Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

I made this on the occasion of a vegetarian guest. All diners, vegetarian or not seemed to really enjoy it. The fresh mushroom turned completely black in the presence of the black beans which was a little strange, but the flavor had a nice depth to it, and I loved the freshness the last minute addition of tomatoes added. I had previously tried to make a vegetarian black bean chili by leaving out the ham hock and adding liquid smoke. Needless to say, it wasn’t very good. We served the leftovers as a bean dip with melted cheddar and lots of fresh salsa on top and that was also very popular.