Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Hello!

How’s your weekend been?

Have you survived the cold?

I headed out for my final longish run yesterday morning. (T-minus 6 days!!!)

And, it was COLD!

But, not as cold as it was on Saturday when the wind was whipping away.

Thank goodness!

I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to get out for my run yesterday. I nearly had myself convinced that it was too cold and that I was going to bag it before I even went to bed on Friday.

I need to stop doing that to myself.

Besides, I was warm thanks to awesome running gear designed for cold weather. And cute. Because that’s totally a priority of mine. 😉

So, a couple of days ago, I posed this question on my Facebook page:

“So, if you had this can of pumpkin in your pantry, what would you do with it, excluding pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread?”

I got quite a few great responses (thanks!) and I definitely need to go buy some more pumpkin so I can try them all!

I decided to stay away from sweet – yeah, I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in sweet stuff in the month of December.

Well, I found an awesome recipe for Pumpkin Black Bean soup and just knew I had to make it.

I adapted it to our (which really means “my” – shhh, don’t tell) tastes though. Of course. I really only truly follow the recipe directions when I’m baking.

Except for when I don’t. Which is often. 😉

This soup was amazing!

Hearty, warm, savory yet sweet, spicy (don’t run! you can leave the spicy part out!), and perfect for a cold winter evening.

I decided to top the soup with avocado because, well, avocado is delicious and I thought the smooth freshness of the avocado would blend well with the savory and spice in the soup.

I was right. 🙂

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
serves 4 to 6 (that means BIG bowls of soup!)
*recipe adapted from veryculinary.com

2 (15 ounce) cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup coconut oil (use butter if you don’t have coconut oil)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Avocado, for topping

1. Pour the black beans and tomatoes (including their liquid)into a food processor. Puree until smooth; set aside.

2. Heat coconut oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir bean and tomato puree and remaining ingredients into the pot; mix well. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

4. Serve in large soup bowls topped with sliced avocado, if desired.

5. Om nom nom!

Talk to me: When it comes to weather, where do you draw the line when it comes to heading out the door for a run? What keeps you inside?

I personally don’t do thunderstorms, blizzards, or hail. The cold almost got me yesterday but, I still went out. (Glad I did, too!) But, I’m not sure what I would have done if the wind had still been whipping. Wind chill kinda sucks.

– jennifer