Black Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
1 pound dried black beans (about 2 cups), rinsed, soaked in 4 quarts of water overnight or 6 hours or boiled 2 minutes & soaked 2 hours, drained
1 lb smoked ham hock or shank (I used 3 slices center cut bacon to save fat & calories)
2 bay leaves
5 cups water (will be very watery this way, I will try 4 next time)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or smaller(can substitute 2 large carrots) (
1/2 carrot, chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced, or jarred minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp molasses
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 to 4 Tbsp lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)
Salt
Optional on individual bowls
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Avocado, peeled and chopped
Method
1 Place beans and ham hock in a 4-quart, thick-bottomed pot. Add 5 cups water, bay leaves, salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and let cook 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove bay leaves. Remove ham hock from the pot. Cut ham meat away from the bone and cut into small, bite-sized pieces, set aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a large 8-quart thick-bottomed pot on medium high until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Add the onions, celery, sweet potato and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened, about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic, cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3 Add the beans (or simply add veggies to pot of beans), their cooking liquid, chicken stock, molasses, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.
4 Remove 4 cups of the soup (about half of it) to a blender. Let cool 5 minutes (may explode out of blender otherwise).Purée until smooth and return to the pot of soup. (You may need to purée the soup in smaller portions, depending on the size of your blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way at a time and hold the lid while blending.) Add back the ham pieces to the soup. Add 3 Tbsp of lime juice. Adjust seasonings. If on the sweet side, add a bit more lime juice. Salt to taste.
Serve with garnishes. Makes 8 cups. Serves 6. If you use 5 c water, it will serve more than 6.
Note that the soup may continue to thicken. If you would like it thinner, just add some water to desired consistency.

We made this last night & doubled it to freeze half for another meal. The boys liked, especially with sour cream. I would have liked it better with less water, and more salt. It was great other than that!