Black Bean Soup

from "Eight Items or Less" by Ann Lovejoy

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 carrot, diced (reserve a few curls for garnish)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
• 2 stalks bok choy, sliced
• 1 15 oz can black beans, canned black bean soup, or 2 c. cooked black beans
• 2 to # T black bean sauce
• 2 T sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:

1. In a heavy pan, heat oil over medium heat until sizzling.  Add carrots, green onion, and bok choy.  Stir-fry to 3 minutes.
2. Add 1 c. water and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Rinse beans, drain, and puree in blender or food processor with vegetables and water., reserving 2 T of the beans.
4. Return puree to pan along with the reserved beans over medium heat.
5. Rinse black bean sauce before adding it to pan if it is the whole bean extra-salty variety.  Otherwise, just stir it into  the puree.
6. Heat soup until very hot but not boiling.
7. Stir in sesame seeds, and serve.  Garnish each portion with carrot curls