Black Bean Chili with Lime

With temperatures plummeting recently, chili just felt like the right thing to make. Now, I'm definitely not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy a good black bean chili. Black beans are hearty and healthy (assuming you watch the sodium content in canned beans), plus they take on the flavors of spices very well.

Ancho chili powder provides the right amount of spice, but also a great smokiness, so I definitely wanted to use it. Cumin is a classic spice in chili, so I wanted to maintain that flavor as well. I also added epazote, which is a Mexican spice with a hint of sweetness, but a mild flavor; somewhat like a sweeter version of oregano. Lastly, I decided I wanted a little more heat so I added some aleppo pepper, which is a Turkish pepper, that comes crushed rather than in a powder.

With the heat of this chili, and keeping with the Mexican theme, the lime adds brightness and acidity to the chili and brings it all together. I was very pleased with how this chili turned out and will definitely make it again.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons ancho chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons epazote
1/2 teaspoon crushed aleppo pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans low-sodium diced tomatoes
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Remove black beans from the cans and rinse well. Remove the lids from the cans of tomatoes and set aside, retaining the tomatoes in their juice. In a small bowl, combine ancho chili powder, cumin, epazote and aleppo pepper. Set aside. Peel the garlic cloves and chop the garlic finely, setting it aside when done. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. When oil is heated, add the onion and bell pepper, cooking until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes, mixing constantly. Add tomatoes and beans and continue to cook, mixing them into the onions and spices. Add the lime zest and juice, reducing the heat to low and simmering for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the chili into a bowl and top it with chopped avocado. Enjoy!