Ingredients
2 lbs black beans (use canned if you prefer)
3 large sweet potatoes peeled and diced
2 medium onions diced
4 stalks celery sliced thin
2 large cans diced tomato (or 4 large tomatoes diced)
1 large bunch cilantro minced
1-2 jalapenos diced
2 T olive oil
5 T cumin
4 T cocoa powder
4 T smooth peanut butter
sea salt
pepper
Soak beans overnight in large pot of water (or use quick soak method). The next afternoon, replace water with fresh to about 1 inch above beans and place on high heat until boiling. Reduce heat slightly and begin to simmer. You get to skip this whole step if using canned beans. In that case, just rinse the beans and place them in the pot with water to just over the level of the beans.
In a frying pan, place 2-3 T of olive oil, diced onions, diced jalapeno, and celery. Heat to medium high while stirring frequently until vegetables have softened and the onions become translucent.
In your large pot, add the sauteed vegetables, the spices, and tomato. Stir and simmer until beans are near cooked, then add sweet potato, chocolate, and peanut butter and finish cooking. How much longer you cook after everything is soft is up to you. More cooking will break down the texture of the beans and potatoes, which will thicken the soup into a more creamy consistency. Less cooking will result in a chunkier chili.
Serve with sour cream and grated cheese (vegan or non) and maybe some rice or cornbread.