Black Bean and Chorizo Chili

Larry really loved this chili. The recipe specifies Spanish chorizo, which is already cooked and more firm than Mexican chorizo. I normally get my Spanish chorizo from The Spanish Table in Berkeley, but Whole Foods also carries it under their own label. It's not as good as the chorizo from The Spanish Table, but it's fine for this recipe.

Black Bean and Chorizo Chili

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 links Spanish chorizo sausage, diced (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
3 (14-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (8 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
Baked tortilla chips (optional)

Remove 2 chiles from can; finely chop, reserving remaining chiles and sauce for another use.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chiles, 1 3/4 cups onion, bell peppers, garlic, and chorizo; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and next 7 ingredients (chili powder through corn), stirring to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate, salt, and black pepper.

Ladle 1 cup chili into each of 12 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 311 (24% from fat); FAT 8.4g (sat 3.2g,mono 3.4g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 16.5g; CHOLESTEROL 13mg; CALCIUM 95mg; SODIUM 888mg; FIBER 12.9g; IRON 4.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.9g

• Black Bean and Chorizo Chili (Cooking Light, March 2003)