Cuban Black Bean Soup

 Black beans, a few spices, raw onion and vinegar.  Hard to beat. Serve it with Cuban Bread and you have greatness.

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
One 8 oz, can tomato sauce
One small yellow onion, chopped
One small green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each cumin seed, oregano, cayenne pepper and one teaspoon salt ground together in a mortar and pestle
1 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock, maybe a little more
Toppings: Chopped red onion, sour cream/Greek yogurt mixture, red wine vinegar

Directions:
In your soup pot saute the onion, garlic and green pepper in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and water, ground spices, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the beans begin to fall apart, 30 to 45 minutes.
Turn heat off and use a potato masher to thicken the soup into almost a puree.
Serve with the sour cream and red onions, and sprinkle liberally with red wine vinegar as you eat. It is hard to overdo it.