Black Bean Soup!

I'm not really a "recipe" person.  I'm more a "process" person.  I don't make things the same way twice and am known to throw in whatever's heading past its prime in crisper drawer.  But my black bean soup, patterned after something I had at Lone Star about 9 years ago, is usually the same quick mix of a few ingredients. 

As you can tell by the bowl scraping evidence, this is serving 2.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped - as in life, color doesn't matter

5 garlic cloves (I also add in 1 tsp garlic powder.  I really like garlic)

1 8 oz container of mushrooms, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 jalepeno, chopped (and seeded, if you want)

2 tbsp chili powder (more or less depending on your taste)

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp of steak seasoning (if you have it)

1 can of black beans

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

about 1/2 cup of liquid (vegetable broth, water, half a beer, whatever)

1/2 cup cooked rice

salt & pepper to taste

cheddar cheese & sour cream to garnish

Process

1. Place oil in your favorite soup pot and saute onions over medium heat until they begin to soften (a few minutes).

2. Add garlic (I know this seems backwards, but it keeps it from burning) and saute about 1 minutes more

3. Add mushrooms and cook a few minutes until they stop looking like the raw toppings on Papa John's pizzas.

4. Add peppers and continue cooking until they just start to soften

5. Add jalepeno and seasonings.  Seasonings are just a guide, of course, so use your own good sense.  But yes, I use 2 tablespoons, not 2 teaspoons of chili powder. (BTW, this is when I start cooking the rice.  Oh, and if you want to do this with a slow cooker, here the point to transfer it there.)

6. Send in the cans: dump in the beans, tomatoes, and liquid of your choice (I usually use the beer, but all we had today was Fruli, which would have been more than disgusting).  Stir and stir and turn the heat to low and if you like it, then you better put a lid on it.

7.  When your rice is done, or about 45 minutes of simmering later, stir the rice into the soup.  You can continue to cook as long as you like, but right now, it's ready.  Slather with sour cream and cheese.  Yum!