Vegan Black Bean Soup

In Pam's family, tradition is to have soup for Christmas Eve dinner, and she usually makes 2 or 3 varieties.  This year her sister's daughter and son-in-law came in from California for the Holiday.  He's a vegan so she made this black bean soup.  It was a hit!

1 Tbl olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbl chili powder
1 Tbl ground cumin
1 pinch black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
4  15ounce cans black beans
1 box frozen whole kernel corn
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Saute the onions, celery, carrot, and garlic for 5 minutes.  Season with the chili powder, cumin and black pepper; cook for one minute.  Stir in the broth, 2 cans of the beans and the corn.  Bring to a boil.

2.  Meanwhile, in a food processor, process 2 cans of beans and the tomatoes until smooth.  Stir into the boiling soup mixture, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.