Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Okay, so we all know how great sweet potatoes are for you...but do you really? These little root veggie suckers are amazingly good for you. So, I urge you to put them into anything you can! I use them in everything from pancakes to pasta. You can dice, puree, julienne, steam, bake, microwave...the list goes on and on! They are highly nutritious - in fact, a medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium. So, eat up!

Here is a recipe for my Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili. This is one of my husband’s FAVORITE meals. It is super easy, low fat, packed full of goodness, vegan and is great served over quinoa pasta, brown rice, in a large portobello mushroom or just alone in a bowl! If it’s one of my meat loving husband’s favorites, it has to be good!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Add an itty bitty amount of olive oil into the bottom of a chili pot - add sweet potatoes, salt & garlic - let the potatoes brown up a bit & then add green pepper& onion. Once sautéed, add all above ingredients & stir.

3) Large sweet potatoes (cubed small)
(1) tablespoon minced garlic
(1) small sweet onion (diced) or (1) cup frozen diced onion
(1) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
(2) cans diced tomatoes (any kind)
(1) cup (or more) or veggie broth
(1) can diced green chilies

Then add seasonings (you can add more of less of any of these):

(2) tablespoon cinnamon
(2) tablespoon cumin
(1.5) tablespoon Coriander
(1.5) tablespoon chili powder
(1) tablespoons garlic powder

(4-5) bay leaves (remove before serving)
Salt & pepper

Stir everything together, cover and let simmer for about a 1 hour or until potatoes are soft. You can top with cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, crackers, etc...Or alone if you want it vegan!