The weather has finally gotten wintry here, with chilly breezes and nighttime temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We even had a bit of a drizzle the other day, the first of the season! Of course, other than that one cloud it has been clear skies and sunshine as usual.
But with the sweater weather and chilly evenings I have been in major soup mode lately, and this is my favorite creation yet! It is creamy, smoky and veggie filled, but the absolute best part is the crispy zesty chili lime croutons. I could eat them by the handful!
Ingredients
- 4 roasted red bell peppers, chopped (drizzle them with olive oil and pop them in the oven under broil until their skin is black. Let cool, and remove as much of the black skin as you can, then chop.)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 liters of water
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil saute the onion and celery for about 15 minutes, then add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 15 minutes till it is all soft and tender. While cooking the veggies boil up the cup of rice by itself.
- Add the roasted bell peppers, 2 cans of tomatoes, 2 liters of water, salt, pepper and cumin, and bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and keep at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove soup from the heat and allow to cool a bit. Blend everything to a creamy consistency with a hand blender and then put back onto the heat.
- Add the black beans, corn, cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro and liquid smoke. Bring back up to heat, top with the croutons, and serve!
Chili Lime Croutons
- Chop up 4 pieces of bread (1 piece for each person eating) and fry it in a tiny bit of vegetable oil til it is very crispy.
- Remove bread from the pan and toss with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp chili powder and the zest of several limes.
I was lucky enough to have a ‘seasonal visitor’ drop by to help out with the cooking!
