Black Bean Soup with Hatch Chile

Ingredients:

6oz Canadian bacon, cut
1 Tbs EVOO
1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped

4 medium roasted New Mexico chiles, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground oregano
3 cans (15 1/2 oz.) black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
4 cups water, plus more as needed
1/2 cup cilantro **
salt to taste
Garnish: tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, cooked Canadian bacon

Instructions:

** I didn’t stir it into the soup to be blended. I didn’t want the cilantro to be overpowering, so instead I added a couple of sprigs at the very end. You decide.

Directions:
In a large pot, cook Canadian bacon over med-high heat until browned. Transfer to a dish.

Reduce heat to medium and add oil. Cook onion and carrots, until lightly browned (approx 2-3 min.). Add chiles, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 1-2 min. until garlic is tender. Add beans and water. Simmer 10 min.

Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro leaves. Puree mixture until smooth using immersion blender or food processor. Add more water to thin soup, if needed.

Transfer into a bowl. Sprinkle bacon, tomato, avocado, cilantro on top.

Adapted from savortherainbow.com