Eggplant and black bean chili

I've already mentioned that I've been using Hungry Harvest.  And I love it for many reasons but one of them is getting a produce box like this can force me to dig up new recipes that work with the produce we get.  So we've gotten eggplant a couple times and I found this amazing eggplant black bean chili recipe online at the Veggie Table.

I think we've used this recipe twice in the past month.  It's so good that we were looking forward to having it again.  And you guys, it's pretty easy too!  I have to admit that both times we've had it, I've had a late meeting and my husband cooked it on his own.  Coming home to the house smelling amazing from this chili was such a great experience.

It sounds a bit weird but all the ingredients work really well together.  The eggplant gives it a meatiness and heft that vegetarian chilis can sometimes lack.  And the chocolate (yes, I said chocolate!) gives it an interesting complexity.  We weren't sure about the chocolate and only used half of it the first time but we used the full amount the second time and it was even better.

Here's my version of the recipe.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 eggplant, cubed and peeled
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• pepper
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp dark chocolate, grated(we had semi-sweet chocolate chips in the pantry so that's what we used and it was still good, didn't taste sweet at all)

Heat oil over medium heat, add the eggplant, and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Add onions, peppers, and garlic to remaining oil and sauté about 3 minutes, until soft. Add the eggplant back to the pot with the tomatoes and spices and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in the beans and chocolate and simmer another 15 minutes. 

Of course, you can add any optional toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc.  We've eaten it over tater tots or baked potatoes.  It's also great with tortilla chips to scoop it up with. 

I'm linking up with Deborah and Sarah for Meatless Monday.