I actually Googled “sweet potato black bean chili, Not Strictly Spiritual” this morning to find this recipe I had posted here months ago. It was easier than searching for it in the piles of cookbooks in my kitchen. This is what’s on the menu tonight at the Poust House. It’s de-lish! Give it a try, if you didn’t do it the first time around.
Ingredients
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp EVOO
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle chili
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion; cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften (about four minutes). Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to simmer until slightly reduced, about five minutes. (I lowered the heat at this point and left it on a low simmer for a little bit longer so the flavors could marry.) Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serves four.
Cook’s note: I didn’t have chipotle powder the day I made this. I just threw in a few dashes of hot sauce and it was fine. Also, I like to top this with a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and a little diced avocado. Another option is to serve it over yellow rice, which is a favorite at our house. Click HERE for a yellow rice recipe by Mark Bittman. His calls for saffron threads. I didn’t have any, so I substituted turmeric (and made a few other personalizations) and it came out great.
