Black Bean Chili

Mmm...nothing says fall like chili!  I appreciated this recipe because it was a bit different than usual...it used black beans.  It was pretty spicy and I found that leftovers were even hotter, so I added avocado and cilantro to help "cool" it down.  These toppings not only "cooled" down the spiciness of the soup, but they added great flavor, too.  I served with cornbread.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups onion, copped

2 medium red bell peppers, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder (more or less depending on your spice preference)

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cans (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed (preferably low sodium)

1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes 

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Tofutti brand dairy-free sour cream

Avocado slices

Directions:

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Saute until onions soften, about 10 minutes.  Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes.  Mix in beans and tomato sauce.  Bring chili to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.  

Ladle chili into bowls.  Top with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, or whatever you like.  

If chili seems too thick for your preference, use vegetable stock to thin it down to your liking.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-230632