I have a love hate relationship with moving. I love the fact that moving causes me to organize my life, get rid of clutter, and thoroughly clean everything. But that's the small part. The larger reality is that I have been living in a tiny studio crammed with boxes of stuff that just doesn't have a place in our new space. To add to the craziness, it's taken much longer than expected to unpack my kitchen and actually feel like it's ready to be cooked in. Monday night however, I finally cooked a proper meal for Jason and myself. Poor guy has been eating out three meals a day!
photo by Leah Bergman for Freutcake
I thought we could use something homey and light so I made a pot of Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili with a big salad on the side. This chili is healthy, fresh, spicy and incredibly delicious when topped with avocado and sour cream. It feels good to start getting back into the rhythm of things! Next up...baking.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili- adapted from Eating Well
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
½ large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
¼-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (spice to taste)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make this vegetarian)
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 4-ounce can green chilies
juice of one lime½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
garnish
fat-free sour cream
sliced avocado
Directions:
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, cayenne and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add stock 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.
3. Top with a dollop of fat-free sour cream and a sliced avocado.
kelsey says
i feel your pain about moving! ugh but also good for decluttering.
kw ladies in navy
aimee stgermain says
Love the idea of garnishing chile with sliced avocado!
Kelsey @ K&K Test Kitchen says
Yum, this sounds delicious!! Love the combo of sweet potatoes and black beans. I make a similar chili, but it has chipotle for a smoky, sweet taste. Glad your kitchen is ready for you to use it!
Christine says
Yay! I'm so happy you posted this after drooling over it on instagram. It seems like a great "summer chili" if you know what I mean. I am definitely adding this too my must-make list, thank you!
Christmaskitty says
One of my favorite things to make is black bean soup, but this looks so much more interesting! I love the idea of combining black beans and sweet potatoes. It looks delicious!
Chelsea says
Chili sounds so perfect for today! Thanks for sharing Leah.
xoxo,
Chelsea & The City
MaryAnne says
That looks delicious!
COMMODORE says
YUM
Nic@diningwithastud says
I'm making this for dinner 🙂 I couldnt wait til the weekend haha