Black Bean Soup -- 40 mins -- Serves 6

About a year ago, Fuego was constricted to eating soft foods for a week. We discovered that she could manage to eat the black bean soup at a gluten free restaurant near us, but one afternoon around mid-week they ran out. She asked me if I would try making her some black bean soup, so I checked a couple of sources for the basics, and proceeded to make up my own recipe. Since then, the spices and texture of the original creation have evolved, and it has become a fall favorite at our house that we look forward to with great anticipation!

We just had Captain Technology over for dinner a few days ago, and between the three of us, we managed to eat our way through a whole batch in one sitting... that said, the recipe typically does serve 6 ;o)

When I can plan ahead, I use dry beans, which need to be sorted for small stones (more prevalent in individual packages than when buying in bulk), rinsed, soaked for six hours, drained/rinsed, then boiled for 90 minutes with nothing but plain water (salt and other spices WILL make your beans tough and unpleasant - I found this out the hard way). While this adds considerable prep time onto your meal, it is also a fantastic way to save money, and typically creates less of a carbon footprint for the recipe). We are highly gluten sensitive, and have never had a problem with the bulk beans - particularly since you rinse them, soak them, rinse them again, cook them, and drain them before the beans are ready to prepare in the recipe.

When they are in season (and especially if I can get them to grow in my garden), I use fresh heirloom tomatoes rather than canned. If you have to use canned, Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes are gluten free, flavorful, and work very well in this recipe.

I will provide the 40 minute version below with the caveat that this produces a wonderful hearty, thick, and spicy meal without the need for the extras above. The extras move this dish from delightful to divine.

Four 15 oz cans (2 lbs dry) Black Beans

One 25 oz can (2 lbs fresh) diced tomatoes

~1T fleur de sel (sodium chloride of the gods!)

1C red wine (Zinfandel is great for this recipe)

1/4C balsamic vinegar

1T fresh minced garlic (I mince a head or two at a time and refrigerate in a jar with olive oil - Christopher Ranch is also GF if you need to purchase pre-minced for time's sake)

1T dried onion powder (Fuego doesn't like the texture of onions, so this gives the onion flavor without the onion texture - can replace with one medium yellow onion - diced/minced)

1/4-1/2 t white pepper

1/8 t dried sage

1/8 t dried thyme

1/8 t cayenne pepper (I use a 90,000 heat unit variety rather than the typical 35k, so you may need more cayenne to achieve the same effect. If you do use the extra spicy, this will provide a palatable experience for most without being too much.)

1/8 t vindaloo curry powder (the spiciest you can find - check for GF labeling)

One 10 oz. bag frozen (~3 ears) sweet corn

Drain and rinse canned beans (or prepare dry beans as noted above and drain), add to large stock pot over high heat (medium heat for stainless users). Add diced tomatoes (do not drain) and salt. Stir. Add remaining ingredients in order, stirring frequently until a rolling boil is achieved. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

For a delicious and beautiful garnish, top each bowl with slices of avocado - about 1/2 avocado per serving (unless you're Captain Technology, in which case, throw the avocados away - or better yet, don't buy them in the first place ;o)

More to come, happy eating!