Serves 6

Ingredients: 
Beans

• 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
• 6 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch of baking soda

Soup

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• dash black pepper (or to taste)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Garnishes: lime wedges, chopped avocado, minced fresh cilantro

Instructions: 

• Prepare the beans: Drain the soaked beans, rinse again, and place in large soup pot.  Add the water, bay leaves and baking soda.  Cover and bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 1-1.5 hours until the beans are tender.  Remove the bay leaves.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute the garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds.  Add the onions and bell pepper.  Stir and cook for about 12 minutes until soft.  Add the jalapeno, celery and carrot.  Cook for another 10 minutes, remove from heat. 
• Add vegetables and all other ingredients (except vinegar and garnishes) to the beans.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 35-40 minutes until all veggies are tender. 
• Remove from heat, add vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.  
• Garnish as desired and serve! 

Nutrition Info Per Serving (no garnish): 
Calories 269.5
Total Fat 3.6 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 795.3 mg
Potassium 1,281.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 55.0 g
Dietary Fiber 12.8 g
Sugars 5.1 g
Protein 16.2 g