Vegetarian Recipe: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

This blog originally started as a place for me to post recipes for homemade, from scratch food.  I especially wanted to focus on things that most people probably buy at the store, like bread, yogurt and granola.  Well, along the way, I got sidetracked by homemade body products, but today, I go back to my roots. 

Today's meal plan calls for chili.  Initially, I was going to say forget it because I forget to take meat out of the freezer, but I had some sweet potatoes that needed to be used up, so I figured I'd find a vegetarian chili recipe.  And that's what I found here.  But I felt like the recipe needed more than one potato, and I'm almost pathologically incapable of following a recipe as it's written, so I made some changes.  I do recommend hopping over to that page because it has beautiful pictures of the recipe...something this post will not have.

Also, when you are prepping food with children, always plan for it to take double the amount of time it should...here's a rough timeline of getting dinner ready this morning.

8 am: Put the baby in the high chair while I chop onions and garlic.
8:15: Take the baby out of the chair because he's bored, return to chopping vegetables.
8:30: Get the older child a snack; get the baby the same snack as he is the world's hungriest baby.
8:31: Start to put the baby in his chair to eat said snack, realize he has a poopy diaper.
8:35: Change the baby's diaper, wash hands, return to chopping veggies.
8:40: Pull a chair over to the counter because older child must see what you're doing at all times.
8:44: Pick up the baby and comfort him after he falls over.
8:46: Rinse beans one-handed while holding baby.
8:50: Put baby back in chair since he's recovered from his fall (which, by the way, wasn't that bad of a fall; he's weathered worse).
8:55: Let older child help you stir completed chili...cover and walk away.

Why can't I drink at 9 am?

Anyway, here is the recipe.  I hope it's as tasty as it sounds, I'll update with a verdict after the hubs eats dinner.  I like that the recipe calls for cocoa and cinnamon because they will add a nice depth of flavor, something that meatless chili may lack.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 small celery stalks, chopped
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ground sea salt and black pepper
• about 28-ounces canned diced tomatoes, including the liquid
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• about 2 cups OR one 14 oz. can chicken or vegetable broth
• Garnishes: sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, guacamole, shredded cheddar cheese

If you like heat in your chili, you can add more cumin or throw in a teaspoon or two of cayenne pepper or hot sauce.  Hubby and I don't do spicy, so the cumin is enough for us.

 

The original recipe called for sautéing the onions and other veggies on the stovetop, getting everything nice and brown and yummy.  If you have time and want it to cook it that way, go for it.  Throw some olive oil in a pan, cook the onion until translucent, add the rest of the veggies, including the garlic, let everything soften slightly and turn slightly brown.  Then add the canned goods, broth and spices.  Let everything simmer together for about an hour.

 

I have to work today and probably won't even be home for dinner, so I literally threw everything into the crockpot, stirred it up, turned it on low and ran out the door.