Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Last night I decided to make one of my favorite winter recipes: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili. Something about this recipes just works. The ingredients just melt together in a big ole pot of goodness. Yesterday was so gross and dreary here, so last night about 8:00 I made the decision to fire up the slow cooker. This is a slightly different version than one I've used before.

This recipe can be made in the Dutch Oven or a slow cooker. Just hold off on the lime juice and cilantro and add that at the end. 

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo. So this lovely image is from http://thegreenbite.wordpress.com/. 

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_black_bean_chili.html
From EatingWell:  January/February 2011 Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.
4 servings, about 2 cups each | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring 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, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Nutrition

Per serving : 307 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 51 g Carbohydrates; 12 g Protein; 14 g Fiber; 494 mg Sodium; 947 mg Potassium

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

• Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com. *My note: If you don't have chipolte chili pepper, GET SOME. I put it on everything!