Chipotle Black Bean & Kale Soup

I get inspired from all sorts of places in my cooking adventures, but this was a new one for me. The other (rainy, wet, cold) day I was at the grocery store wandering aisles trying to find something that jumped out at me for dinner. I don’t often do this, but my meal plan called for salad, which just was not going to cut it with the buckets of rain. So, I wandered. I found a carton of organic soup, Spicy Black Bean and Kale, and it just sounded amazing. Mind you, I have never had kale before, so I’m not entirely sure what struck me about this particular soup. But, I took a picture of the front of the carton, picked up a bunch of kale (the cheapest to be had, if we’re being honest), and headed home; 45 minutes later I was completely delighted with my warm, spicy, kale-y dinner.

Some people can hear a complicated piano piece once and then play it perfectly. Some people can look at a page of text and then days or weeks later have perfect recal. My talent, apparently, is taking 5 words and a picture and turning it into dinner.

Chipotle Black Bean & Kale Soup

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4.5 oz can green chilies
1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 14 oz. can vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon chili powder

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen corn
4-6 kale leaves, sliced into thin ribbons (I used Lacinato kale, because it was the cheapest)
Splash of whipping cream (maybe ¼ cup or less)

Heat olive oil in soup pot, sauté onions and garlic until soft, add beans, green chilies, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and stock. Bring to a boil, add salt and spices, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, de-chunkify with an immersion blender or in batches in the regular blender. Put back in pot and return to heat. Add bell peppers, corn, and kale. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the kale is softened, maybe 10 minutes? Add cream, remove from heat, and taste-test for salt. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and some diced green onion.

Notes:

• This is pretty spicy. To de-spice a bit, use fewer chipotle peppers (maybe 1) and regular diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted.
• To make vegan, don’t add cream or sour cream.
• Any leftover chipotle peppers you can keep in a small glass jar in the fridge indefinitely, just make sure it has a tight lid.