Beezie's Black Bean Soup

From: AllRecipes

This soup has gained rave reviews from my non-veggie
   friends and family! It's bursting with healthy goodness,
   never mind that it tastes so wonderfully yummy! The soup
   loves to change, if you're cleaning out your refrigerator,
   be creative... Prep Time: approx. 1 Hour . Cook Time:
   approx. 5 Hours . Ready in: approx. 6 Hours . Makes 10
   servings.

1 pound dry black beans
1 1/2 quarts water
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno pepper, seeded
and minced
1/4 cup dry lentils

1 (28 ounce) can peeled and
diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup uncooked white rice

Directions
1 In a large pot over medium-high heat, place the beans
   in three times their volume of water. Bring to a boil,
   and let boil 10 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let
   stand 1 hour. Drain, and rinse.
2 In a slow cooker, combine soaked beans and 1 1/2 quarts
   fresh water. Cover, and cook for 3 hours on High.
3 Stir in carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bell peppers,
   jalapeno pepper, lentils, and tomatoes. Season with chili
   powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and
   salt. Cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir the rice into the
   slow cooker in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
4 Puree about half of the soup with a blender or food
   processor, then pour back into the pot before serving.