Soup Weather

Cold weather has arrived to the Metroplex on Sunday, so Monday night I prepared the soup below that I actually finished yesterday. I felt some creeping crud coming. Everyone seems to have it around me, so I hope it's nothing serious but the sniffles. This soup is very easy to prepare, and, despite the fact that it mostly uses canned stuff, is very, very tasty.

Southwest Soup

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. oil
1 smoked all-beef, all-pork or venison sausage, sliced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can yellow hominy, drained
1/2 jar mild salsa (can use medium or hot if you prrefer it more spicy)
1 can chicken broth (I used all-natural low-sodium)
salt, black pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder of your choice (I used Pendery's House Blend)
few sprigs of fresh cilantro
sour cream to taste

1. Saute onion and sausage slices in olive oil over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes (onions shoild be softening, sausage slices should be browning).
2. Add beans, hominy, salsa and chicken broth, all at once. Stir, cover and bring to a boil. Taste and season with salt, black pepper and the chili powder and simmer on low for about 15 minutes more.
Serve in deep bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkled with cilantro, with slices of crusty bread on the side.