Black bean soup without tomatoes

tasty and easy 4 big full sized servings

1 large yellow onion, chopped 

1 large carrot, chopped 

1 celery rib, chopped 

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced 

60 oz (4 cans) black beans, rinsed and drained 

32 oz vegetable broth with no tomatoes or chicken broth

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

½ teaspoon dried oregano (or fresh--just use a lot more)

1 bay leaf and black pepper, to taste 

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

 ¼ cup chopped cilantro 

Garnish options: avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced green onion

Pour some broth in a pot and  add onions, carrots and celery, bell pepper cooking until tender (can take 20 -30 minutes if your celery is not chopped really small). Add the rest of the broth and black beans, cumin , bay leaf, and oregano. Cook another 20 minutes or so until the flavors blend and the veggies are as tender as you want them .  Mash some of the soup with a potato masher. Taste and see if it needs salt--most broths have a lot. Add lime juice a bit at a time to taste. Serve topped with cilantro.