Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup

This colourful and hearty soup is a meal in a bowl, spiced with Mexican flavours that will warm you up on a cold winter day and send you back for a second helping. Rich in quality carbohydrates, protein, and other important nutrients, this soup is an ideal recovery meal after a tough workout. The brilliant orange that makes sweet potatoes so appealing signals their high beta-carotene content, an antioxidant with disease-fighting potential. In fact, the deeper the orange of the potato, the greater the concentration of beta-carotene. In addition, sweet potatoes provide a healthy dose of vitamin C, folic acid, B-vitamins, and fiber.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups chopped)
1 large red sweet pepper, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (add more or less pepper to taste)
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 cups vegetable broth
1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1.5 cups corn (from fresh, frozen, or canned/drained)
2 cups cooked black beans (19-oz. can, rinsed and drained)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime (cut the other half into wedges to garnish bowls)

Garnishes (optional)

Cheddar cheese, grated
Chopped cilantro
Chopped green onions
Lime wedges (people can squeeze more lime juice into their soup)

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, sweet potatoes, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Cook until peppers and onion are tender (about 5 minutes).
Stir in chili powder and cumin, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, until sweet potatoes are tender (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Add broth, tomatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Remove half of soup to blender or food processor, puree until smooth, and return to pot (you can skip this step, but it gives the soup a wonderful texture!). You can also use an immersion blender and blend partially (but I find removing to a blender provides a smoother texture).
Stir in the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and add a few squirtz of hot sauce if you want a spicier soup. If desired, top each serving with cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, and/or green onions.

READ Beyond Taste: Can Soups Help Keep Us Healthy?

Nutrition Notes

This soup is chock full of nutritious all-stars. In addition to tomatoes and sweet potatoes, other nutritious ingredients include . . .

Black beans are a good source of carbohydrates and protein, important for recovery after exercise. In addition, beans are rich in iron, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, calcium, zinc. The fiber and resistant starch in beans are health promoting, and help keep blood sugar levels stable. Like other beans, black beans are also rich in B vitamins, particularly folic acid, which is being studied extensively for its disease-fighting properties. Although all beans share these nutritious properties, black beans come out on top when it comes to antioxidant activity.
Corn also boasts plenty of nutrients, including fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, and potassium. Yellow corn is also a good source of lutein, a carotenoid with cancer-fighting properties, and ferulic acid, a powerful antioxidant.
Onions are rich in protective phytochemicals. The sulfur compounds — which give onions their pungent taste and smell — help lower blood cholesterol and protect arteries. Onions are one of the richest dietary sources of flavonoids, especially quercetin, which is linked to reduced muscle damage after exercise, reduced chronic inflammation that can trigger heart disease and some cancers.