I didn't have anything thawed or cooked in advance, so I improvised on
black bean soup. I took 2 slices of bacon, cut them up into small bits,
and fried them in a saucepan. Once they were on the way to done, I
added 1/2 onion, two cloves garlic, and 1/4 red bell pepper. I had the
foresight to get 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth out of the freezer. Once
the veggies were sauteed, I added 1 can of low fat refried black beans,
1 can black beans (drained), the chicken broth, a small can of diced
green chiles, a few shakes of chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, and a
little Melinda's chipotle hot sauce. I let the gemisch simmer for about
20 minutes, then served it with chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.
Even the ever-skeptical SO thought it was good. The beauty of using the
refried beans is that you don't have to puree part or all of the soup to
get a thick texture.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

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