I’m always looking for quick recipes for my post-work, post-grocery store nights.  Who feels like making a gourmet meal after running around at work for 8-ish hours, then hunting for the best prices on cereal for another hour?  Not this girl.

I was pretty pleased with Tuesday’s recipe–black bean soup.  Nothing fancy, just simple soup.  My favorite thing about this isn’t the chorizo or the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (love them in just about anything), or even the 5-10 minutes of active cooking time.  Nope, it’s the topping.  I’m a fervent believer in going garnish-free in most cases.  Sure, extra toppings usually make a dish better, but they also cost money and aren’t always necessary.  This time, I will say that you shouldn’t make this soup without the Greek yogurt topping.  It would be a travesty.  I will also be putting this Greek yogurt deliciousness on almost everything with a Mexican flavor that I make in the future.  It’s genius.

Genius Cumin Lime Greek Yogurt (2-3 minutes, 4-ish servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or close to that–1 individual-sized serving)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Juice from 1/2 of a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Mix ingredients together in a small bowl

Spicy Black Bean Soup (5-10 minutes of active time, 25 minutes inactive, 4-5 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (4-ounce) dry-cured chorizo sausage, chopped
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (chopped), plus 1 tablespoon of sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Sliced green onions, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo, onions, garlic and jalapeno and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the black beans, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and broth and simmer for 25 minutes so all the flavors can really blend together.
2. Smash some of the beans using a spoon or old-school potato masher, just to thicken the soup base a bit.
3. Serve, topping with the very important Genius Cumin Lime Greek Yogurt and the less important sliced green onions (which I forgot).