This stuff takes a while to make so plan ahead for the next day''''s dinner.

Rinse the beans then cover them with warm water and put aside for 24 hours to soak.

The next day, drain the beans and rinse one more time. Then put them in a large pot, dutch oven, or crockpot. Add about 5 cups of broth, then add the garlic, onion, pepper, and oregano. If you''''re using powdered spices add the cumin and cloves as well. Otherwise, toast the cumin seeds and a couple of whole cloves in a hot pan they they are fragrant. Then grind them up with a mortar & pestle or one of those fancy spice grinders. Add the fresh ground spices into the pot.

Let the pot simmer on a back burner for five hours or so. Test the beans and give the pot a stir every now-n-then and add a bit more broth if need be. You want the beans to be very tender.

Stir in the 1/2 jalapeno that you diced. Drop in the shredded chicken but reserve a few shreds to garnish with. Dump in the rest of the broth and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then test the flavor and adjust the salt, spices, and jalapeno to suit your mood. Another 30 - 45 minutes simmering and you''''re ready to go.

Serve this in a bowl garnished with your choice of garnishes. I prefer the sour cream and cilantro while others put cheese and chips on theirs.

This recipe was inspired by a dish by Chef John Hemmer who is a great cook, even though he is a Yankee.

Each (1 1/2 cup) serving (counting all garnishes) contains an estimated:

Cals: 363, FatCals: 94, Total Fat: 11g

SatFat: 3g, PolyFat: 1g, MonoFat: 5g

Chol: 57mg, Na: 446mg, K: 978mg

TotCarbs: 35g, Fiber: 10g, Sugars: 2g

NetCarbs: 25g, Protein: 32g