Black Bean Soup

This easy to make, low glycemic, healthy and delicious meal is from the book 'Low Glycemic Meals in Minutes' by Laura Kalina and Cheryl Christian. For more low glycemic recipes and information check out their website at www.LowGImeals.com.

Ingredients: makes 8 servings

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 can (28 oz/796 ml) diced tomatoes
6 cups water (or broth)
2 cans (19 oz/540 ml) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (or to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, sauté celery, onion, carrots and garlic in the oil until softened. Stif in cumin and sauté 1 minute longer.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, water (or broth) and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add salt and hot pepper flakes to taste.

4. Serve topped with a spoonful of plain yogurt or fresh salsa (optional).

This soup keeps up to 4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer. You can substitute any other type of canned beans in place of black beans. To give a smoother texture, ladle out a portion of the soup and mash with a potato masher or purée with a blender, then stir back into the soup.