Black Bean Soup

Source: Clean Food by Terry Walters

• 1 thumb-size piece Kombu

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 stalk celery, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons ground chipotley powder

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 can (15 oz) Red enchilada sauce

• 6 cups cooked black beans

• 3 cups water or vegetable stock (adjust for desired thickness)

• 1 cup diced tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons mirin

• 1 tablespoon tamari

• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish.

1. Place kombu in bowl with enough warm water to cover and soak 10 minutes or until soft. Drain, mince kombu and set aside.

2. In large pot over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in oil 3 minutes. Add celery, carrots, cumin, chipotley, cayenne and salt. Sauté 8 minutes or until carrots are tender.

3. Add beans to pot along with enchilada sauce, water or stock, kombu, tomatoes, mirin and tamari. Bring to simmer and cook 30 minutes to combine flavors. For a creamier texture, puree some of the soup with a handheld blender. Garnish with cilantro and serve.