Meatless Mondays: Sweet Potato Chili

So what does one do when they have an abundance of sweet potatoes, and they are trying their best to not make a sweet potato pie? Type “sweet potato recipes” into Google and see what comes up!

I love sweet potatoes! I used to not like them as a kid because while they looked like a potato, back then there was nothing sweet to me about them. As an adult, I can not only appreciate their natural sweetness, but can also appreciate that have more fiber and calcium than a standard white potato.

So when I saw the bag of sweet potatoes on sale at Aldi, I had to buy them. I think I used the first two for sweet potato fries (I'd been craving some after messing up a batch while doing this to my finger. Long story). But after that, I didn’t really know what else to do. My inner Fat Girl screamed “Pie! Pie! Pie!” but until I find a healthy version, that just won’t do right now.

Fortunately, I found some real gems in my Google search—a salad (well, what stated out as a salad, anyway), a soup, even a breakfast dish and a chili recipe!

I ended up making the chili recipe, but as usual, putting my own spin on it. I very rarely create a recipe from start to finish as the recipe is listed (except when baking). So why did I end up making the chili first?

Well...see...what had happened was...



My Road Dawg and I had just finished a great Saturday morning workout. We'd had a super healthy breakfast of egg white omelets (hers with spinach and Swiss cheese; mine a western omelet with a little cheddar sprinkled in for good measure). We were basically just hanging out, and I knew we needed something for lunch that would be relatively quick and keep us eating well. The sweet potatoes on the counter called my name, and I thought, might as well give it a try.

The recipe is adapted from a recipe from EatingWell.com. My changes: I decided to add a can of light red kidney beans to the batch, instead of  2 cans of black beans (mostly because I only had one of each on hand). I also substituted smoked paprika for the ground chipotle peppers because I didn't have ground chilies on hand and was hesitant to open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and add some of the liquid for fear of it being TOO spicy for my lunch companion (I will be trying it in the future though--I like it spicy!) The smoked paprika was recommended by a commenter on the Eating Well website, and I'm glad that I decided to try it out. Lastly, I used chicken stock instead of water, in hopes of adding more flavor than just plain water, but I'm sure you could use vegetable stock, and of course if all else fails, good ol' H2O.


Sweet Potato Chili

Serves 4, about 2 cups per serving  | Print Recipe

A hearty & healthy dish perfect for the fall! Serve this delicious chili over brown rice
or your other favorite whole grain.  Like any good chili, this tastes even better the next day.

The Makings of My Sweet Potato Chilli


Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 15-once can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

1 15-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

4 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a dutch over or other heavy bottom pot over a medium high heat. Add the onions to the warmed oil, and cook for about two minutes until they start to soften slightly.

Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and cook for another two to four minutes, stirring the potatoes and onions occasionally. Ad the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. Cook the mixture for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Once the pot is simmering, cover, reduce the heat to medium low (enough to keep a gentle simmer) and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium high and add the beans and diced tomatoes to the pot, bringing the chili back to a simmer, stirring often. Once simmering, add the lime juice, stir, and simmer until the mixture is reduced slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the cilantro.
Serve warm.