Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne
Adapted from: http://www.food.com/recipe/award-winning-chili-105865

Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground beef
3 cloves garlic
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 can tomatoes with jalapeno
450 g tomato sauce
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sea alt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp oregano
cocoa powder
1 can kidney beans, drain and rinse
1 can black beans, drain and rinse
1 cup water plus 1 cube Knorr beef bouillion

Toppings
Sour cream
cheddar cheese
green onion

Procedure:
Panfry onions, garlic and green peppers in dutch oven. Add ground beef. Add seasonings, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Add beans, cover and simmer 1-2 hours.

My notes:
At first glance, I thought that this recipe would be quite spicy because of the 2 tbsps of chili powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and the canned tomatoes with jalapeno. But my husband and I like spicy food and so I just poured in the whole gamut of spices from the original recipe. I didn't have a cocoa bar and so I added a handful of chocolate chips. After it simmered for an hour, I tasted the dish to correct the seasonings and I was amazed that it just had the right amount of kick. The spice was not overpowering and you don't need to drink buckets of water to enjoy this dish. On the contrary, a glass of wine and some crackers are perfect accompaniments to this dish.