simple black bean soup

in the past few days i have definitely had my fill of sweets.  so i’m taking a break from my christmas-cookie-blitz with some hardy, filling and simple black bean soup.

i know that making a batch of soup can sometimes seem like an undertaking, which is why i’ve tried to make this soup as simple as possible.  the main ingredient is black beans – but you can use any bean, really – and i made the seasoning as simple as possible, flavoring it almost exclusively with liquid aminos.  if you feel like getting creative, flavor it with your own favorite herbs and spices.

simple black bean soup
2 1/2 c dried black beans
8 c water
1/ 4 c liquid aminos
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c chopped white onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c rice milk (or any other non-dairy milk)

start by soaking the black beans in 4 cups of the water.  it will take at least 3 hours for them to plump and soften up.

add the water and soaked beans to a large pot along with the other 4 cups of water, the liquid aminos and vinegar.  turn to high heat.  let cook at least 30 minutes until the beans are soft.

in the mean time, chop the onion and simmer in the olive oil.  mince the garlic cloves and toss them in too.  cook until soft.

add the onion and garlic to the beans in the pot.

then add 3/4 of the beans to a blender along with the cold rice milk – it might take a few batches if it doesn’t all fit at once.  blend well until smooth.  add them back to the pot and mix with the remainder of the beans.

the end result is a thick soup, very hardy.  but if you prefer a thinner soup simply add more water accordingly.

i dressed them here with the vegan sour cream i made earlier this week, and my favorite spicy condiment – sriracha sauce.