Guac-topped Spicy Bean Soup

I was in the mood for something spicy and something soupy.  So, voila, this is the result.

Made with only a few ingredients, this soup comes together pretty quickly and is sure to disappear at the same pace.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bacon, sliced into lardons (fancy word for strips)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large yellow onion
1 tsp cilantro (I had dried, you can also add as much fresh as you like)
4 cloves or garlic
1 seeded jalapeno pepper
1 bag ALREADY COOKED  kidney beans (directions below) or two cans kidney beans
1 box of beef stock
Kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp red curry
1/2 tsp paprika

You begin by adding the bacon lardons to the hot pot.  Saute until golden and the bacon renders it's fat. (Can you can smell that yummyness?)

REMOVE bacon from pan and set aside.





Add a drizzle of olive oil and allow to come up to a medium heat.  Add tomato paste and allow to brown the bottom of the pot slightly.

Add onions and spices and allow to cook down.  About 8-10 minutes.








Add jalapeno and cook for another 2 minutes.








Add garlic and let cook for an additional minute.  Add beans and their liquid if using canned, if you made your beans, add them and 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Stir and cook for approximately 5 minutes.




Now add the stock and let simmer for as long as you please.  I would let it sit for at least a half hour.  Blend the soup with a stick blender.

Guacamole topping:

2 avocados
1/2 red onion
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
pinch chipotle pepper powder

Chop avocado, garlic and onion, then mix together with other ingredients.  That was easy.

Top your soup and enjoy!



HOW TO COOK DRIED BEANS

If you can a day ahead, you can cook some dried beans for this soup.  They are a cheaper and healthier alternative to canned.  Although, I do love the convenience of canned beans...

There is one brand that is doing canning with out BPA,  Eden Foods.

All you do is place the dried beans in a large bowl.  Add water to the top and allow to sit overnight.  

Drain and add to a pot.  Fill pot with water, covering beans, and bring to a bowl then lower to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 2 hours.  In other words, put it on the stove and set a timer then forget about it.  I add salt and sometimes a bay leaf depending on what recipe I will be using them for.  The result is a cooked bean with more flavor, less sodium and no chemicals!!  I usually make a whole bag even if a recipe doesn't call for all of the beans.  I then freeze the rest and just add them to the next dish that calls for beans!!!!