Black Bean Soup + Avocado Toast

Dice the onion, carrot and celery into small cubes. Mince the garlic.

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and add the veggies. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until they start to sweat.

Add the salt, ground cumin and chili powder, stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir well to coat the vegetables and sauté until it’s fragrant, about 2 minutes longer. Now add the stock and the sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Open and drain the black beans (no need to rinse them). Once the soup is boiling, stir it well and reduce to a steady simmer over medium-low heat. Add the beans.

Cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the bread into thick slices. If you have a toaster oven, this is the perfect time for it. Drizzle the bread evenly with olive oil and the garlic power and toast until browned to your liking.

If you only have a regular toaster, toast the bread plain, then when it’s done, drizzle with the oil and salt.

Slice the avocado and divide evenly among the toast. Sprinkle to taste with a pinch of salt or fancy sea salt.

Finish the soup by adding the zest and juice from the lime and taste it to see if you prefer more salt or not. Remove the stalk of thyme.

Serve soup in large bowls and serve avocado toast.