Curried Ginger Black Bean Soup

We eat a lot of soup during the winter months and I often just wing it with the vegetables I have on hand. Lately, I've been seasoning my soups with curry and ginger. It gives the soup a nice kick, and wakes up the taste buds as we near the end of the season for root vegetables and hard squashes. And the best part is that you can throw this together in no time. Get creative and try it with squash, or whatever veggies you have on hand. Soup is meant to be a creative endeavor, so don't hold back. 

Curried Ginger Black Bean Soup
3 cups of cooked black beans
1 cup of greens beans (cut into 1" pieces)
2 carrots (peeled and diced)
2 large stalks of celery (trimmed and diced)
4 sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock (I like Pacific brand, or of course homemade if available)
1/2 of a large sweet white onion (diced)
1/2 cup salsa (I used Trader Joe's Organic Tomatillo Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon chili powder
Victoria's Taylor's Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning
Olive oil

Place the diced sweet potato on a sheet pan and drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the potatoes. Sprinkle with a few healthy pinches of the sesame ginger seasoning. Roast in a 400 degree oven until browned and tender (about 25 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to your stockpot. Saute the onion until it just starts to brown. Add the carrots, celery, curry, ginger and chili powder. Saute for another 10 minutes. Add the green beans, black beans and stock. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the salsa and roasted sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with your favorite corn chips on the side.