Black Bean Soup

This bowl of steaming quick and simple black beans soup feels like a hug. Truly. It is delicious & the cocoa powder adds an exotic touch to the overall flavor.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
3 cups of cooked black beans (I cooked dried black beans in my Instant Pot/you can use 2 15 oz cans for this recipe
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 veggie bouillon cube
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
Heat a saucepan & sauté the onions on medium heat with some salt, stirring continuously
Add the garlic and jalapeño and continue to sauté
Stir in the tomato paste, chipotle in adobo sauce, ground cumin, cocoa powder, veggie cube, and 1 cup of hot water
Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes
Turn off heat and carefully transfer the liquid to a blender and blend until smooth
Return the contents of the blender to the saucepan
Add the black beans, 2 more cups of hot water & simmer covered for 20 minutes
Remove the lid, mash a few black beans
Turn off heat and add the chopped cilantro, lime juice
Serve hot with some crushed tortilla chips and diced avocado if you like, for some added texture