Simply Healthy Black Bean Soup

I speak with regards to my own personal opinion when I say that the above is quite possibly the best black bean soup I've ever had. I'm sure that many of you have your favorite black bean soup recipe, and it might even be better than mine. But I won't love my recipe any less because of it. Because, honestly, I think it's pretty good. Simple and healthy, too. Obviously.

I've mentioned it before, but I made a few tweaks to the recipe this weekend so I thought I'd repost it. Yeah, I know. It's not really soup weather. But that's how much I love it. Here's what you need:

Optional toppers (not pictured): Green onions, taco cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado. The above is shown with green onions and taco cheese, but I've added the tomatoes and avocado, too. It's even better with the tomatoes and avocado.

Here's the official recipe:

SIMPLY HEALTHY BLACK BEAN SOUP
Source: My brain.

Ingredients
• 1 cup natural salsa, temperature of your choosing (I use a Medium salsa.)
• 1 can reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (Chicken broth works as well.)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cob of corn, kernels removed
• 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and diced

Optional Toppings
• Green onions, chopped
• Taco cheese
• Cherry tomatoes, chopped
• Avocado, sliced and chopped

Directions
1) Saute the corn and jalapeno over medium heat until just softened.
2) Put beans in a food processor and process until just smooth.
3) Combine everything (minus the toppings) in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
4) Remove from heat. Top, serve and eat!

I usually get about four servings, which makes this an awesome addition to any Sunday prep work.

It freezes well, provided you use the right container. The above are plastic. They snap together and can be found in the canning section of your grocery store. You could also use freezer bags, which is what I typically do if I'm going that route.

Seriously, this stuff is so easy to make. And so good. Just remember to get low-sodium black beans. Avoid the belly bloat!

Oh, and—my back pain is slowly subsiding. I really think it was a sore trapezius issue as I feel so much looser in that area today. I slept with a towel rolled up under my neck instead of a pillow, did some light cardio this morning at the gym and blasted it with my shower head again about an hour ago. Here's to hoping it doesn't regress as the day goes on.

Question: Are you eating/craving any out-of-season foods right now?