Bacon Black Bean Soup

This spicy soup will warm you up on a winter day- not that we've had too many cold days yet :)  It is super savory from the bacon flavor, and the chipotle in adobo adds some delicous spice without making it too hot.  I do admit I stole the recipe from serious eats; one of my main inspirations for recipes and cooking.  It actually turned out to be more tasty than we had imagined, and we added a little cooked chopped chicken to make it a full meal.  If you have leftovers, it also makes a pretty good bean dip.

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 cans of black beans
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped (+ extra for garnish)
2 canned chipotles in adobo
2 T adobo sauce from the canned chipotles
1 t cumin
1 t Mexican oregano
salt and pepper
sour cream
2 limes- one squeezed for juice, one cut into wedges

Directions:
Cook the bacon in a skillet, reserving the fat in the pan when done.

Cook the chopped onion in the pan with the bacon drippings for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. 

In a blender, combine the two cans of beans with liquid, the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, and the cooked onions & garlic.  Blend until very smooth.  Pour the mixture into a pot and bring to a simmer.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Finally, add the juice of one lime and half of the chopped bacon to the pot and stir.  When serving, top with sour cream, extra chopped bacon, and an extra squeeze of lime.