I cannot believe I made it all the way to January without cooking a single pot of chili. Normally, that’s one of my cold-weather staples. To be fair, the weather in New York has been a little mild for winter this year, last weekend’s snowfall aside. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to get around to making black bean chili for weeks now, and finally did the other day. About damn time.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp canola or olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 large orange pepper, diced finely
• 1 jalepeno, diced
• 1 small can diced green chili peppers, drained
• 1 28-oz can tomatoes
• 2 15-oz cans (or 2 cups cooked) black beans, drained
• 3-4 cups peeled & diced butternut squash
• 3-4 cups water
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large stockpot.
2. Sautee garlic, onion, and pepper until soft.
3. Add rest of ingredients. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover.
4. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

Do you like chili? Have a favorite recipe?