In a Saucepan
Classic Black Bean Soup
1 cup dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 hard-cooked large egg whites, chopped
4 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
1 Put beans in large bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand 1 hour; rinse and drain.
2 Heat oil in large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
3 Add soaked beans, broth, and pepper sauce to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 1¼ hours. Remove pot from heat and let soup cool about 5 minutes.
4 Transfer 2 cups of bean soup to blender and puree. Return puree to pot and cook until soup is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve accompanied by hard-cooked egg whites, sour cream, cilantro, and scallions.
PER SERVING (1⅓ cups soup with 2 tablespoons egg white, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 tablespoon cilantro): 329 Cal, 7 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 3 mg Chol, 266 mg Sod, 50 g Carb, 6g Sugar, 14 g Fib, 22 g Prot, 140 mg Calc.
FYI Save a step by not pureeing the bean mixture.