Black Bean Soup

I've been wanting to use a bag of dry black beans that have been sitting in my pantry for a couple weeks and thought black bean soup would be a perfect solution with the cool fall weather we've been having. So I wanted to share the recipe with all of you! This was my first time make black bean soup and it turned out really well. Great flavor!

1 pound dried black beans
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1-1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup each chopped green, sweet red and yellow peppers (I didn't have peppers so I left them out of my soup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon peper
3/4 teaspoon salt, optional
chopped tomato, optional

1) Place beans in a Dutch over or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.
2) Return beans to pan; add broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are almost tender.
3 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onions, celery, carrot, peppers and garlic in oil until tender. Add the tomato paste, herbs and seasonings to the bean mixture. Add the sauteed vegetables; bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with chopped tomato if desired.

Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts)
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 191 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat) 0 colestrol, 484 mg sodium 30 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 10 g protein.