Friday night. Elsa is sleeping. Finally time to write that post we prepared earlier this week. I’ve been looking forward to share this recipe, as I am pretty certain that many of you will like it. This bean chili (or chili sin carne, as David calls it) is not only warm, comforting and spicy. It also has the most wonderful flavor from dark chocolate, coffee, red wine and crunchy walnuts. I seriously can’t think of a more perfect recipe to embrace autumn with.
I am dedicating this recipe to my brand new bike. Or to be more exact, to my brand new bike that got stolen three days ago. Aaaargh!!! I got to play with you for exactly 28 days. Thanks a lot.
And while I am on that subject. Let me tell you a short story about something stupid (but actually quite funny, a few days later): Remember that we were going to attend a wedding in Copenhagen. We had bought a really nice juice machine as a wedding gift. Elsa and I travelled ahead, so David was supposed to bring it with him when he flew down from Stockholm. He is a pretty distracted guy, so I emailed, called and texted him to make sure he wouldn’t forget it. As he arrived in Denmark he had actually remembered it! We met up at this restaurant (which was good, btw), and – my oh my – he also remembered to bring it with him as we left from there. When we arrived at the apartment he still carried the juice machine with him. I was wildly impressed by how he had been carrying a rather big and heavy juice machine with him that whole day. At the day of the wedding I asked him where he had put the wedding gift. He looked at me. Then looked around the apartment. Then looked at me again. “Damn, I left it on the street outside our door” …
Bean Chili with Walnuts & Chocolate
Serves 6-8
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ghee or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh chili, minced (more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bell pepper, red & yellow, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
2 large stalks of celery with top greens, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup (150 g) raw walnuts, very finely chopped
5 cups (800 g) cooked mixed beans (adzuki, kidney, black eye, borlotti)
2 x 400 g cans whole plum tomatoes
1 cup (240 ml) water
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup coffee (optional)
2 ounces (60 g) 80% dark chocolate, broken in pieces
For serving
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (120 ml) plain yogurt
1 lime, quartered
4 corn tortillas, toasted
Start by preparing all vegetables. Heat oil in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, cumin, chili, paprika and oregano, and let fry for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spices smells fragrant. Be careful so they don’t burn. Add bell pepper, carrot, parsnip and celery, let cook for another couple of minutes. Add walnuts, beans, tomatoes, water and salt and let cook for 30 minutes more. Now add red wine, coffee and chocolate, stir around carefully and let cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, lime and toasted corn tortilla.
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69 Comments
Hello, this recipe looks absolutely gorgeous.
Just wondering, do you use canned beans or do you cook them and then measure them (weigh them) out??
Thanks :)
Wow, this chili looks amazing! Last time i had chocolate chili was when I went wine tasting and they had it as a sample, it was amazing! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Sounds lovely! Can’t do coffee or saute in oil.. so will try this slightly modified to fit my diet. May I share?
OMG that would so happen to me. Well, my husband. He’s definitely the distracted on this fam- WHOA THAT LOOKS SO GOOD!
This looks so good! I was reading the recipe through and do you mean to use red wine or red wine vinegar? I’d like to make this over the weekend!
Thanks for your help!
Hi Kathi, we mean red wine. Enjoy the recipe!
/Luise
But did they end up getting the gift…?!
The flavors in this sounds fantastic. What a lovely way to welcome fall!
Nope, someone had stolen it. We got to tell our friends about how I forgot their present outside though. And we are sending a new gift straight to their home this time.
/David
Looks amazing!!!
Cant wait to taste it :)
By coffee you mean filtered?
Great blog, well done!
Hi Van, yes we mean filtered coffee. You could also use a shot of espresso and some extra water.
/David
Oh I’m so terribly sorry to hear that your new bike was stolen. I hate to hear stuff like that. This recipe looks wonderful – I’m looking forward to trying it soon!
so perfect! It’s 98′ here this weekend but I will welcome this soup when it cools down!
now see i don’t like beans but if served with walnut and chocolate I might just eat the whole bowl!
Wow, this looks so amazing! And since I have all the ingredients at home I’m definitely making this this weekend. Its gotten cooler and this would be perfect.
Walnut in chili sound like such a great idea. I wonder what they would taste like in larger pieces, if they softened up a bit. Thanks for the great recipe and beautiful pictures to accompany.
This is absolutely lovely sounding! So unique too!
Sorry to hear about the bike and the long-lost juice machine… the chili looks amazing though!
Sounds so tasty!! I’ll try it soon
Lovely recipe – perfect for cold autumn days!
I also love your jumper :) its do beautiful!
This chili looks wonderful! And the addition of chocolate is an added bonus.
Sorry about the bike! and sorry about the gift, though… it does make for a nice story to talk over a mug of this delicious meat free chili… which I am really looking forward making myself!
Oh, I love chili in the fall/winter! Right up there with hearty stews. Sorry to hear about your bike, what a bummer. You should get a new one :)
Hi Elsa, Luise and David!
I was wondering how much chocolate you used for the recipe – I certainly don’t have A CLUE about the amount. :-)
<I would really appreciate an answer!
Regards
Dagmar, Denmark
Hi Dagmar!
The recipe calls for 70 g. Most dark chocolate bars are 100 g, we used about 3/4 of a bar. We chose an 80% dark chocolate, but use what you prefer.
Happy cooking!
/Luise
Poor David. That sounds like something I would do. I’m a meat lover, and can’t imagine chili without meat- but your pot of chili looks amazing and I will have to give it a go!
Oh my Lord..this looks sinfully amazing! I am always looking for healthy energy packed recipes, as well as meals that will satisfy the carnivore that I am married to and our carno-veggie kids. :) This will be a hit. Thanks for sharing this idea.
I also blog about recipes and the healthy vegetarian lifestyles at http://thelivelyvegetarian.blogspot.com/ if you are interested.
Thanks again!
This sounds perfect. I love the richness of the chocolate and the addition of the walnuts too.
I don’t think I’ve ever bean more excited to try one of your recipes!!! And i have pretty much all the ingredients in, fate! Soo sorry about your bike, how rubbish! xx
Thank you for this amazing tasting chili. I was looking for a recipe to share with friends (one who is vegetarian) and this one appeared with perfect timing. I modified it a bit using hazelnuts, fresh tomatoes, and Ghirardelli 86% chocolate (45g instead of 70g). Compliment it with a glass of Zinfandel and freshly made cornbread and it’s an awesome dinner!
I would never have thought of that combination, it looks amazing and I cannot wait to try it out! Thanks xx
themusingsofateenagemind.blogspot.co.uk/
Wow! This seems like an incredible recipe. Perfect for the colder getting days. I’m so sorry for your loss, Luise. I know how it is to loose a bike pal… :( And the thing with the juicer… Dammit. But kind of funny nevertheless. Will come back and tell you how I liked the chili!
I’ve never tried chocolate chili, but now I can’t resist! And I’ve been exploring exotic beans all week so it must be fate. Many thanks for sharing the recipe!
Dear you guys:
thank you so much for this recipe, and for everything! Your food and thoughts are so lovely, and I laughed loudly about the “chili sin carne” – perhaps, I embarrassed myself a little.
Visiting your site makes me so happy and inspired. Whenever I feel bored with my cooking I see what you all are up to, and you never disappoint. Much love!
Chocolate makes a chili sooo much more flavourful! I always add some good dark cacao powder to my chili, plus a good measure of red wine.. oh gosh! i havent tried adding walnuts though, sounds really interesting and will try next time!
This looks yummy and easy. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this recipe. I made it yesterday, it’s wonderful! The walnuts give it a lovely texture, and the chocolate makes it really dark and autumny. I had it with guacamole, very nice!
Thanks again!
It must be due to the weather in Sweden or something but I’ve been in the mood for chili all week. I love having both chocolate and espresso in mine but have never tried it with walnuts as well. Sounds divine!
I love the food at BioMio and it has become my favorite place to grab a bit in Copenhagen. :)
Läste om er blogg i Elle mat och vin men hittade inte hit förens nu! Så fin och fräsch! Jag kommer garanterat att titta in här för inspiration!
This looks amazing, was wondering if this freezes well? Also do you think I could follow the same instructions with a crock pot?
Thanks!!
Hi Kelsey!
Thanks, yes it freezes very well. You can easily use a crock pot and follow the same instructions.
Happy cooking!
Luise
looks truly delicious and just as nice in those lovely days of spring we are having at the moment on the other side of the world in Aotearoa. Been thinking I need to do a chilli recipe to use up the capsicums in the chest freezer before we start collecting them again.
Good luck with your cookery book:-)!
I have a pot of your chili on the stove as we speak and it smells amazing! Can’t wait to tuck into it later on for dinner. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. :)
Just made it! It’s got so much flavour!! Love it!! It is creamy and heavy though – so just know what you bargain for – perfect winter meal (and so easy to make too)!!
Made this on Thursday. What a unique idea to pair typical chili ingredients with wine, chocolate, coffee, and walnuts. It was like dessert, dinner, and drink all in one dish! The chili had a fabulously rich flavor. Oh, and it made lots too (8 servings for me instead of the 4-6 suggested).
Love the addition of chocolate in this, must try it!
Thank you so much for the inspiration! I tried a chili with espresso and chocolate just yesterday. Tasted really awesome – a great combination of flavors.
I’m going to Sweden tomorrow for the weekend, and we’re planning on making this – it looks so delicious, and perfect for an autumn weekend in Sweden! :D
Wow. This looks incredible! And so entirely perfect for the fall!
So sorry to hear about the bikes!
Love this! I’m making it tonight! Though we don’t drink alcohol or coffee. What would be good substitutions for those?
Thanks so much!
I cooked this Chili a few weeks ago and loved it! The red wine and chocolate add a great depht to the dish. Thank you for sharing!
Laura
Made this last night and the chocolate was a bit overpowering- would recommend decreasing the chocolate by at least half, or maybe omitting it altogether. prior to adding the chocolate it was so beautiful in the pot!
I love chilli! Especially on a cold day. I’ve never had it with walnuts or chocolate so I will have to give this a go. :)
thank you for sharing. Sounds amazing. I wondered if you know how much 150g and 800g is in cup form? Thank you :)
Made this a second time and can’t get enough. Hosted a couple girlfriends from Denver and they both said it was the best chili they’ve eaten. Me too! Thank you GKS!
Hello!
First, I just came across your website (through a link on http://www.mylifelovefood.com/), and I LOVE IT. It’s so beautiful, and as a fellow no-sugar-eating, whole-grain-loving vegetarian, it’s *exactly* the kind of thing I get excited about.
Quick question about this recipe – at what point do you add the vinegar? Is it with the tomatoes and water, or later, with the wine?
Thank you!
Kai
Thanks a lot for this recipe.
I bought beans yesterday and wanted to make a chili sin carne. Now I stumbled upon your creation and I think it will inspire me to create something unique! :-)
Thank you for your inspiration and your blog.
oh my! What happened to the wedding gift!
Nice chili too, will try that one.
Sounds and looks amazing! I’m having a hard time figuring out about how many cups the 800g of cooked beans are, do you about how many cups that would be?
Thank you so much!! Many blessings :).
Hi Caitlyn, thanks for your comment, 800g cooked beans is around 5 cups.
Happy cooking
/Luise
Thank you so much! Greatly appreciate it. Looking forward to trying this out.
May you have an amazing day :).
Just want to make sure i read it right- it only takes a cup of water?
Thanks. Looks yummy :)
Hi C, yes that is right. Only 1 cup water. But coffee, wine and tomatoes also adds liquid to it.
Hope you like it!
/David
Dear David, Luise and Elsa,
I made this soup for a vegan coop meal and it was a big hit. the depth of flavors is phenomenal and the leftovers were even better the next day. I’m curious though, do you ever make corn bread to go with your chili? I know it’s not as much of a thing in most of Europe, but if you all do make it I would love to know your recipe. Thank you so much for the endless culinary inspiration that is your website.
All the best,
Flynn
Hi, this recipe looks lovely!
Having a partner who is vegetarian this will go down well i’m sure. Do you know if it would be ok stored in portions and frozen if not eaten all at once?
Many thanks
Dave
This looks amazing! But-I’m not the biggest fan of nuts, but I’m vegetarian. Do you think this meal contains enough protein without the nuts? Or maybe it would be good with some pine nuts?
Yes, you could definitely try it without nuts. I would perhaps add some sunflower seeds instead. They would add a similar crunch to the texture as the walnuts.
/David
My tummy couldn’t be happier! My bubba and I enjoyed this to the max exactly how you suggested; cilantro, yogurt and tortillas! We also enjoyed an extra glass of red on the side :) I’m forever grateful for your amazing recipes and beautiful family stories <3
I like the way you use chocolate and walnuts! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!