Chipotle sweet potato soup

Note: Another wonderful recipe from Homesick Texan's blog (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/11/chipotle-sweet-potato-soup-recipe.html). He doesn't have many vegetarian recipes, but the ones he does have are superb. I added black beans because I think they go well with yams and wanted more protein.




Ingredients:
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of vegetable broth
2-4 chipotles in adobo (depending on your heat tolerance) chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
juice of 1/2 lime (or less/more to taste)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste


Directions:

• Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large soup pot, and cook the onions, celery and carrot for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
• Add the sweet potatoes, broth, chipotles, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
• Let the soup cool, and then in batches, puree it in the blender. If you prefer, you can use an immersion blender in the pot instead.
• Once the soup has been pureed, stir in the lime juice and black beans. Add salt and black pepper to taste.