Trenton and I hosted an open house yesterday. From 10 in the morning until 2am, we had a steady stream of family and friends stopping by and I made some soup. I don’t really have the words right now to tell you what it meant to me to share so many hugs and say goodbye en masse, so instead, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
1 TB olive oil
1-2 onions, diced small
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 vegan bouillon cube (highly recommend Edward & Sons Veggie or Not Chick’n flavors)
2-3 drops liquid smoke
2 carrots, sliced
3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 cans black beans, drained
salt & pepper

Optional
diced green onions
shredded cheese (Daiya is great)
roughly chopped cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium-high heat and add the chopped onions. When the onions have cooked 2-3 minutes and have become soft and translucent, add the minced garlic, cayenne, cumin, and chili powder. The onion mixture will become sticky; keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. When the onion mixture is completely combined with the spices, add chopped carrots and celery. Allow the mixture to cook for a few minutes (some sticking to the bottom of the pot is fine) and then add the canned tomatoes, about half a can every 1-2 minutes. Add the bouillon cube and mix well. Add the beans, stir well, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high before turning the heat down to low. Cook on low uncovered until the celery and carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Keep diced onions, cilantro, and “cheese” on-hand as toppings.