smoked paprika black bean soup with cheddar cheese quesadilla

This is a ridiculously easy soup that can be made in less than 30 minutes. All the equipment you need is a medium sized sauce pan and an immersion blender. And ingredient wise - a can of beans, a clove of garlic, small onion, a handful of cilantro. The addition of smoked paprika really lends a rich smokey spicy flavor. Maybe a dollop of sour cream or super rich greek yogurt to bring it together.  And a jalapeno, if you want a bit of heat. The quesadilla is just shredded cheddar cheese that I toast up in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil.

one can of black beans
one small white onion
one clove of garlic
one teaspoon of smoked spanish paprika
one teaspoon of cayenne pepper
sea salt
olive oil
freshly ground pepper
handful of chopped cilantro
one jalapeno
juice of a lemon
couple tablespoons of sour cream or greek yogurt

Chop onion into 1/4 inch dice. Thinly slice the garlic. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a sauce pan. Add onion, garlic, sea salt, pepper and spices. Saute for a couple minutes until onions are translucent. In  the meantime, drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Add to pot, when beans start to stick a bit, add about a 1/2 cup to one cup of water or stock to loosen up the sauteed bits. You could even deglaze the pan with some white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes or until beans have really absorbed the smokey flavor of the spices. Remove from heat. Use the immersion blender to, you know, blend the soup a bit. Blend to desired consistency. Top with chopped jalapeno, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.