hey, this was okay! (black bean soup)

My increasing frustration at my landlady decreases my desire to cook nice things when I have to share food with her. So I was ready to make a simple chili-like concoction with the ingredients I had on hand: black beans, canned tomato, carrots, green pepper...but suprisingly, it came out well! Better than chili I've made before. Maybe you can read the ingredients list and tell me why it tasted so good:

• 1/2 of a pretty big onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• vegetable oil
  
• several baby carrots, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 3-4 cups water (I think)
  
• 1 bay leaf, some cumin, 2-3 dried whole chilis, salt, pepper, oregano (I think that was it?)
• lime juice
  

So the process was pretty straightforward: I sauted the onions + garlic + carrots till soft, on medium heat; added the spices and stirred a bit; then added the green pepper, beans, tomatoes and water. I did my best to crush the tomatoes with a spoon. I covered the pot, let the mixture come to a boil, and then turned down the heat a notch so that it could simmer gently. I basically let it cook till the flavour was to my liking. Then I turned off the heat and hand blended a bit to thicken the soup. The blending made the bean taste stand out more, so it reminded me a bit of black bean dip. As a finishing touch, I squeezed in some lime juice for that extra je-ne-sais-quoi.

I think it would be tasty without the blending, too...And I think some fresh cilantro might be a really nice garnish!