Creamy Bean and Roasted Pepper Chili

It's getting chilly outside and chilly weather makes me crave chili in my bowl. Ba-da-zing! But seriously, folks, I have an abundance of bell peppers and I love, love, love roasting them. They are so delicious. I also have an abundance of canned beans right now thanks to several coupons and a clearance sale. So, here's the end result of experimenting with all of that extra goodness in my pantry. And, trust me, just skip the spoon and scoop this stuff right onto a tortilla chip.

1 yellow bell pepper, roasted and diced
1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 cup no-chicken broth, vegetable broth/stock, or water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon All-Purpose Seasoning (or your favorite savory seasonings)
1/4 teaspoon Fair Trade cocoa powder
Pinch of chili powder
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Place your clean bell peppers over an open flame for roasting. I place them directly on the grill over my gas burner, one pepper per burner. Turn the flame on high and use metal tongs to rotate them occasionally, until the skin on all sides is charred black. Then immediately place the peppers into a bowl and cover them with a tight lid for about 15 minutes. While your peppers are "sweating" you can chop and saute your onion and garlic. After the 15 minutes are up, remove the charred skin from your peppers, de-stem and de-seed them, then coarsely dice them.
• In a large pot, heat the oil. Add onion and garlic, saute until tender.
• Add all remaining ingredients, including prepared peppers, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently (stirring occasionally) until chili is warmed through and spices have had time to blend into the dish. I gave it about a half an hour, but you could probably dig in sooner if you're in a hurry.
• Makes 4 servings.
• Enjoy!

*Bankrupt Vegan Tip: If you need to make this dish a little cheaper, you can substitute green peppers for the red and yellow, and eliminate the nutritional yeast. 


NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):
Calories: 207.0 / Total Fat: 1.3g (Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g) / Cholesterol: 0.0 mg / Sodium: 376.0mg / Potassium: 877.1mg / Total Carbohydrates: 36.6g(Dietary Fiber: 12.4g, Sugars: 2.8g) / Protein: 15.2g

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