Cuban Black Bean Soup

I LOVE my crockpot!!  I try to use it at least once a week.  It just makes breakfasts/lunches/dinners so easy, especially when dealing with a busy schedule.  Since the warmer weather is upon us, and I know soon I will have to stop making soups, I am trying to get my favorites in now.  I have already made this once this winter, but was craving it again.  This is a soup that I make on the stove if I have time, but on days I just don't have the time to spend in the kitchen, the crockpot does the job very nicely.

Ingredients:

2 lbs dried black beans

6 cups water

1 Tbsp dried oregano

3 bay leaves

6 sage leaves

2 tsp salt

2 yellow onions

2 chopped jalapeno peppers

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

7 cloves crushed garlic

2 Tbs chili powder

2-3 Tbs pureed chipotle in adobo

1 1/2 Tbs cumin

1/2 c orange juice

2 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Thouroughly rince the beans and pick out any bad ones.

Add beans to crockpot and cover with water and at least 1 more inch above the beans.

Let soak overnight.

The next morning, drain and RINSE the beans.  Rinsing the beans at this stage reduces the 'magic fruit' quality of beans. 

Add everything except the orange juice, vinegar, and lime to the crockpot, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Taste for spice and add more cumin or chipotle if needed.  Add orange juice and vinegar and let cook for about 30 minutes more. 

Use an emersion blender to puree to desired consistency.  I like mine to still have some chunks of beans, so I just pulse my emersion multiple times until just right.  If you don't have an emersion blender you can either use a potato masher or transfer a bit of the soup over to a regular blender.

Add lime right before serving.

Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, cheese or any other of your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Amanda's Notes:

If you don't have rice wine vinegar you can substitue another vinegar.  Be careful because some vinegars are more acidic than others.  Red wine vinegar is more acidic than rice wine vinegar so I would start by adding half the amount and then tasting.