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A s evenings get cooler, thick, hot soups regain their appeal. Just add a salad and crusty bread for a tasty, satisfying meal for four. Quick Black Bean Soup Making a hearty bean soup in a hur- ry seems like a dinner-hour fantasy, but canned black beans are so fl avorful that they do the job perfectly. Organic canned black beans are often lower in sodium than nonorganic. If you use the former, don't drain and rinse—the liquid from the can adds lots of fl avor. Or, if using conven- tional black beans, drain and rinse as usu- al. Not only is the liquid very salty, it has a less-than-desirable consistency. 1½ Tbsp olive oil or 3 to 4 Tbsp vegetable broth or water 1 large onion, fi nely chopped 3 to 4 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped Two 28-oz cans black beans, 2 to 3 tsp salt-free all-purpose seasoning Juice of 1 lemon or lime, or more to taste 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1/4 c fi nely chopped parsley or cilantro Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1. Heat the oil, broth or water in a soup pot. Sauté the onion over medium heat until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until the onion is light golden in color, 3 to 4 minutes longer. 2. Add the remaining ingredients along with 3 cups of water (if using organic beans and their liquid) or 4 cups of water (if using nonorganic beans, drained and rinsed). Bring to a slow boil. 3. Mash some of the beans with a potato masher—just enough to thicken the liq- uid base of the soup. Cover and simmer gently and steadily for 10 minutes. Adjust the consis- tency with more water if desired. 4. Top each serving with a swirl of vegan sour cream or cashew cream, a sprin- kling of scallions and/or chopped parsley or cilantro. Optional Toppings Sour cream or Cashew Cream (recipes at www.wholelifemagazine.com) 3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced More chopped fresh parsley or cilantro Variation: See wholelifemagazine.com Excerpted from Plant Power: Transform Your Kitchen, Plate, and Life with More Than 150 Fresh and Flavorful Vegan Rec- ipes, by Nava Atlas with permission by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. © 2014 Recipe by Nava Atlas A HEARTY AUTUMN DINNER photo: Hannah Kaminsky october/november 2014 17