black bean soup + cilantro rice

In an attempt to have more Meatless Mondays around here, I tried out a black bean soup recipe served over cilantro rice. It is a new favorite of ours & is Gentry approved! He was skeptical at first, but ended up really liking it.

I found the recipe over at Iowa Girl Eats & followed it exactly. It feeds four or five.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 cans seasoned black beans, drained but not rinsed 

1-1/2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
4-5 dashes green Tabasco sauce
Toppers: sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream

Cilantro Rice:

1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 lime
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, then saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly. Add chili powder and cumin then saute for 30 more seconds.
2. Add drained beans, water, and chicken broth, bring soup to a boil, then lower heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop 2 ladle-fulls of soup into a blender or food processor then blend until almost smooth. Alternatively use a hand-held immersion blender to process 1/3 of the beans in the soup pot. Add blended soup back into the pot then add hot sauce and stir to combine.
3. For the cilantro rice: While soup is simmering, bring water, oil, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice, place a lid on top, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir to fluff then add lime juice and chopped cilantro.
4. To serve, scoop cooked rice into bottom of bowls then top with hot soup. Top with sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Enjoy!

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