Spicy Vegetarian Chocolate Chili (crock Pot - If Desired)

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (petite is best)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thin with seeds, stems removed
• 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer (may substitute water)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can canned pinto beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, undrained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into large chunks
• shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• chopped onion

Recipe

• 1 cook the onions in the oil in a dutch oven or heavy soup pot for 15 minutes.
• 2 sprinkle the onions with the cumin, oregano, cinnamon, coriander, chili powder, pepper, salt, and garlic and stir. cook - stirring constantly to make sure the spices don't stick and burn - for an additional 5 minutes.
• 3 add the diced tomatoes and jalapenos, and chipotle peppers and bring the mixture to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and incorporating the bits into the sauce.
• 4 stir in the tomato paste and beer (or water) until smooth.
• 5 lower the heat, cover and let simmer, for 45 minutes.
• 6 stir in the beans, and lime juice and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
• 7 add chocolate and stir until melted.
• 8 serve immediately if desired but to enhance the flavor store in the refrigerator up to 3 days, transfer to a crockpot and cook on low for up to 4 hours (or just reheat if desired). if cooking in the crock pot longer than 4 hours, add 1/2 cup water prior to cooking and stir well.
• 9 ladle into a bowl and serve with desired toppings.