Chocolate and Chipotle Black Bean Chili

One of the things I missed out on at the Chocolate Festival was the amazing veggie chocolate chili from Teabag Chihuahua. I know it was lovely from having it last year, but as we were about to go and eat in Las Iguanas I thought it would probably be a bad idea to have some. So I decided I would attempt to make some when I got home and that's what I did tonight. I think the one from Teabag Chihuahua was made with veggie mince, but I wanted to try black beans because I have recently discovered a new love for them. I also wanted to use chipotle because everything I've tried it in has tasted amazing and I thought it would be perfect for a chili. Although finding it was really difficult! You can find chipotle flavoured crisps, burgers, sauces ect, but not the actual ingredient to cook with. I ended up finding it in Waitrose (of course) in a paste.

My boyfriend was coming over for tea tonight and he's a very fussy eater, so I didn't tell him it had chocolate in it until after and had to make it quite mild (he thinks salt and vinegar crisps are spicy!) he still liked it so I'd call it a success. If I was making it for myself I would have added way more spice, but even though I didn't use much it still had loads of flavour and the chipotle gave it a really nice smokey taste. Chocolate may sound like a weird ingredient, but don't turn your nose up at it. It really does add loads of flavour without the chocolately taste.

To make it for 2 use:

Olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

1 small red pepper chopped

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chipotle paste

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper

1 tin black beans

1 square of dark chocolate (I used 85%, try not to use too much you don't want to over power it)

Spring onion, tortilla chip, soured cream, guacamole and salsa to serve.

This one is my boyfriends, covered with chili cheese! 

Fry the onion and garlic on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft, then add the red pepper, chili powder, paprika and chipotle paste (add more if you want it hotter, keep tasting it and add accordingly) mix well and cook for a further few minutes. Add the tomatoes and season well. Turn the heat up until simmering and add the black beans and chocolate and stir in well. Cook for around 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Serve topped with spring onions with tortilla chips and dips, or rice.

The chili is vegan on it's own, providing you use dairy free chocolate!

Posted in: vegan, vegetarian