A Feast for Crows: Black Bean Soup

A census taker once tried to test me.  I ate his liver with some lava beans and a nice chianti.

Hannibal Lector, Silence of the Lambs

Ok, so I will give you that this soup looks less than appetizing, mostly owing to it's brown, creamy texture, but don't let the looks deceive you, this soup was delicious!

What you need:

• 1 can Bush's Black Beans Seasoned Recipe
• 1/2 Onion
• 2 tbsp garlic
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 cup corn
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• 1 sweet potato 
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 cups vegetable broth

To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, cut the sweet potato into about 1" chunks and slice the jalapeño, removing the seeds.  Next, grease a baking sheet and lay out the corn, onion, jalapeño, and sweet potato in a single layer.  

Roast for approximately 20 minutes or until everything looks slightly browned and delicious.

While everything is roasted, blend the vegetable broth, cilantro, carrots, celery, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic, and lime juice.  When everything is combined in the blender, add the black beans and give it a quick blend.  Once all but the roasted vegetables have been combined, spoon in your roasted veggies, leaving out about a third of the sweet potato and a fourth of the corn.  

Blend everything until smooth and creamy.  If you are using a Vitamix, blend for about 8 minutes on high so the mixture will be piping hot.  Stir in the reserved corn and sweet potato after blending and serve.  If you are using a regular blender, transfer the mixture to a sauce pan, add in the reserved corn and sweet potato, and heat.