Thick Mexican Style Soup

This soup is so thick it’s a meal in itself! It’s also packed full of nutrients and fiber, and doesn’t have any of the bad stuff the Mexican food normally has in it :-)

Thick Mexican Style Soup
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

•      Olive oil
•      2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
•      1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
•      2 large pablano chiles, seeded and stemmed
•      1 ear corn on the cob, husked, kernels removed or 1/2 cup frozen kernels, defrosted
•      1 med to large red onion, chopped
•      1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
•      1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped or thinly sliced
•      2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
•      1 tablespoon ground cumin
•      1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
•      1 pinch ground cinnamon
•      1 large or 2 small cans fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
•      1 tablespoon agave nectar* (or honey)
•      Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•      1 bottle of good mexican beer like Negro Modelo
•      1 to 2 vegetable broth
•      Juice of 1 lime (about a tablespoon)
•      2 ripe avocados, halved, for garnish
•      Plain greek yogurt, for garnish
•      Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat a medium soup pot with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat.**
2. Add the corn and saute about 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Reduce heat to medium, add the chopped onions, jalapeno, red bell pepper and garlic.
3. Season with cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Saute for 5 minutes to toast the spices.
4. Add the beer (I use about 8oz and drink the rest.) This will deglaze the pan and soak up all the flavors that have stuck to the bottom. Let simmer 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
5. Puree (with a little olive oil) or finely chop the poblanos while the spices toast and add to the soup.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and lime juice and agave nectar.
7. Drain and rinse the beans then add to the pot.
8.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, about a tablespoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 
9. Add 1 or 2 cups of vegetable broth depending on how thick you like it and simmer over low heat to combine flavors for about 5 minutes.
10. Garnish with plain greek yoghurt, sliced avocado and whole or chopped cilantro leaves.

* Agave Nectar is an all natural plant based sweetener and is similar to honey. It can be found at most grocery stores. It has a lighter, sweeter flavor and is low-glycemic so it won’t spike your blood sugar.
 ** I use a large enamel cast iron pot because it says warm on the stove for a few hours after I turn it off.