Soup season is here! This black bean soup with cumin seed cream is hearty and healthy dish to serve up this winter, but it is good eats any time of the year. Black beans are widely noted for their benefits to digestion and colon health, and cumin is a smoky, potent spice that will give your soup a great extra kick!

Recipe makes: 6 big servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 medium-sized red onions, chopped

1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

1 16-ounce package of dried black beans

1 tablespoon of chopped chipotle chilies (this can be left out for the heat conscious)

7 cups hot water

2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

2 tablespoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste

For the cumin seed cream:

1 tablespoon of whole cumin seeds (these can usually be found in the spice aisle or in specialty health food stores)

1 cup of crème fraiche, sour cream or yogurt (whatever's available)

Salt and pepper

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large skillet or pan at medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers to the hot oil and sauté them until they begin to brown, for about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cumin powder, stirring together for about one minute. Transfer the entire mixture to a slow cooker if you have one. If you don't that means that you will need to soak the beans in water the night before.

If you use the slow cooker, add the beans, chipotles and 7 cups of hot water. Cover and cook on high until the beans are tender. This should take about three hours. If you don't have a slow cooker and are using a regular pot, take the beans, soaked overnight, and add them to a pot with a bit of olive oil, the chipotles, the vegetable mixture, and the hot water. Cover and cook for about the same time, possibly a bit longer, once again until the beans are tender.

Then, transfer the cooked bean mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the slow cooker or pot, stir in the lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the cumin crème fraiche, place the cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat. Toast the seeds until they are lightly golden brown. Then, remove them from the heat and begin to grind them until coarse. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can place the cumin for a minute in a hand blender, or you can just use extra ground cumin from the soup recipe. Then, stir the cumin into the crème fraiche, yogurt or sour cream you are using and add a bit of salt and pepper. This cream really brings out the soup's smoky flavor.

Tip: The soup is best when you keep it in the fridge because it thickens and becomes rich and creamy. The soup can also be frozen and kept for later use.

Enjoy this rich and filling winter soup with friends and family!