Recipe: Black Bean ‘Nacho’ Soup

Summary: In summer I eat crisp salads and I reminisce over the hearty soups of winter. That lovely smug feeling of having a soup on the stove, steaming up the window panes, creating a layer of warmth and goodness between you and the sheets of rain outside. Smelling those delicious scents of slow cooking and caramelized everything. All the while, knowing you can feed yourself and your loved ones. Well, cue the scratch on the record noise! This is whole, hearty, winter goodness but in record time. No long bubbling pot here. You can make this while reading the readers with you kids. Or as soon as you walk in the door, bedraggled from a long commute and a longer day. This is black bean bliss in a bowl. There was a time when canned black beans (the Mexican kind, not the Asian kind) were tough to find in Australia. But you can find them with the Mexican foods (next to refried beans), so don’t go looking in the section with chickpeas and stuff. This feeds two hungry adults but probably more if you make some easy rolls to go with.

• 1 tblsp olive oil 
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 cup salsa – make your own or just use a jar of taco sauce (I promise I won’t tell)
• 2 (400g) tins black beans, inc canning liquid
• 1 cup water 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp stock powder 
• Chilli powder – your call
• 1 lemon or lime, juiced