Vegan Recipe: Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes ~ and a GIVEAWAY!

coincidence  (kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns)
— n
1.     a chance occurrence of events remarkable either for being simultaneous or for apparently being connected

I was having a friend over for a weekend dinner and suggested we have Black Bean and Sweet Potato soup. So, I was quite happy when Dreena Burton asked me to do a blog post about one of the recipes from her new vegan ebook and it turned out to be … her Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes! You could say it was quite a coincidence.

The soup turned out really well. The recipe is well done, the flavors are balanced, and it’s seasoned just about right. I topped mine with a dollop of raw almond cheese and a squeeze of lime, but a little bit of avocado would go well, too.

This soup has an irresistible quality, the flavors are deep and
earthy with some sweetness from the potatoes. Don’t let the number of
ingredients intimidate you – they build layers of flavor, but this soup is not
at all difficult to make!

• 1-2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups chopped onions (one large onion)
• 1 1/2 cups combination of chopped red peppers and green peppers
• 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste (generous is good)
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp allspice (rounded)
• 1/4 tsp (or less/more, to taste) red pepper flakes
• 4 medium-large cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 4 1/2 – 5 cups black beans (reserve 1 cup; this is three 14 or 15
  oz cans)
• 3 cups water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 – 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups cubed (in small chunks, about 1/2”) yellow sweet
  potato (or can substitute      white
  potato)
• Chopped cilantro for serving
• Extra lime wedges for serving
• Chopped avocado tossed with lemon juice and dash of salt, for
  serving

Dreena is the author of several popular vegan cookbooks, including The Everyday Vegan, eat drink and be vegan, Viva le Vegan!, and Let Them Eat Vegan!
 
She’s also giving away a copy of her new ebook, Plant Powered 15, which is where this recipe appears.

The
Plant-Powered 15 is a collection of fifteen whole foods vegan recipes,
all oil-free and flavor-full.  Recipes include: “Mac-nificent”, “Sticky
Almond Blondies”, “Umami Sun-dried Tomato and Almond Burgers”, “Creamy
House Dressing”, “Wonder Spread”, “Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes”,
“Almond Zen Granola”… and more!

To enter, just leave a comment below. 

Deadline to enter is 10:00 pm, Wednesday April 24

Winner will be announced on April 25!