Here are a couple I have copied and pasted. Lpink's Black Bean Soup with Red Paprika Sauce (This is Lori from near the Battle Creek area) Serves 8 1 lb. bag dried black beans (soak in 4x their volume of water overnight. Drain before cooking) 8 cups water or broth, (I always use broth. For me it's veggie bouillon, but you could use chicken or beef I guess.) 2 med. onions, chopped 2 ribs celery, diced 2 cups chopped tomatoes (I use canned) 2 TBSP paprika (I use Penzey's brand, I have both sweet and hot and I mix the two, but use whatever kind you like to your taste.) 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup cilantro, finely minced (Note: I just add a TBSP or so of dried cilantro or parsley, because I rarely have fresh stuff around, it goes bad on me before I can use it up) 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 cup corn Note: DON'T add salt while the beans are cooking, this toughens their skins. Simmer beans in the broth until soft. Could take 1-2 hours on the stovetop. I do my beans in the crock pot on high for about 5 hours minimum, I add the veggies and spices right at the beginning, except for the corn, which I use frozen so it doesn't need to cook. If you're making the soup on the top of the stove, add veggies and spices during the last hour of cooking. Add sauce (recipe below) before serving. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. Red Paprika Sauce 2 TBS olive oil 1 large red pepper diced or sliced thin 3 scallions, minced 2 tsp. paprika, or less, to taste 2 tsp. salt 2 TBS lime juice Saut� pepper and scallions in the olive oil. Add the paprika and other seasonings. Add lime juice just before taking it off the stove. Additonal note: You can add browned turkey sausage to this soup along with the veggies with excellent results. That's how I make it to please the meat-eaters. Use hot or regular sausage, depending on your taste. The soup is delicious served with a dollop of low fat sour cream or yogurt. You can stir in the sauce to the soup and then freeze. You can leave out the corn, but it is colorful with the red pepper. You can puree some of the soup before adding the veggies or pepper sauce or sausage. It's just a great mixture of flavors however you adapt it. You could even add a little garlic, good for the heart. I like to make the soup in the crock pot, except for the peppers. Don't cook peppers in a crock pot because they get bitter. I have made this soup for a crowd and it was very well received. Laurie ____________________________________________________________________ Jayne's Black Bean Soup (Jayne hails from Indianapolis) 1 pound bag of black beans (soak overnight and rinse very well) I put them in a crock pot to cook all day. I add vegetable stock (or water if I don't have the stock). Then finely chopped garlic, onions, celery and carrot and pepper (green or jalapeno or both). I usually don't add meat, but sometimes will add small cubes of very lean ham. I season with salt, pepper and cumin. I've wanted to try adding sherry (per a friends instruction), but haven't tried that yet. Today, I read a recipe that called for adding balsamic vinegar, but I haven't tried that either. Near the end of cooking, I take out a cup or so and puree it, then add it back to the pot so it's nice and thick. I serve it over brown rice, although yellow is good too. I top it with hot sauce and chopped onion. Sour cream sounds good, but I don't need the extra calories (I would have to have a huge dollop). Angie's (Opkikid) Black Bean Soup (Angie is from Chicago) This makes a lot � you can cut the recipe in half or more. This can cook all day at a simmer, if you like. � lb bacon 10 carrots, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced � tsp cayenne pepper � cup (yes, cup!) of each: ground cumin and oregano 6 15 oz cans of black beans, drained 5 (20 cups) quarts of chicken broth � cup sherry or white wine

I don't have a "recipe"....but I cook black beans with a chopped small onion...1 pound of beans and a quart of chicken broth and enough extra water to cover...until the beans are soft....very soft and falling apart. Keep adding a little water as it is absorbed. Puree the beans, adjust seasonings, add about 1/2 cup of cocktail sherry....and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream. I know some add fennel and garlic but I prefer it without. Linda C

Thanks for posting it!

Good eating! I remember when black beans were about the most expensive bean I could buy. Something like $6.00 a pound, dry, 30 years ago, as if they were gourmet. However, the supposed Latino foods have really made way into our supermarkets and imports food stores. Last time I bought black beans for $0.99/lb and stocked up. Started growing them in my garden one year, but that was the year that my garden was disastrously vandalized so I've never had home grown black beans. LLLC, pasta black with squid ink is on the shelves in my Italian neighborhood.