Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup ~ This is a great soup for warming you up during the cold days of winter & it's easy to change up to suit your tastes.  Thanks Rachel Ray!

Continuing on the path of cooking foods from different ethnic celebrations, I decided to make a dish that could be served during Kwanzaa.  I've searched the web & have found many interesting sites that explain the 7 days of Kwanzaa, 12/26 - 1/1.  After all that reading, I was inspired to order a book by Vertamae Grosvenor, called ~ Vibration Cooking.  She wrote it in 1970 & it's a cookbook/ diary of her life as a young woman in the South & her travels. She cooks by feel (like I do) & I can't wait to read her tales of life & cooking.
 
After looking at many recipes, I finally decided to make Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, from Rachel Ray, by way of the Food Network holiday site. Check out their Holiday Central 2011 page, for lots more Kwanzaa (& other holiday) recipes. 

I liked the soup, it's good, but I wouldn't use as much cayenne pepper, since it might be too spicy for some.  I also skipped the one cup of heavy cream & just added 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt per bowl, stirred in just before serving.  I just couldn't add all those fat calories, no matter how good it would have tasted.  I'll be going back to the Food Network site,  they have some good looking Soul Food recipes that would be perfect for Mardi Gras. :)

Joyous Kwanzaa!