Celebrate the Warmth! {Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili}

The winter months can bring such a chill to the air, 

but cooking in the kitchen can always add warmth to a soul.

I am enjoying the beautiful landscapes that surround us on every side in our new home in north Idaho. I am also enjoying being able to make "warm" recipes that would have had everyone roasting in Houston, Texas. I am celebrating the warmth with a new recipe I found on the Williams Sonoma "what's in season now" website.

My husband makes a pretty mean chili, but a different spin on chili sounded interested. the sweet potatoes are in season, and the garnishes sounded fresh-tasting. Plus, this recipe looked surprisingly easy to make.

Indeed it was both easy to make, interesting, and delicious! I did make a few changes from the original recipe, so be sure to read both if you are interested in making this chili for yourself.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Yield

The recipe I am providing yielded two dinners and three lunches- 5 meals total.

Ingredients

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 small to medium sized cloves of garlic, minced

- cumin

- paprika

- chili powder

- turmeric

- salt and pepper

- 2 cups black beans (w/o their juice)

- 1 medium sized sweet potato, diced

- 1 can diced tomatoes (Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles are fine)

- 3 to 4 cups vegetable juice/stock

- Monterey jack cheese, shredded

- cilantro, w/o stems

- avocado, sliced

Order

1. Dice onions finely and saute diced onions in oil. (I used coconut oil.)

2. Mince garlic. Add minced garlic and spices to the onions. cook for 1 minute. (I have heard that letting the spices cook dry at the beginning of a recipe enhances their flavors.)

3. Add one can of diced tomatoes, three cups of vegetable juice, and two cups of drained black beans to pot and cook over medium heat. (I used two cups of dried beans- soaked, cooked, rinsed, and drained. You can also use canned black beans.) 

4. Dice one sweet potato into bite size chunks and add to the chili. Cook over medium-low heat until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, "taste check" and "texture check" your chili. Add more of any of the spices to better suit your taste. If the chili is too thick for your taste, add another cup of vegetable juice.

6. Serve with shredded Monterey jack cheese, cilantro, and sliced avocado. You can also serve with plain yogurt or sour cream. 

Enjoy!

If you try this black bean and sweet potato chili recipe, I sincerely hope it works well for you and that you find it as delicious as we!

God bless you and keep you,

~Raquel