Southwest Tomato Red Pepper Black Bean Soup

The Lovely And Talented Lisa bought a bunch of Campbell's Select soups she likes, so I tried one. Very bland and lifeless, but a pinch of salt and two or three dashes of Tabasco Chipotle Sauce, and it was actually quite good.

I didn't like the stats on the label, and I knew I could achieve better texture and flavor, so I came up with a better recipe.

Equipment:

Food processor

Spice Mixture:

1t ground coriander

1t ground cumin

2t sweet paprika

1/2t finely ground black pepper

Ingredients:

2 Maggi Halal vegetable boullion cubes*

6 oz. can Contadina tomato paste

1 Red bell pepper

1 Medium onion

2 Ribs celery

1 Clove garlic

1/2 of a 14 oz. can of Goya brand black beans**

1/4 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, ribbed and seeded

2t Apple cider vinegar

Water

*You can omit the bouillon if you don't want an extra 6 grams of fat in the batch, but if you do then you'll need to add a good bit of salt to taste when finishing the dish.

**Use the top half of the can along with all the thick starchy liquid that drains out, as this adds a great mouth feel to the dish. Goya brand canned beans are by far the finest quality on the planet because they are always cooked perfectly, they don't "mud" in the can, and they contain the perfect small amount of starchy liquid, but they cost no more than other brands.

In the soup pot, boil three or four cups of water and add the bouillon cubes, if you're using them.

Chop the vegetables and add them to the soup pot. If necessary, add additional water to just cover.

Boil briskly for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender crisp.

Make the spice mixture and mix together well.

Very finely mince the ribbed and seeded chipotle pepper fragment. The finer, the better. Mush is best for distribution, because this is hotter than you think.

Pour the cooked vegetable mixture into the food processor, add the 1/2 can of black beans with their liquid, add the chipotle mince, and pulse until fine. Leave a little texture, but nothing larger than 1/8".

Scrape out the food processor back into the soup pot, add the tomato paste, and whisk until everything is evenly incorporated. You may need to add some more water to thin it out for sufficient mixing.

Whisk in the spice mixture.

Put full flame to the soup pot while whisking and adding water until the desired consistency is reached. The soup should coat the back of a spoon, but at this point it might break up and slide a bit because it isn't fully cooked. Best to err on the side of thicker because you can always add more water when finishing the dish.

Stir occasionally as the soup comes to a boil.

Turn the heat down to very low and simmer covered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the texture of the largest bits of vegetable are just soft enough to be palatable.

Adjust for salt first, then whisk in the apple cider vinegar.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate immediately to stop the cooking and preserve the texture and flavor of the soup.

Enjoy! :)