Vegan Black Bean Chili

The leaves are changing color, the weather is damp and dreary...it feels like time for a warm bowl of chili! My chili (as with most of my recipes) is child friendly. That is to say that, although it has onions and tomatoes in it, they are blended in so the kids can't pick them out and say "I don't like these". This chili is vegan, although, as you can see here, we sprinkled a little cheese on it for Nikki who does do dairy. A wonderful vegan cheese alternative, however, is Daiya Cheddar Shreds. My mother has become obsessed with this stuff, It's really good! Unfortunately, Emily fell in love with Vegan Rella a long time ago (which as far as I can tell has gone out of business), and she has never liked any cheese alternative since. We paired our chili with a delicious sweet cornbread. The base recipe can be found here with Karina The Gluten Free Goddess. We, however, left out the green chilies and drizzled a little honey over the top before baking for a sweeter version. It's also really good with gluten free tortilla chips. Yum!

VEGAN BLACK BEAN CHILI

1  Can of allergy safe vegetable broth
1  Can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes and juice
2  Bay leaves
3/4 t  Cumin
1 1/2 t  Chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
1/2  Chopped yellow onion
2  Cloves of garlic
3  Cans of black beans, drained
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put all of the ingredients except for black beans in a large pot and simmer for half an hour. Remove bay leaves. Combine this mixture with 1/2 a can of black beans in a blender and blend well. Pour back into the pot. Add remaining 2 1/2 cans of black beans and simmer for another hour or so, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced to desired consistency. If your chili gets too thick you can simply stir in a little water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until it looks good again. Super simple...super delicious!!! Enjoy!