Black Bean & Butternut Squash Soup

Weigh out all the ingredients as per the grams in parathesis if you want it exact , but for simplicity you could just purchase the following.
1 med sized white onion chopped (264 gms)
2 small carrots chopped (103 gms)
1 med jalapeno minced (10 gm)
1 stalk celery chopped (60 gm)
2 lg garlic cloves minced (about 2 tablespoons) (11 gm)
1 small butternut squash sm cubes (456 gms)
3 Tblsp olive oil
2 Tblsp cooking sherry
3 tsp vegetable broth concentrate
3 tsp chicken broth concentrate (or stay with veggie if you want pure vegetarian)
2 cans black beans (15 oz cans)
3 tsp ground cumin
2 Tblsp dried oregano
8 cups water
1 tsp chili powder (I used chipolte powder to add a little heat)
2 bay leaves ( remember to not eat these)

Cut off outside of butternut squash and dice into 1/4" cubes. Chop up rest of veggies. Saute in olive oil the onions, carrots, celery, butternut squash (sm cubes), garlic, jalapeno until soft. It helps to cover for about 10 minutes to steam the squash to tender. Mash 1 can black beans in a bowl and all to veggies along with water, broth concentrate, cooking sherry and the second can of black beans. Add in cumin and oregano plus some chili powder (about 2 tsp) & bay leafs (2) & pepper to your taste. Simmer for an hour or so. Makes 12 cups

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BIGFORKIAN.