Beef, black bean, & vegetable chili

photo courtesy of naturalcontents.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon. each ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, and dried oregano

1 tsp. chipotle powder (spicy) or smoked paprika (not spicy)

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

14 oz. canned tomato puree

1 14 oz. cans black beans or 2 cups cooked black beans

1 lb. ground beef (ground turkey or meat substitute also work well)

1 lb. mixed root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes and carrots, peeled and cubed 

1 bunch kale, chopped

salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot with an oven safe lid.   Add onions and garlic with a few pinches of salt, cook over medium low heat until translucent.  Add spices and bay leaves, stir.  Push the onion mixture to one side of the pot, and increase the heat to medium high.  Add the ground beef to the skillet with a few more pinches of salt.  Brown the meat, stirring occasionally, until mostly cooked through.  Add the root vegetables, the tomatoes, and the beans to the pot.  Add a little more water if the mixture is not mostly covered by the broth.  Cover the pot, bring to a simmer, then place in the oven.  Bake for 45 minutes, until the root vegetables are tender.

You can either blanch or steam the kale separately, or add it to the pot in the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Steaming it will keep it a brighter green color.  If cooking the kale separately, add it to the pot when the chili is finished cooking and stir well.  Add salt to taste.  Top with chopped cilantro, and sour cream, yogurt, or shredded cheese, and serve with rice or tortilla chips.  Serves 6.