Coconut BLack Bean Soup

From WP. The author was very enthusiastic about the Mango-Avocado Salsa and highly recommended it.

Ingredients

For the Salsa

1 small red onion (about 5 ounces)
1 ripe mango (about 8 ounces), peeled, pitted and diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
Fine salt

For the Soup

1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chiles or smoked or hot paprika
Two (15-ounce) cans black beans, preferably no salt added, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked black beans)
One (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, preferably light
3/4 cup water or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Halve the onion. Grate one half on the large holes of a grater and set aside. Dice the other half.

2. Make the mango-avocado salsa: In a small bowl, combine the diced red onion, mango, avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Stir, and taste. Add more lime juice and/or a pinch of salt, if desired.

3. In a medium saucepan over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the grated onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it begins to look transparent and just starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin and ground chiles or paprika, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the black beans, coconut milk and water or broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the salt, then taste, adding more, if needed.

4. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then, using an immersion blender, partially puree the beans until the soup looks half creamy and half chunky, with some coconutty broth holding it all together. (To puree in a standing blender, using a ladle, transfer about half of the soup to a blender jar. Remove the vent in the blender’s lid to allow steam to escape and loosely cover it with a towel to prevent splatter. Blend on low until smooth, then stir the pureed soup back into the pot.)

5. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the mango salsa and serve, with extra salsa on the side.