Spicy Black Bean Soup With Sweet Crema

Our first recipe of 2016! From Jill Barron, of Mana Food Bar. Of course I didn’t get a photo … save for this one. The black bean soup is in the covered crock at the top. You’ll have to just use your imagination — but you won’t have to imagine how good the soup is, when you make it at home.

Spicy Black Bean Soup
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 quart dry black beans, washed and picked
1 tablespoon Morita chili powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 quarts vegetable stock
salt to taste

Sweat onion and garlic in oil until soft, then add beans, Morita powder, and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer till beans are soft. Add more stock if needed. When beans are nice and soft, lightly mash with bean masher, then add salt and taste. Serve with a dollop of crema on top.

Sweet Corn Crema 

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ears of corn, stripped
juice of one lime
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup crema

Cook corn with salt and sugar in oil in a small sauce pan until soft. Add lime juice and cook till thick. Cool, then mix with crema.