Black Bean Soup

The best black bean soup I ever had was in a restaurant in the Grand Cayman Islands. I came home and endeavored to duplicate this soup by checking out a variety of recipes, ending up taking the ideas and going for it the way that seemed to make sense, adjusting flavor as needed. This soup is great as an appetizer for your Mexican fiesta or for lunch, served with sandwiches or pizza buns.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped ham OR
6 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 – 1 1/2 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili
pepper to taste
1 can tomatoes (28oz whole or 19 oz crushed)
2 - 19 oz cans black beans
handful of cilantro

Cook onion and ham in small amount of oil. Add garlic, then water and bouillon cube (or broth) and spices. Puree tomatoes and beans in blender and add to soup. Bring to boil and simmer about 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro near the end. Serve with sour cream or cheese and tortilla chips.