Thursday, September 24, 2009
This week has just zipped by. I guess that’s what happens when you have off for the majority of it!
Tonight I FINALLY got to make this recipe that I had planned for quite a while. It’s from one of my cookbooks, Good Housekeeping Vegetarian Meals. I altered it only slightly. This is a keeper.
Good news! I have a new kitchen companion 🙂
Izzy loves to be with you all the time. So when I was in the kitchen cooking, she plopped down next to the oven and stayed the whole time.
Cuteness!


Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (I did not have on hand…substituted with 1 teaspoon garlic salt)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 jar (16 ounces) mild salsa (I used Nature’s Promise, organic, mild)
1 cup water (I used three cups)
2 cans (15 ounces) black beans with their liquid* (I did not use the liquid–I rinsed the beans well)
1/2 cup sour cream (not used because no cilantro)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (sadly did not have on hand)
To make:
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic (or garlic salt). Cook, stirring occasionally until soft (approximately 5 minutes).
Stir in sweet potatoes, chili powder, salsa, and water. Heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork-tender (approximately 15 minutes).



Add beans and cook another 20 minutes.


In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and cilantro to combine. Serve chili with cilantro sour cream.
*I don’t like using the liquid from the canned beans. I ALWAYS rinse them. So to make up for that, I added extra water. I added a lot more water–2 additional cups!–because I like chili to sit on the stove and reduce down to have a stronger flavor. Worked like a charm!
BTW–I would have LOVED the cilantro sour cream but had none on hand. Will definitely try this when I have it. Instead, we served ours with a side of bread (Kimm)/toast (me).

I LOVED this meal and know that I will be making it very often. It was so easy too which I absolutely loved. I’ve never really eaten sweet potatoes, so I’m glad I’m incorporating another different vegetable into my diet.
For dessert I whipped something up as well. I took four small Jonamac apples that were past their eating fresh prime and made caramel apple sauce. I put it in the fridge to cool down while we ate dinner. Then placed a small amount of yogurt (maybe 1/4 cup) in a bowl, half the caramel apple sauce, and 1/4 cup of some homemade granola. Mixed it all up–holy yum!

Lunch was good too…two slices of multi grain toast with roasted red pepper hummus, cottage cheese, 1/2 a black plum, and 1/2 a kiwi.
Of course, coffee for breakfast. Great as usual. I have a new cream I got that was on sale…Caramel Vanilla Brownie–divine.
We are gobbling up Gossip Girl. Almost through the two discs we got yesterday. I saw online today that there are two seasons on DVD and the 3rd season just started. I hope this show goes for quite a while. It’s addicting.
It will be a quiet night. Bed early so the day will start earlier tomorrow.