Chez Starz

It’s comfort food weather. My daughter and I have made this recipe a couple of times when we were in the mood for a “no meat” kind of night. I found this recipe on the website http://www.cookieandkate.com. It’s delicious, and you can add shredded cheese and sour cream or eat it with crackers, whatever you prefer.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs celery
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBS chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp smoke paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can diced tomatoes, with their juices (20 ozs)
• 2 cans black beans (15 ozs each), rinsed and drained
• 1 can pinto beans (15 oz), rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lime juice (your choice)
• chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil; add onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until vegetables are tender (7-10 minutes).

Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook until fragrant (1 minute).

Add tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

For a delicious texture, transfer 1 1/2 cups of chili (get some liquid) to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth; transfer the blended chili back into the pot.

Add cilantro and vinegar to taste, and add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Serve with garnish of your choice.