soup. It wasn’t exactly like the soup on the ship, but it turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups black beans, sorted and rinsed
8-10 cups water
olive oil
ground cumin
dried oregano
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 cup sliced celery
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup cooked rice
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Let’s Cook!
1. Either soak the black beans in water overnight, or for a quick soak… Boil the beans in water for 2 minutes, then cover and let sit for one hour.
2. Drain and rinse the beans.
3. Place the beans and water in a crockpot, with the amount of water 2 inches above the beans. Turn on high and let simmer for 4-5 hours.
4. Near the end of the 4-5 hours, cook the rice.
5. While the rice is cooking, chop up the celery and garlic and saute in olive oil with ground cumin and oregano. (also feel free to add onions and tomatoes if you wish).
6. Add the celery mixture to the crockpot and let simmer for 10-15 more minutes.
7. When the rice is cooked, add it to the crockpot along with the vinegar, salt and pepper.
8. To serve, spoon the soup into a bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy with a side of cornbread!