Mexican Beans with Chorizo & Greens

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a month, and I've been wanting to make it since I randomly bought chorizo at the grocery store. For some odd reason, I bought chorizo for a recipe, and lost the recipe that I was supposed to use it for. Oh well, luckily this came up from in my google reader from Erin at Dinner and Dessert and I have been enjoying it all week for lunch. It's a nice change up on the recent soups that I have made, and I wanted to experiment and try a Rick Bayless recipe, too. It's hearty and thick soup, full of strong flavors, and rainbow chard was a new vegetable for me and everything complimented each other fairly well. I liked the simplicity of this dish because it's an easy weeknight dish to prepare.

Mexican Beans with Chorizo and Greens
Adapted from Dinner and Dessert
Source: Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Ingredients:
8 to 12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed
10 ounces cleaned young spinach (about 10 cups) OR one 12-ounce bunch Swiss chard, thick lower stems cut off, leaves sliced crosswise into ½ inch strips (about 8 cups) (I used the Rainbow chard)
Two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Salt
½ cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese such as feta or goat cheese **I used goat cheese**
½ cup chopped green onions, for garnish
Preparation:
1. In a medium-large heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven), cook the chorizo over medium heat, stirring regularly and breaking up clumps, until lightly browned and thoroughly done, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. While the chorizo is cooking, place the Swiss chard in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the top and microwave on high until completely wilted, usually about 2 minutes for spinach, 3 minutes or so for Swiss chard. Uncover the bowl and set aside.
3. When the chorizo is ready, add the beans, chopped chipotles, and 1 ½ cups water. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste and season with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon, depending on the saltiness of the chorizo and beans. Add the wilted greens and let the mixture return to a boil.
4. Ladle into bowls and serve, passing the cheese and onion for each person to add.

Review: Muy caliente!!! I'm a hardball on spice, and should have realized how spicy the chiptole chiles are but the soup is fantastic. The consistency is pretty thick so I was able to make black bean and cheese burritos, which made for another great lunch.