What's for Dinner Thursday Addition~Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

This week's What's for Dinner is a special Thursday addition, since Valentine's Day fell on a Wednesday.  I hope all my friends were spoiled by a loved one in some way yesterday.  And those missing a loved one, I pray God smiled down on you and made your day a little brighter.

I am a huge fan of slow cooker meals during the winter months.  Something about being able to throw a few ingredients into the pot, and then walk away for hours to come home to a hot hearty meal.  A win in my book.

This is a new to us recipe.  Since #2 and I's food sensitivity tests have us taking beef and turkey out of our diets, we are out to find meatless hearty dishes so we don't overdo the chicken and fish.  We have learned that overcompensating for one sensitivity with a certain food generally leads to that being on the list the next time. So we really try hard to rotate our proteins especially.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Prior to cooking.  Look at all those gorgeous colors!

Ingredients:

1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
4 C good quality vegetable stock (we use Kitchen Basics)
4 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (we use Eden organic-be sure to by the SOY free version)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
***optional toppings:  chopped fresh cilantro, crumbled corn tortilla chips, diced avocado, sour cream and/or shredded cheddar (dairy free, if making this soup vegan)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high 3-4 hours, until all of the vegetables are cooked and tender.  Remove the bay leaf.

2. At this point, you can either:
    1. serve the soup as-is (brothy and chunky)
    2. use a blender or food-processor to puree the soup completely (uber-thick and smooth)
    3. use a blender or food-processor to puree about half of the soup (so that it's thick and smooth but          still a little chunky)

3. Serve the soup warm, garnished with your desired toppings.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Original recipe can be found here.