michelle picker cooks

Spiced and a little spicy, this hearty soup will satisfy vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

To make this soup first soak ⅔ of a cup of dry black beans in 3 cups of water overnight. Cook the beans until soft (this only takes 10 minutes in a pressure cooker). Dice 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper and 2 sticks of celery and sauté gently in some vegetable oil until the onion is translucent. Add 1 clove of finely diced garlic, 2 seeded and finely diced red chillies, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, ½ a teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ a teaspoon of ground cumin, ½ a teaspoon of ground coriander (cilantro), ¼ of a teaspoon of dried thyme, ¼ of a teaspoon of ground allspice, ⅛ of a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ⅛ of a teaspoon of ground cloves and 2-4 diced tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are wilting then add the black beans with their liquid and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer until all the flavours are well combined. Garnish with some fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve with sour cream.

*This recipe (slightly adapted) is from Brook the Cook on food.com