Black Bean and Beef Chili - Adapted from www.finecooking.com

We used black beans out of the can but if you use dried ones they need to be precooked so allow time for that. Brown 2lb. ground beef in a large soup pot. Remove it and drain the fat. Dice 1 large onion. Saute 1/2 of a large onion, diced until the onion is soft but not browned. While the onion is sauteing, puree 1 14 oz. can of black beans, 1- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice, 1 medium chipotla chili pepper and 2T of adobo sauce until it is smooth. When the onion is done, add 2T chili powder, 1T oregano, 1 clove of minced garlic and simmer for 5 min. Return the beef and add 2-14 oz. cans of drained black beans and the puree. Simmer for 30 min. Just before serving add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and the juice of 1/2 of a lime.

The topping was made by combining the other half of the diced onion, a diced avocado, chopped cilantro and the juice of 1/2 of a lime. Serve with tortilla chips.