Black Bean Soup with Onion-Herb Bread

I'm really enjoying this month's theme; I actively went searching for things to use up in the pantry. I found a bag of dried black beans (not sure when I bought them or why) and decided to make crockpot soup. The recipe is a combination of Art is the Handmaid of Human Good's Slow Cooked Black Bean Soup and Sustainable Pantry's Black Bean Soup.


16 oz dry black beans
2 medium onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chiles in adobo
2 T chili powder, divided
1 T ground cumin
2 tsp Better than Bouillon (vegetable concentrate)
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
Garnishes/mix-ins (optional but recommended): shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips

Rinse beans and put in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and let sit overnight. In morning, drain and rinse beans, and mix in crockpot with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, chiles in adobo, 1T chili powder, cumin, water, and Better than Bouillon. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are tender. Puree, and add salt and remaining 1 T chili powder. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with garnishes.

The onion-herb bread is based on Baking Bites' Caramelized Onion Bread. I pureed leftover caramelized onions with the last of the fresh wilting basil and sage in the fridge, and added this mixture to the dissolved yeast along with the water. I substituted whole wheat flour for 1 cup of white flour but otherwise followed the recipe. Yum!

Two more for BB4. (And many thanks to Nupur for helping me rediscover my kitchen creativity!)