black bean and rice soup

Most mornings I wake up with some idea....an inkling at least of what we'll have for dinner. 

This day I had no idea.

I opened the fridge, the cupboard......nothing. 

I opened the freezer......spanish rice from a few weeks ago. 

What would I do with that?

The same thing I do with every other left over ingredient.....throw it in soup.

And so this soup was born....and it's kind of one of those things that really does work with whatever you may  have lying around. Left over chicken? Throw it in. Corn tortillas....yum!

Let this soup be your canvas.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

-1 small onion, diced

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-1 roasted red pepper, diced (since peppers aren't in season, I used a small handful of jarred roasted red peppers)

-1 can of diced tomatoes 

-4-5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

-2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

-2 cups cooked spanish rice (plain rice would be fine if you don't have leftover spanish rice, you might want to up your seasonings a bit. I love the organic wild rice blend that Costco sells)

-1/2 tsp chipotle flakes (1/4tsp if you don't like it spicy)

-1TBS chili powder

-1 tsp cumin

-1/4 tsp dried oregano

-salt to taste

Saute' onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent--about 5 minutes. 

Add garlic and chipotle flakes, and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer for a few hours--the soup is officially "done" as soon as it's hot, but I like to let soup simmer for the afternoon so all the flavors can play together for a while. 

Top with cilantro, your favorite tortilla chips, and a squeeze of lime.

enjoy!