Alyce's Very Low Fat Spicy Black Bean Soup

Submitted by Alyce Liber

ALYCE’S VERY LOW FAT VEGETARIAN SPICY BLACK BEAN SOUP *****
Makes about 4 1-cup servings
Dice:
1 small to medium onion 1 large carrot
2 medium cloves garlic ½ jalapeño pepper
1 large stalk celery + leaves, about 1 TB leaves, chopped
Sauté above ingredients together in 1 tsp. olive oil about 5 minutes.
Add:
2 beef boullion cubes (no MSG) or 2 cans low salt beef broth and skip water
2 cups water
½ cup V-8 (low salt)
½ tsp. each: cumin, oregano, chili powder, dried parsley, ground ginger
¼ tsp. each: thyme, freshly ground black pepper
10 dashes cayenne, about 1/8 tsp.
1. Simmer all together for about 1 hour, until vegetables are tender.
2. Add 2 cans well-rinsed black beans; cook for another 30 minutes.
3. Puree in blender or food processor and serve with toasted no-fat tortillas. Add more beef broth (dissolve a bullion cube in boiling water) if puree is too thick.

Optional, add a tablespoon of non-fat plain yogurt on top of each bowl before serving.