Oh, chili. I love it because I feel like I can throw any combo of beans, peppers, tomatoes and meat into a crock pot, call it chili and it gives that warm your soul-comfort your life, delicious feeling. (I’m sure there are some expert on Chili Texans who disagree with that statement.) I love it spicy and there is seriously nothing like it on a cold day in New England. Specifically, on a ski slope in New Hampshire in January…
Long ago (or so it seems) when Jeff and I were living in the apartment and just learning to cook we developed a recipe I call “ghetto chili.” It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and I plan on sharing it here soon. However, this Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili is a step above that because it simmers in the crock pot for hours, giving the flavors time to melt together and producing an extra spicy warming effect.
Sweet potatoes are in season this time of year which makes them easier to find and cheaper. I’ve found my love of sweet potatoes this past year and can’t argue with their vitamin A rich benefits. To me, this puts sweet potatoes a step above regular ones which I’ve never been a fan of. Black beans are a great source of non-meat protein. In fact, this recipe would work without the ground turkey but I had to add it for my little meat-lover.
And like all crock pot meals, all you do is prep the contents, dump it into the crock pot and walk away for a few hours. When you come back, you have a flavorful and hot dinner waiting for you. So Simple!
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
What you’ll need:
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2 medium sized onions
- 1 package of ground turkey (I used 93% fat free for the health aspect but you don’t have to use any at all)
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped up
- 1.5 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp extra light virgin olive oil
- 1 tsbp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
First, chop up the 2 onions. Put half of them straight into the crock pot and the other into a pan with the 2 tbsp extra light olive oil. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes and then add the ground turkey. Cook til the turkey is done and set to the side.
While the turkey is cooking, take this time to prep the rest of your ingredients.
Drain and rinse the black beans. I don’t know about you all but I cant stand the black bean juice from the can-I gotta get rid of it! Pour the clean black beans and tomatoes into the crock pot with the onions.
Chop and dice your sweet potatoes. I set out to use 3 for this recipe but realized these go a long way once diced and decided to stop at 2. If you were making this without the turkey I’d def use the 3 sweet potatoes.
Toss these into the crock.
Next add your cumin and chili powder. Then add the 1.5 cup of veggie stock. Set your crock pot to cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6.
Voila!
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