Black Bean Soup

Adam asked me yesterday if I have ever posted this recipe here, and when I told him no, he was horrified.  This is absolutely a favorite in our home.  We recently started rating our meals on a scale of 1 to 5 with the 1 being "this is awful.  I think we should go grab hamburgers instead of eat this for dinner" and 5 being "There will be leftovers, right?" and "I think you should make this for dinner tomorrow night, too!" This recipe is an undisputed 5 in our house.  We make it about every 2 weeks and never get tired of it!  It is a delicious combination of creamy and savory that tastes amazing and leaves your taste-buds singing!

Black Bean Soup
Based on this recipe from Our Best Bites but 
I modified it quite a bit to my taste.  

Serves 4 - 6
1 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 - 1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cans of rinsed black beans (or 30 oz of soaked and cooked dried beans)
2 cans of beef broth (MUST be beef broth!  Do not try to sub in another kind of broth!)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
a pinch of chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 bay leaf
3 oz cream cheese

Place a large stock pot on stove over medium heat.  Add olive oil then add carrots, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until onions begin to soften.  Add black beans and beef broth.  Add spices and stir.  Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.  Remove from heat and remove bay leaf.  Blend soup in blender until smooth.  Add cream cheese and blend again.  Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread!