Blender Soup

 We're big fans of the Instant Pot brand of small appliances. We own three IP electric pressure cookers - each a different size - and we use all three. When our blender died last spring, the IP blender had just been introduced, so Greg did some research and that's what we purchased. It's a powerful blender, but it also heats and purees soup. Greg's a fan of multi-use appliances, which I find annoying, but this time, it turns out to be okay. We've had the blender several months and I've used it for blending, even made Hollandaise sauce during the "egg-cellent eggs" class I taught via Zoom for the local community college, but hadn't tried the soup function. A quick look at a YouTube video, and I was ready to give it a try.

There was a zipper bag full of cooked black beans in the freezer that had been there awhile and needed to be used. I was thinking maybe a taco soup, but found a black bean soup recipe when I looked on my Pinterest board for ideas. Turns out it was the perfect recipe to try out the soup function on the blender. 

Low Calorie Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used frozen cooked beans)

2 cups chicken broth (substitute vegetable for vegetarians)

1 cup cherry tomatoes (I used about half a cup of canned tomato sauce)

1 bunch green onions (used chopped frozen green onions)

1/2 bunch cilantro (two cubes from the freezer)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Drain and rinse 3/4 of the black beans.

2. Place rinsed beans in a blender along with cilantro, chicken broth, tomatoes, green onions, cumin, garlic salt, and lime juice. Pulse for a smooth texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour the soup into a large pot and add the rest of the beans into the mix. Heat up and serve.

4. Garnish with cilantro, a diced green onion, or get spicy with a jalapeño!

The soup was really hot when it was done - I could see it boiling in the glass pitcher as it cooked in the blender. It cooks for about 20 minutes, then for the last 2 minutes it starts to puree the soup. If you don't want it completely smooth, you can cancel the function and leave some texture. I let it puree, and it was smooth and silky. I realize it doesn't look so appetizing, and it would have been great with some fresh cilantro, but the taste was pretty good. I used the black beans from the freezer as well as some frozen cilantro and a jar of chicken stock from the refrigerator. This was a great dish to use up some "fragments". I made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup, using cheddar and spicy Monterey Jack cheeses. Yum.

I'm going to make more soups to stock the freezer - tomato and broccoli cheddar come to mind first. The weather looks to be cooling down to more wintry temps than we've had, and that will be perfect soup weather. I like to freeze it in individual serving sizes perfect for lunches. Greg and I both eat supper leftovers for lunch, but sometimes there's only enough for one. I send those with Greg and just make myself something quick. Freezer soup is perfect. 

 I like tomato basil, broccoli cheddar, and the hot and sour soup from a local Chinese restaurant. Oh, and chili, creamy asparagus, homemade chicken soup, and lots more. What's your favorite soup?