Black Bean-Pineapple Soup Stew Chili

I seem to have a thing for pineapple and black beans.  It just sounds so good AND tastes so good together.  Recently I discovered a new recipe from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ and I absolutely had to try it.  It was delicious!  For those of you who think pineapple would be weird in a bean soup - you can't really taste it - the pineapple just adds a nice sweetness.  My kids didn't even notice it.  It is a fun way to make chili, soup or stew - you chose!  Mine turned out like chili and was very good.  Be brave and give it a try, you won't be sorry!  More recipes with black beans and pineapple to come in the future!

Black Bean Pineapple Soup Stew Chili

Cooking time (duration): 40 

Number of servings (yield): 6

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely diced

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

2 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon cubes)

1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder (or other pure, mild chili powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or to taste)

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (optional)

generous grating black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 pound yellow squash or zucchini

1 cup crushed pineapple and juice

Instructions

Heat a non-stick pot and spray with cooking spray if desired. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden and beginning to brown (a pinch of baking soda will speed up this process). Add the bell pepper and jalapeno and cook until softened, about two minutes. Add the garlic, stir briefly, and then add tomatoes, beans, broth, and seasonings (but not squash or pineapple). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, trim the squash and cut into small cubes.

Add the squash and pineapple, increase the heat a little, and cover. Simmer until squash is just tender. Check seasonings, adding more to taste, and serve.

Add more broth to make this stew more like soup and less to make it more like chili. Or, use even less to make a thick filling for tacos or a dip for tortilla chips