Smoky Black Bean Soup

So sorry! It's not the most appetizing picture... But the soup tastes really good and it's quite healthy, too. Even healthier if you add brown rice instead of white like I did.

SMOKY BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces cooked ham, diced
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced zucchini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained, rinsed and divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced ham and cook until lightly browned. Add onion and zucchini; cook until vegetables are tender. Stir in minced garlic and chipotle chili powder; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, 1/2 cup black beans and salt. Puree remaining beans with water in a food processor or blender; stir into soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Optional: Garnish individual servings with sour cream and cilantro. Serve topped with a scoop of rice.

Yield: 4 servings

Be sure to dice the ham, onion and zucchini the same size. I forgot to do that, and my zucchini stood out because I didn't cut it as small. Not a real problem, but I think I'll prefer the zucchini smaller next time. Also, just 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chile powder is pretty hot, reduce that if you don't care for hot.