Are you one of those people who sometimes feels extra ambitious at night after there are no underage people awake in the house any longer, and sometimes that ambition compels you to decide to do things like make a cake the next weekend using a new recipe you found online with lots of ingredients and detailed instructions because in theory it would be wonderful and JUST LOOK at those beautiful photos on the internet? And because of this commitment to the cake you go immediately to your grocery app and add whatever ingredients you don’t already have or keep in stock, like sour cream and saffron, to your virtual cart? And then the weekend comes and goes without so much as a mixing bowl or measuring cup crossing the countertop, leaving those orphaned ingredients unused? And are you also a person who internally cringes every time you drain that jet liquor from a can of black beans into the sink, thinking that surely there’s a use for the liquid, considering that people do some pretty incredible things with aquafaba, also known as the fluid from a tin of canned chickpeas? And are you a person who resists throwing away food unless it is completely inedible, despite that fact that no one in your house (aside from you, of course) likes things like sour cream, though the complicated cake-making ship has long sailed off and anchored in the past, taking with it almost every day until the “best before” date stamped expectantly on the container of sour cream?

If you’re one of those people, this recipe is for you:

Black Bean Taco Cream Soup

(serves 2-4 depending on accompaniments)

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, with liquid
8 oz. sour cream (plain greek yogurt would work too)
6 tsp. (half of a regular packet) taco seasoning
Optional: 4 cups cooked medium-grain white or brown rice with ~1.5 cups grated cheese mixed into it while hot (suggestions: cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, asadero, colby, or a blend) and seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions:
Add the whole can of beans, sour cream, and taco seasoning to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring well to incorporate. When it begins to boil, it’s ready. Serve over bowls of rice-cheese mixture or sprinkle with fried tortilla strips. Sliced avocado as a topping never hurt, and garnishes of salsa, chopped tomato, red or yellow onion, green chiles (and/or cilantro if you or your tablemates favor the flavor) always welcome.

P.S. Taco shells, please check back on Tuesday; in case there are leftovers, you might want to meet them.