Spicy Smoky Black Bean Butternut Soup

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash 2 stalks of celery, 1 butternut squash (including the tough skin), and 2 limes (including the rind) under cool, running, drinkable water. Roughly chop the celery. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Set limes aside.

2. Coarsely chop 1 onion and 4 cloves of garlic.

3. In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Once heated, add the celery, onions, and garlic, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

4. Stir in the cubed sweet potatoes, one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, three 15-ounce drained (not rinsed) cans of black beans and approximately 1 quart chicken broth to cover the beans with liquid.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

6. Transfer one-quarter of the soup to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Note: be careful not to fill the blender more than halfway full, because the hot soup may explode out the top, place a kitchen towel over the lid before purée to be on the safe side!

7. Stir the purée back into the soup and season with flake salt and fresh squeezed lime juice. Eat up, Mama!

8. Once cooled completely, pour leftover soup into silicone molds to freeze into pre-portioned blocks. Your future self will thank you kindly.