Corn chowder

Soup is one of those foods that I could eat pretty much every day and be happy. This is a great soup to make at the end of summer or beginning of fall when there is plenty of good fresh corn around. The corn adds a nice amount of sweetness and crunch, which I balanced out with the creaminess of potato and the spices. It is delicious right out of the pot or, almost better, the next day after the flavors have had a chance to really come together.

Ingredients:

1/2 an onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 cups veggie stock
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 generous dash cayenne pepper (adjust to your liking)
4-5 cracks fresh black pepper
1 ounce cream cheese
salt, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pot over a medium-low flame and saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add potato and cover with veggie stock. Bring to a boil and place the lid on the pot but make sure it is cracked a bit so that a little steam can escape. Cook potato until it is very tender, about 10 minutes. It should be very easily broken down by a fork. Add corn kernels, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes. Blend the soup to your desired level of chunkiness, I pureed about half of mine. Then bring back up to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir to make sure it melts completely. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve topped with fresh corn and green onions if desired.

Vegetable bouillon

I am about to share with you my ultimate cooking secret weapon. This is absolutely a staple in my kitchen, and if you've looked through some of my recipes you've probably seen that I use it in almost everything. It is so much better than store bought stock or bouillon cubes and is better than stock made with scraps, which is never that consistent. Yes, there is a lot of salt in this, but it also makes a lot of bouillon. I promise this still is less salty than store bought. Also, I originally found this recipe on a blog called "In Jennie's Kitchen" and you can certainly still find the recipe there, but I've made this a few times and I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes. The one below is my take on her original recipe.

Ingredients:

4 full sized carrots, tops cut off
3 ribs celery, cleaned
1 small onion
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms
1 leek, white and very light green parts only
10 sun-dried tomato halves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons salt

Directions:

Get out your biggest food processor. Roughly chop all vegetables and add them to the food processor. Turn it on and run it for about a minute until everything is starting to get smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the food processor on for another minute or two until everything is completely smooth and thick. Store it in the freezer. To use this as stock, dilute 1 teaspoon in 1 cup of hot water (then adjust to your liking).

French onion soup

I love french onion soup. The problem is that traditionally it is made using beef stock, which makes it not as appealing for vegetarians. I use red wine and good veggie stock in my version to still get the same richness you'd expect from french onion soup without any of the beef flavor. This does take some time to make (and a lot of stirring) but you can make it really quickly if you already have caramelized onions on hand.

Ingredients:

3 yellow onions, sliced in half moons
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup red wine
3-4 cracks black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2-3 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf
mozzarella, swiss, or provolone cheese
baguette slices, toasted and buttered

Directions:

Over medium heat, melt butter then add onions. Cook for 20 minutes stirring every few minutes, then cook about 10 more minutes stirring every minute or less until onions are caramelized but not burned. Add wine and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add black pepper and garlic powder and allow the wine to reduce by about half. Add stock until you have the thickness you'd like for your soup. Add bay leaf and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat. Place a few ladles of soup in a bowl, add toasted and buttered baguette slices, top with cheese. Place bowl under the broiler and broil for about 1 minute or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Potato leek soup

I brought this soup in to work to share with my coworkers once a year or two ago and people are still talking about how good it was. It is so simple but it is really comforting. You can serve this completely smooth or you can serve it a little chunky like I do, both ways are delicious. This is great on its own or you can top it with cheese, green onions, hot sauce, tomato, and/or bacon if you're not vegetarian.

Ingredients:

1 leek, white and very light green parts only, sliced in half moons
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium (or 1 extra large) potato, peeled and cubed
3-4 cups veggie stock
1 ounce cream cheese
pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, combine leek, butter, and olive oil and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the leek is very tender but before it browns. Add cubed potato and add just enough stock to cover the potatoes by about a 1/4 inch (mine took a little more than 3 cups). Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want your soup chunky, remove about a 1/3 of the potatoes from the pot after 7-8 minutes (or until they are fork tender but not mushy). Continue boiling the rest of the potatoes for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are very soft and mushy. Using an immersion blender, blend the mushy potatoes until they are smooth. Stir to get everything off the bottom and then add the cream cheese, stirring well to incorporate. Add the reserved potatoes back in and stir. If it is thicker than you'd like, add a bit more stock until you have your desired consistency. Season with pepper and let cook for about 1 more minute just to heat everything through. Serve alone or with cheese, hot sauce, green onion, etc.

Chicken-free "chicken" and dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is one of the greatest comfort foods in my opinion. I have very fond memories of eating this as a child, but once I became vegetarian it became really difficult to find a suitable replacement. My version is completely vegetarian and doesn't use any fake chick'n replacements. I just used white beans to increase the protein and add a little thickness to it. When I made this my boyfriend said, "I know this is going to be good because it looks really wonky", which is totally true.

Ingredients:

1/2 an onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large clove garlic
1 bay leaf
4-5 cracks black pepper
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon crushed sage
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons parmesan
3 cups veggie stock
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon corn starch, mixed with a little cold water
salt, to taste
1 cup flour
1/2 rounded tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
parsely (optional)

Directions:

In a large soup pot, combine onion, carrot, celery, and olive oil and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables have softened a bit (about 4-5 minutes). Add half of the white beans, then crush the remaining half with a fork until a smooth paste forms. Add this to the pot along with the garlic, bay leaf, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sage, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Stir everything all together. Add veggie stock and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in cream cheese and stir until smooth, then add the corn starch/water mixture. Bring to a simmer for about 3-5 more minutes, then taste and adjust salt and other seasonings. While this is simmering, in a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, and egg and fold all ingredients together gently until just combined. Take spoonfuls of flour mixture (I got 9 out of mine) and drop into simmering soup making sure they don't crowd each other. Place lid on pot and simmer for about 13-14 minutes without lifting the lid. Check dumplings after this time, they should be puffy but firm. Turn off heat and let rest for about 5 minutes, then serve topped with parsley (optional).

Broccoli cheese soup

Normally I am not a huge fan of creamy soups. I don't really know why other than I don't like milk. This recipe is great because it makes a really creamy, thick soup without using any milk at all (dairy yes, milk no), which also means that you don't have to be quite as careful about the soup breaking or separating. I like my soup mostly pureed with a good handful of broccoli florets still whole but you could easily leave it chunky or puree the whole thing. If you puree the whole thing yours will be really green instead of yellow-ish though.

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 head broccoli, cut into florets (I used a large broccoli crown for this)

1/2 onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons butter

3 rounded tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/3 cup white wine (or beer if you like that flavor better)

3 cups veggie stock, warmed slightly

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 generous dashes cayenne pepper (adjust to your preference)

4-5 cracks black pepper

3 tablespoons cream cheese

1/2 block of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

Directions:

Combine carrot, celery, and broccoli in a large soup pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain and pull out about half of the broccoli to save for later. Transfer the rest of the boiled veggies to a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender right in the pot) to blend up the veggies until mostly smooth. Save for later. In the same pot (that you've now emptied) combine onion and butter and cook on medium-low for 1-2 minutes or until the onions are fragrant and starting to soften. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the mustard and stir, then add the wine and whisk like crazy until it is absorbed and thick. Increase the heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in the warm veggie stock, stirring constantly so that it gets thick and smooth. Once all the clumps are whisked out cook the mixture for 10-20 minutes over medium-high heat until it is the thickness you want. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once the mixture is thick and bubbly, turn the heat down to low and whisk in the cream cheese, stir until no clumps remain then add garlic, cayenne, and pepper. Add cheddar and parmesan and stir until melted. Once melted, stir in your pureed vegetables as well as your whole florets of broccoli. Keep on low heat for a few minutes to warm everything up again. Season with salt and pepper. 

Spicy miso ramen with a poached egg

I am slowly but surely learning to love a runny egg yolk. It was never something I enjoyed on its own, but I've recently discovered that it is absolutely delicious when mixed into a big bowl of something warm. You don't have to put the egg on top of this ramen but if you've never tried it before you have no idea what you're missing. For this recipe I used a package of organic dried ramen noodles from the asian section of the grocery store. You could just as easily use a package of instant ramen and then just throw away the seasoning packet.

Ingredients:

2 stalks bok choy, chopped
3 baby carrots, julienned
5 slices cucumber, cut in strips
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon (or more) sriracha
1 tablespoon instant miso paste*
1 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup water
1 serving ramen noodles
1 egg
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 green onion, chopped
chili oil

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot, heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over medium heat. Add bok choy and a splash of water and cook until tender, about two minutes. Remove bok choy from pan, add carrot and cook until a little bit of the crunch has gone away, about another 1-2 mintues. Remove carrots and add cucumber, cook for 30 seconds or so, just to warm it and get it to taste like sesame oil. Remove cucumber from pan. Using the same pan you just cooked your veggies in, add stock, water, soy sauce, miso, sriracha, and the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil. Bring to a simmer then add ramen noodles. Cook noodles according to package directions (mine took 4 mintues). Remove noodles from pot when they are finished cooking and add them to the bowl you'll be serving it in. Top with piles of your cooked veggies. Leave the stock on the stove for now over low heat. In a separate small sauce pot, heat a few cups of water over medium-low heat. Add rice vinegar. Bring this to a very gentle simmer. Gently slide an egg into the pot of water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Place the egg on top of your noodles and veggies. Pour warm broth over the egg and noodles. Add green onions and season with a few drops of chili oil.

*Ok, so miso isn't really vegetarian. It is made with dried and fermented fish flakes. Honestly, I'm not that picky and it doesn't taste like fish to me and I really like it. If you don't want to use it or if you're a stricter vegetarian than I am then just use all stock. You could also use the "oriental" flavor packet of instant ramen instead of making your own broth. If you use the flavor packet then don't use soy sauce, miso, or stock.

Minestrone soup

Minestrone soup is something that always reminds me of the Olive Garden. It's probably because I've eaten my weight in their all-you-can-eat soup, salad, and bread sticks. My version is nothing like theirs. Mine is thicker, creamier, and a little less heavy on the tomato. If you like a tomato-heavy soup feel free to add a full can of tomatoes and if you don't want it quite as thick just don't smash the beans. This would also be good with chickpeas and zucchini thrown in, I just didn't have them on hand. This soup is great with no-knead bread or buttermilk drop biscuits.

Ingredients:

1 can great northern beans, drained

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 large (or 2 medium) carrots, cut in half moons

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 can diced tomatoes

3 cups veggie stock

2 inch piece of parmesan cheese rind (optional)

5-6 cracks black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup small pasta (like shells)

1 cup fresh spinach, cut in ribbons

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Add beans to a small sauce pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer for 5-10 minutes to soften beans. Drain and set aside. In a large soup pot, add onion, carrot, celery and olive oil and cook over medium-low heat until veggies are soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add white wine and garlic. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half. Add diced tomatoes, veggie stock, cheese rind (if using), black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add half the beans that you cooked earlier, smash the other half with the back of a spoon and crush until they form a thick paste. Add this to the soup pot and stir. Add the pasta and simmer for the recommended time on the pasta box. When the pasta has about 5-7 minutes left, add the spinach. When pasta is finished, turn heat off and remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaf. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Egg drop soup

I really love chinese food. Every time I order it I get egg drop soup. But then, of course, I end up ordering things like fried wontons and fried tofu covered in a syrupy sauce. Which means that unless I want to eat tons of fried food I don't get egg drop soup. Not until I learned how to make it myself anyway. My version doesn't have yellow food coloring in it so it isn't as vibrantly colored as take out, but it is more delicious. Plus you can make it in like 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups veggie stock
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 slightly rounded tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Place cold veggie stock, ginger, garlic (and red pepper flakes, if using) in a medium sauce pot. In a separate small bowl, mix together corn starch and cold water. Add to veggie stock and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to prevent clumps. While that is heating up, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk to break them up a bit. When stock has come to a full boil, remove from heat, stir it pretty fast so that the liquid is moving in a circle. Slowly add the eggs while stirring. Season with sesame oil and soy sauce. Add a handful of green onions and stir. The eggs should be cooked at this point. Serve in bowls with more green onions on top. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Fake Pho

Pho is something that even in a relatively vegetarian-friendly city I've had a hard time finding a vegetarian version out at restaurants. The broth takes a little bit of work but it is worth it for all the flavor you'll get. I like my version pretty heavy on the broth but you could use less for something that is more noodley. This is definitely not even close to being authentic, which is why I called it "fake pho" but I think it is still delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup veggie stock
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4-5 whole black peppercorns
1/2 a cinnamon stick
1-2 whole cloves
1 big handful flat rice noodles
3 baby carrots, julienned
4-5 bell pepper strips, cut in half
1/4 cup bean sprouts
5-6 florets broccoli
2 green onions, sliced
1 big handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan boil together the first 10 ingredients. Reduce to a simmer and allow it to cook for 15ish minutes. Strain out the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Add rice noodles, carrots, bell pepper, bean sprouts, broccoli and cook until the rice noodles are tender (check your package for how long it will take but it should only be a few minutes). Remove from heat and portion into bowls. Top with green onions, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Mushroom stew

It has been freezing here recently and there is nothing more comforting on a cold, snowy day than a big bowl of hearty stew. Vegetarian stews can be hard to come by but what is especially nice about this mushroom version is that since it doesn't have beef in it the stew doesn't need to cook all day in a crock pot. This one can come together easily even after a day at work.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 large stalk celery, roughly chopped

1/2 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 small box button mushrooms, cut in 1/6ths

2/3 cup other mushroom of your choice, chopped (I used shiitakes)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter 

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 small (or 1/2 large) potato, cut in big chunks

3 cups veggie stock

1/2 teaspoon sage

1 bay leaf

black pepper

salt

Directions:

In a dutch oven heat oil over medium-low heat, add carrot, celery, and onion and cook until soft (about 4-5 minutes). Add garlic, mushrooms, and 1 teaspoon of butter (really just a small pat). Don't stir for about a minute so that the mushrooms brown up. Then stir and cook for 3 more minutes. Shove the veggies to the side of the pan and add butter and flour in the center, blend these together until they turn into a paste. Add wine and soy sauce and stir well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the brown bits. Add the potato, stock, sage, bay leave, and a few cracks of black pepper. Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and the potatoes have broken down a bit and have thickened it to a stew consistency. If the veggies are tender but it isn't thick just turn the heat up slightly and cook a few more minutes, mashing 2-3 of your potato chunks to help thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Tortellini tomato soup

I know a lot of people hate tomato soup, and to be honest, I don't always love it. Something about it usually tastes sort of tinny, which doesn't taste well with a creamy soup. This version of tomato soup is rich and flavorful but doesn't have any milk or cream in it. Instead, I used red wine to deepen the flavor. The alcohol cooks out so don't worry about any alcohol content in the soup. Even if you think you hate tomato soup you should try this one, it might just change your mind.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 large onion, diced (or 1/2 a small)
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
5-6 cracks of black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup crushed tomato
1 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 handful mini cheese tortellini
mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until veggies are soft but not brown (maybe like 5-7 minutes). Add garlic, tomato paste, black pepper, italian seasoning, and sugar and cook about 1 minute more. Add wine and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced just a bit, maybe about two mintues. Add crushed tomato and veggie stock and increase heat to medium-high. When the soup begins to simmer add the tortellini. Mine said to cook for 16 minutes but cook yours according to the package. If the soup is getting too thick just thin it out with a little water as it cooks. Cook until the tortellini is done making sure to stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Top with mozzarella cheese when you're ready to eat.

Vegetable barley soup

Despite not having a ton of things in it this soup is one that always fills me up quickly. I love the chewy texture of barley too, which makes its longer cooking time more worth it. This soup does need to sit on the stove for longer than most of my other soups, but the prep work is pretty easy so I feel like it all evens out. Somehow the barley turns the broth sort of buttery and silky while it's cooking, which I like because it makes it sort of different from a typical broth-based veggie soup. This recipe makes a lot of soup, like enough for a few servings.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, sliced in thin half moons
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 mushrooms, cut in half, then sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 bottle of beer*
1/2 cup medium barley
4 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat and add onions, celery, and carrots and cook for several minutes until they start to soften. Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook until the mushrooms have softened and have started to turn brown. At this point there may be some brown bits on the bottom of the pan, which is good. Add your beer and stir up all those brown bits. Add the barley, the veggie stock, the bay leaf, and salt/pepper. Cover the pot and simmer over low-ish heat for about 45 minutes, checking it at 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't need more stock, Stir occasionally during this time to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When barley is tender and has opened up then the soup is done. Transfer to bowls and enjoy!

*Ok, two things. First: if you only use half a beer then you get to drink the other half. Second: use what you like to drink. I used an amber ale in this one, which was nice because it matched the mushroom flavor. You could also use a pale ale or an IPA. Don't use a fruit beer though, obviously.

Butternut squash soup

Yes, another soup recipe. This one is an important one though because I promise that it will feature heavily as the base for a few more meals as well. When I make this soup I make it plain and then season it as needed since it can be so versatile. If you know you're not going to use the leftovers for anything else then go ahead and season the whole pot. If you're doing that some good suggestions would be curry powder, or a vanilla bean, or cinnamon. I usually add cream to each individual bowl as well. The one pictured was topped with cream and cinnamon (although you can't see it) as well as granny smith apples, walnuts, and raisins.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (scrape out the seeds too)
2-3 cups veggie stock
salt
pepper
toppings/seasonings

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and translucent but be careful not to brown them. Add squash and stir. Add just enough stock to cover the squash. For me this was about 3 cups. Bring things to a boil and continue to cook until the squash is very, very soft. Maybe about 20-30 minutes. Either use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup and then thin to the consistency you like with more stock. Simmer for a few more minutes, transfer to bowls, and season each with the toppings of your choice.

White bean and spinach soup

Soup is the perfect comfort food. Now that it is officially fall chances are good that I'll be making it at least once a week. This soup comes together relatively quickly and tastes delicious. The best part is that it is nice and creamy without actually having any cream in it. I've made this soup a lot and I've substituted kale for the spinach before and it turns out well, you just have to cook the kale a little longer.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion (or 1/4 large), chopped

1 large (or 2 small) cloves garlic, minced

1 can of white beans, drained

1 cup veggie stock (or a cup of water with a bouillon cube dissolved)

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

dash of cayenne pepper

a few good cracks of black pepper

1 large handful of spinach leaves, cut into ribbons

shaved parmesan cheese

balsamic vinegar

lemon oil 

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook onions and garlic until they are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the beans and the stock, then sprinkle in the rosemary, cayenne, and black pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat until beans are soft, approximately 10 minutes. Pull out about 1/3 cup of the beans, then puree the remainder. Add the beans back in and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. Add the spinach to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it has wilted. Transfer to bowls and top with shaved parmesan slices, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, a few drops of lemon oil, and a good crack of black pepper.

Black bean soup

I love soup. I once told someone that soup was my favorite food but I was told that soup isn't a food, it is a method of cooking. I'm sticking by it though. Soup is delicious. This soup can be easily adjusted to your preferences (just like most soups) so feel free to play around with it. I like to top this soup with lots of things but it is good just on its own as well.

Ingredients:

1 large clove (or 2 small cloves) of garlic, minced
1/2 small (or 1/4 large) red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 slices green pepper, chopped
1/2 a tomato, chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, minced (adjust to your taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups veggie stock (or 1 bouillon cube mixed with 1 1/2 cups water)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Toppings: sliced avocado, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Directions:
In a medium sauce pot saute garlic, onion, and green pepper in olive oil over medium low heat for a few minutes or until the onion softens but before it browns. Once soft, add the tomato and jalapeno and continue to cook for another minute or two. Add black beans, stock, cumin, and chili powder and stir to combine. Turn heat up to medium and bring to a low boil for 5-10 minutes or until the beans are soft and can be easily smashed. At this point you can puree the whole thing and make it smooth, or you can do what I do and smash the beans with a potato masher until most of them have broken down but stop before it becomes smooth. Turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens up to the consistency you like. Ladle into bowls and top with any combination of toppings you like.