Black Bean Chocolate Chilli

I first made this while cooking at the Coming Home Café in New Westminster BC. It got a lot of attention, and I had people try to guess the ingredients. The funny thing was that the one ingredient most people didn't get were the red bell peppers... don't know why, it just is. The chocolate can be substituted with cacao powder and sugar, to taste; a 2 to 1 ratio should work, start with 1 Tbsp cacao and ½ Tbsp sugar and add to your taste.

2 Tbsps olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 jalapeno chilli, minced (or more, for more heat)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsps oregano
½ tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsps chilli powder
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 red bell pepper
2 x19oz cans black beans WITH the liquid
14oz (398mL) can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1½ oz (about ¼ cup) 70% chocolate, grated
Cheddar cheese, Sour cream, Scallions, Fresh Cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add onion and garlic; sauté until the onion becomes soft. Add the celery, chile and bell pepper. Adjust the heat; cover and cook another 5 minutes.
2. Turn heat down to lowest setting and add the spices. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until spices are fragrant, stirring occasionally to prevent burning (ground spices can quickly burn. If the pan gets too dry add a little liquid from the diced tomatoes or some water)
3. Add the beans, the tomatoes, lime juice and soy sauce. Increase heat until you get a bit of a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Simmer for as long as you want, but it is ready in about 10 minutes, when the liquid starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the chocolate, adjust the seasoning and serve.
5. Top with Cheddar cheese, Sour cream, Scallions, Fresh Cilantro.