Hope you'll like this as much as we do. Non-vegetarians will enjoy it, too. Lots of ingredients, but pretty easy to make! Black Bean Chili (a.k.a., Southwestern Stew) 2 med. onions, chopped coarse 2 cans (16 oz each) chopped tomatoes in juice, undrained and chopped coarse 2 C chopped zucchini 2 cans (16 oz each) black beans, drained 1/4 C vegetable oil (Whoa! Can be reduced - substitute 1/2 veg. broth)* 1 T chili powder (or to taste) 1 t ground cumin 1 shredded carrot 1 t dried oregano 2 t hot pepper sauce (or to taste) 1 1/2 t paprika 1/4 t thyme 1 can tomato paste 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 t salt (or to taste) 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper Garnish: shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese sour cream or nonfat plain yogurt In a Dutch oven, heat the oil (or part oil and part broth) over a medium heat. Add chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin. Increase heat to high, stir frequently. Add onion and garlic. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except garnish. Cook on low for one hour (or even all day in a Crock Pot/slow cooker). Top with some shredded cheese and/or sour cream (or yogurt). Keep hot pepper sauce at the table for the more adventurous... Enjoy! *The oil does give the chili a "meaty" consistency that appeals to mainstream tastes... it doesn't necessarily require the full amount, though. As with every ingredient, experiment and see... Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes From: susans@comm.mot.com (Susan Bartlett Skutt) Subject: Black Bean Chili (Veg) Message-ID: Organization: Research Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 17:58:33 -0600