This month, I’ve decided to tackle the challenge of eating vegetarian. I’m currently over half-way done with the month long challenge and it has been interesting. While I admittedly miss meat (it’s just so darn tasty), I have really enjoyed getting creative with my meals and figuring out ways to make satisfying, healthy, veggie-friendly eats.
This soup is a new favorite of mine because it’s delicious, nutritious, satisfying and the black beans give it a protein punch. It is very simple to make and can come together in less than an hour, though the longer it cooks the better the flavor. I made a big batch of this for my family and still have leftovers (yay lunch!); but if you don’t want to be eating soup all week, feel free to half the recipe. This soup is vegan friendly so long as you omit the sour cream and cheese and substitute the taco seasoning (the brand I used contains whey), otherwise it is vegetarian. The ingredients are very versatile, so go ahead and omit, add, and substitute ingredients as you please.
Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans
1 can corn
1 (2lb) container vegetable stock
1 tomato
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 cube chipotle
1 tsp. “Tajin” seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. taco seasoning
1 ½ tsp. salt
Hot sauce/hot pepper seasoning to taste
Optional: sour cream and cheese
Directions:
Dice your tomato, onion and bell pepper. Drain can of corn, but do not drain black beans. Put a large pot on stove over medium/high heat; add beans, corn, tomato, onion, bell pepper, stock and all seasonings.
Bring soup to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes. You can cook it for longer, if you have the time and will to do so, to allow for more flavor. My hunger always wins out over my patience, but go ahead a test your self-control.
Top with sour cream and cheese if you wish. (Fair warning: sour cream will change the color of the soup to an awkward shade of gray, but it doesn’t bother me.)