Black Bean & Corn Soup

So Fall is here and we're enjoying a pleasant mixture of hot and cool weather. This soup reflects that - a spicy tomato based soup where sweet fresh organic corn, fresh green peppers, fresh jalapeno and a whole bunch of cilantro combine with hearty canned organic black beans and sliced black olives. I threw in some dinosaur kale to round it out nutritionally. It was delicious!

I've been cooking a lot more with tomatoes lately, and adding tomato sauce to a soup was a new move for me. The tomato sauce made it a little sweet to my taste, so I'd probably use less sauce and more vegetable broth next time. Still, a nice combination of light and hearty!

Black Bean & Corn Soup:
2 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, deveined and chopped
1 jalapeno, deveined, seeded and cut very small
14 oz can organic tomato sauce
16 oz vegetable broth
4 oz water
3/4 cup of torn dinosaur kale, stems removed
14.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
small can of sliced black olives
kernels from 2 ears fresh corn
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and jalapeno and saute for 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and add the kale. Cook for 5 more minutes and add the black beans and sliced olives. Cook for 5 minutes and add the corn and chopped cilantro. Cook 3 minutes and serve.