Healthy Black Bean and Lentil Chili - Gourmet Done Skinny

Ingredients

• 2 cups lentils, rinsed and sorted - brown or green lentils work well
• 1 large onion - red or yellow finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups vegetable broth (you can also use chicken)
• 2 cups dry black beans (you can also use 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained)
• 2 large peppers, red or yellow, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce or Marinara sauce or homemade sauce
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 12 oz beer (I like using a dark beer such as a Porter)
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• .25 tsp homemade Chipotle Seasoning (optional)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1.5 tsp Kosher salt
• 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• light sour cream
• shredded reduced fat or regular cheddar cheese
• avocado, chopped
• green onions, finely chopped
• crumbled bacon (if not serving vegan or vegetarian)