SHADAN'S WIMPY CHILI

sorry guys...i've been slacking on the food blog. it's been a crazy summer. so...this is called wimpy chili because, in case you don't know, i'm the biggest baby when it comes to spicy food so this is just about the most spice i can tolerate. you can add more chili powder than I did if you are brave ;p

6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. chili powder, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
10 roma tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
1 yellow onion, sliced crosswise
10 cloves garlic, halved
3 poblano chiles
1-24 oz. container vegetable broth
1-15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded

preheat oven to 450.

grease a baking sheet with 2 tbsp. olive oil. in a small bowl, combine the chili powder, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. place the tomatoes, seed side up, and onion on the prepared baking sheet. Push a garlic clove half into each tomato, making sure it's secure. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 c. olive oil over the vegetables and dust with the chili powder/salt/pepper mixture.

bake until onions begin to brown, about 25 minutes.

meanwhile, roast the poblanos until charred all over. (Since I don't have a gas grill to easily char them, I stuck my poblanos in a separate baking dish in the same oven with the roasted tomatoes and onions, making sure to turn them occasionally so they could char evenly). Transfer them to a bowl and cover for a few minutes with cling wrap. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel, stem, and discard all the seeds. chop the poblanos.

In a large pot, combine the roasted tomatoes, 2 roasted onion slices and the roasted garlic. Add the vegetable broth. using an immersion blender, puree the mixture to desired texture. Chop the remaining roasted onion and add to the pot. Stir in the poblanos, kidney beans, cumin, and remaining chili powder. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. stir in 2/3 of the cheese to melt.

Serve topped with the remaining cheese.