My Corn-and-Bean Chili

I like to keep things simple - and my cooking is no exception. Here's how I made my chili 10 minutes ago.

• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 20 oz. cans of red kidney beans, drained
• 1 lb corn, cooked
• 2 squares of dark chocolate
• salt to taste

Heat the oil. Add onions, green pepper, garlic paste, cumin and oregano. Saute until soft. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beans, corn, chocolate and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. That's it!

The dark chocolate has been my secret ingredient! I tried it once and it added so much flavor. It tasted like the wonderful mole sauce in Mexican cuisine, not surprising because mole is based on chocolate.

You may have noticed that there are no chili or jalapeno peppers in this recipe. That's because my kids can't stand the heat! So this is what they eat and I add sambal olek to mine to add a kick.