I found this recipe online years ago. The original recipe is tainted with ground pork and turkey. Other than those 2 toxins, the rest of the ingredients are hearty, healthy and tasty. With a little substitution, this is a winning chili. Hope you enjoy!

For the Faux Sausage: (Use some faux ground sausage, crumbled, about 16 ounces)

1 1/2 T Hungarian sweet paprika
2 T minced garlic
3 T dry red wine
2 T sherry vinegar
2 tsps ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of sea salt

The Chili:

2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium size )
1 T ground cumin
1 T finely minced garlic
2 tsps dried oregano
3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (make sure seeds are removed)
4 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 cups fat free vegetable broth, divided
3 cups water
2 (14.5 oz.) cans no salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup very finely chopped cilntro, divided
low-fat non-dairy sour cream (optional)
sliced green onions (optional)

To prepare the 'faux' sausage, combine the first 10 ingredients with the crumbled faux sausage. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

To prepare the chili: Heat a non-stick saucepan on medium heat. Add the chilled sausage mixture and cook for 7 minutes or until browned, stirring constantly to crumble and prevent burning. Add the onion, 1 T garlic, 2 tsps oregano, and the chilies; cook for 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Spritz some water in the pan if ingredients start to stick.

Place 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup of broth in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the pureed beans, the remaining beans, remaining 2 cups broth, water, and tomatoes to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

You can serve topped with the non-dairy sour cream and green onions, IF desired.

This recipe yields approximately 6 servings.