Soup time! Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup in a Snap!

It's that time of  year - SOUP time! There is nothing like hot soup on a chilly day. And making it yourself is so easy - and healthy. I was experimenting the other day and came up with this new recipe - Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup -  that I thought was pretty tasty so I thought I'd share. The thing I love about Black Bean soup in general is that it's so healthy - and filling! It's packed with protein and fiber - and by tossing in sweet potato it just jacks up the vitamins and minerals. Between the two, you'll have loads of vitamins A, B1, B6, and C, plus niacin, magnesium, potassium and more. Not bad, right? And best of all, you can control the sodium which is notoriously high in even the "healthy" soups.

It doesn't get much easier than this - and most of these ingredients will likely be on hand. So why not try it out this weekend? Or after Thanksgiving when you are going to feel like you need something healthy :)

Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T chili powder
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, more if you like!)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 1 tsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp hot sauce of your choice (I used sriracha)
• 3 cups chicken broth (lower sodium, if possible) - more if you'd like thinner soup
• 1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained)
  
• 1 smallish sweet potato, cooked and mashed
• 3 T tomato paste
• Salt/pepper
• Greek yogurt or sour cream for garnish

In medium saucepan over medium-low heat, saute onion in olive oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.* Add all spices and cook for 30 seconds, then add mashed sweet potato, beans, tomato paste and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for 5 minutes until all ingredients heated through.

In batches, blend in food processor or (vented!) blender to desired consistency. You can leave it chunky or make it smooth (as I did). If you'd like it thinner, add more chicken broth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream - or crush some tortilla chips on top for some crunch! I garnished with pumpkin seeds.

*Note: If you are using a Vitamix, you can saute the onions and garlic then throw that and all other ingredients into the Vitamix and leave it on High (vented) for around 5 minutes, or until it is steaming and hot. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Garnish as above.