Black Bean & Lime Soup

3 cups dried black beans, rinsed & soaked overnight, then drained
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
6 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Place the above ingredients in crock-pot and cook on LOW 4-5 hours. Then add:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbs. molasses or brown sugar

Cook on LOW 1-2 more hours. Then remove half of the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth and return to the crock-pot. Just before serving, add 1/4 cup lime juice.

Serve with chopped cilantro, sour cream, and chopped avocado.

Adapted from this recipe from Simply Recipes.com.