Black Bean Soup

I love the little inserts that come with our newspaper. Luckily, I always find yummy recipes in the USA Weekend and the Relish booklets. In 2007 there was a whole segment titled "Super-fast Bean Soups" that had not one, but three great recipes. Seriously, Rachael Ray has nothing on me the nights I make one of these because from the time I start gathering ingredients from my pantry to the time dinner's on the table is usually less than 15 minutes, and only a couple of those minutes are actually prepping the food. This one is my favorite, but I promise to share the others soon. These are also excellent for taking dinner to a neighbor because you can even 'make' the soup the night before, put it in a cute jar and garnishes alongside with directions to warm and serve.
*2 15.5 oz. cans black beans, drained (don't even bother rinsing)
*1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth (I've used veggie and it works great)
*1 c. prepared salsa verde (I often use regular salsa, like tonight, and love it as well)
*1/4 c. packed cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish (optional)
*1 tsp. ground cumin
Garnishes: 1/4 c. crumbled tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Puree all ingredients except garnishes in a blender until smooth. (I either use my food processor or immersion blender. If I do it in the food processor, like tonight, I only add half the broth to puree and stir the rest in the pan).
(Looking at this picture, I'll admit it looks 'less-that-appetizing')
Pour into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer partially covered and stirring frequently, to blend flavors, 5-7 minutes.
Serve, garnishing each portion with 1 TBSP. tortilla chips, 1 TBSP. sour cream, sprinkle of cheese and cilantro.
Tonight we had some good old quesadillas on the side instead of the chips. This sour tastes better the next day so I often make it the night before and just warm at dinner time.
I have also used this as a bean dip - just add 1/2 c. broth instead of 1 1/2 and serve with chips and queso.