Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion (diced)
2 carrots (diced)
2 celery sticks (diced)
4 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons chili powder (or more to taste)
3 15.5-ounce cans low-sodium black beans (drained and rinsed) OR use 6 cups cooked (dried) black beans
8 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 lime (juiced)
Plain lowfat yogurt (optional)

Total Calories 322
Protein 179g
Carbohydrates 51g
Dietary Fiber 209g
Total Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 613mg

If using dried black beans, soak them overnight in cold water (about 8 hours). Rinse, place in large pot, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and simmer until the beans are tender (about 30 minutes). Drain before adding to this recipe in step 3.
Place a soup or stock pot on the stove over medium heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, and chili powder and cook about 10 minutes until the onion is soft.
Add the beans, water, and bouillon cube. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat to low and cook about 2 1/2 hours until the beans are very tender and the mixture is uniform in color.
If you want a pureed soup, set the soup aside to cool for about 20 minutes. Put 2 cups soup in a blender and put the top on, halfway (this will allow the soup to expand and any steam to escape) and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large container. Repeat using the rest of the soup.
Just before serving, squeeze the juice of 1/4 lime on each serving and a tablespoon of yogurt.
Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.