Chocolate Chili

There comes a time in every kids life when they have to learn a very valuable lesson in the kitchen:
 not all chocolate is created equal.

So I was making this chocolate chili from a recipe I found over at Our Best Bites, and the recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate.  Can you picture it?  I'm in the kitchen chopping up the little block of chocolate when Blockette spys what I am doing.

Her: "Ooooh!  Can I have some of that?"

Me: "No, honey.  You wouldn't like it.  It doesn't have any sugar in it."

Her:  "Pleeeeeease!  Just let me try it."

Me: "I'm not teasing. It's going to be gross."

 ::insert pitiful begging child face here:::

Then, I got this smirk.  It may or may not have been more like an evil grin.  I'm not telling.

Why not let her have some?  

So I did.

Child could not get enough water to get the horrible bitter taste out of her mouth.  She swore that she was NOT going to eat dinner, because if it had THAT chocolate in it...well...it HAD to be disgusting.

Then we had a discussion on how certain ingredients need to be paired with others.  On their own, they are gross, but with their food buddy,  they actually taste good.  I pointed out how I use the very same type of chocolate when I make daddy's favorite Christmas cookies. That logic did the trick, because she loves those cookies too!

Once the chili was prepared, I had her test a small spoonful.  What do you know?  It was really good!

We ate ours poured over a plate full of beer fries.  

The changes I made to the recipe, plus eating them in the style of chili cheese fries, has really made this recipe stretch!  The leftover chili freezes and reheats like a dream for those nights when I just don't feel like cooking.


Chipotle chocolate chili adapted from Our Best Bites
1 lb. lean ground turkey

3 medium sized onions, chopped

1/2 roasted red pepper, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes (I had a mess of roma and cherry tomatoes from the garden. I eyeballed what I thought 2 cans would be.  I chopped the big ones up and mashed the small ones with a potato masher.)

1 c cooked kidney beans

2 c cooked black beans

1 c cooked quinoa

about 5 c turkey stock

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

one diced chipotle from a can

1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (1/2 unsweetened baking cube), chopped (optional; use to taste as needed; be careful, because too much will make your chili bitter)

3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey until meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, tomatoes, beans, quinoa, chipotle and broth. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until thickened as desired (about 30-40 minutes).  (If you are using cherry tomatoes like I did, after 5-10 min of heat, smoosh the tomatoes with a potato masher.) Add 3 T red wine vinegar and a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time until desired richness is reached. If necessary, add more red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness of the chili. (I thought 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate and 3 T vinegar were perfect.)