Black bean soup

Creamy Black Bean Soup

I mentioned black bean soup in my last post, and had a few requests for the recipe! This is one of my absolute favorite soups. It’s simple, creamy, and has great flavor from the combo of cumin, cilantro, and lime.

Okay, enough talk, let’s dive in to the recipe!

Black bean soup with cilantro

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 large celery stalks
4 large carrots
1 small zucchini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
1 lime (optional)
Freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Chop onion, celery, carrots, and zucchini and add to pot. Sauté until soft, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic, cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper to vegetable mixture and stir. Sauté for another few minutes until all ingredients are combined.
3. Add black beans to pot and stir. Let the beans cook with the vegetables for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, blend the soup until it’s creamy and there are little to no lumps.
6. If using the lime and cilantro, cut lime into wedges and chop a handful of cilantro after removing stems. Serve each bowl of soup with a lime wedge and sprinkling of cilantro and enjoy!

Blessings and a Sleepover

Jimmy and I have felt so cared for and blessed lately. Today marks the 19th week of this pregnancy, and we have been given some wonderful hand-me-downs that have our hearts so full! It’s also making things feel so real!

I saw my friend (and fellow blogger/vlogger), Kim on Saturday and she gifted me a huge box of baby clothes and a wrap from her kids, Annabelle and Jackson. I spent some time going through every item and was incredibly overwhelmed by her generosity.

Baby clothes and hat

I can’t even deal with that raccoon sleeper. So cute!

Also, a friend at church asked Jimmy and I if we wanted a used stroller. We were totally on board and offered to buy it, but she just gave it to us. We unpacked the stroller on Sunday afternoon and were super excited about it and all the features. What a blessing. Also, seeing my husband get excited over a stroller totally made my day 🙂

These gifts have me wanting to give to others as much as we have been given to. It’s just amazing to see the ways in which God has provided for us lately (and always) and to reflect on that.

As for the sleepover, I spent the night at my parents’ house on Friday and had a blast hanging out with my mom and dad. Is that dorky to say? I don’t even care. I’m beyond thankful to have such a wonderful relationship with my parents.

Mother and daughter

My mom was able to feel baby kick on Friday night, which was surreal. Three generations just kicking back on the couch… literally, lol.

We hung out with our dogs (I brought Mavis along), went shopping for maternity clothes, my mom braided my hair, and I made a pot of black bean soup for my parents to have on hand for the week as a little gift for having Mavis and I over. Of course I had to taste test a bowl to make sure it was good 😉

Black bean soup with lime and cilantro and sandwich on the sideBlonde hair french braided into a ponytailBuff colored cocker spaniel and parti colored cocker spaniel puppy sitting together

Since I can’t stop with the vlogs lately, I filmed one while I was with my parents and I’m so glad I did. I love looking back on old vlogs because there are so many things I forget about. This one is already such a sweet memory to look back on.

Tell me a blessing in your life lately!