Crock Pot Black Bean Soup

 Adapted from The Frugal Chef @ thefrugalchef.com

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans, rinsed well
A couple turns of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, with liquid
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water, low salt broth or a combination
1 T cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp oregano
pepper to taste
Avocado, chopped - optional
Shredded cheddar cheese - optional
Tomato, chopped - optional

Directions:

In a separate pan, sautée onions, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil until just tender.

Place dried beans, vegetable mixture, tomatoes with their juice, spices and liquid in crock pot.  Give it a good stir and set crock pot on High for 6 hours. 

After 6 hours, the beans will be nice and tender.  With an immersion blender, blend until about 3/4 of soup is creamed.  It will have a lovely rich texture.

Top with chopped avo, tomatoes and a pinch of cheese. 

Enjoy!