It's Cold Outside Or Is It?...Tropical Black Bean and Kale Soup.

With it being Fall I'm really in the mood for soups and stews to beat the cold. The only problem with that is it's still hot as hell here. That being said I made this great tropical soup perfect for any weather. It's a little spicy but spicy is good. On a different note, my cat turned out to be a girl today. Paul popped out some kittens, and now I'm up to five animal companions. Maybe I'll post some picture sometime.  

Tropical Black Bean and Kale Soup

2 cups dried black beans
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste
12 ounces kale, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Rinse the beans. Cover with water and allow to soak at least 8 hours. Keep soaking until you are ready to cook, and then drain the soaking liquid. Heat a large pot; spray lightly with olive oil if desired. Add the onion, vegetables and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the drained beans, 2 cups of vegetable stock, 5 cups of water, thyme, powders, allspice, and nutmeg. Simmer until beans are very tender, 1-2 hours depending on your beans. Once beans are tender, puree using a hand blender or in batches in a regular blender. Leave one batch not blended for texture. Return to pot and add kale. Add orange juice, and add pepper and salt to taste. Cook kale till tender.