Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

I love beans in every which form (but you already knew that), and I particularly adore dishes that are quick, fool-proof and contain half a jar of cumin, so this sweet potato and black bean chili fit the bill. It's very similar to my speedy (and dare I say delicious?) vegetarian black bean chili, but with the inspired addition of sweet potatoes. The end result looks as heavenly as it tastes.

We always keep a box of Trader Joe's cornbread mix in the pantry and Matt whipped that up while I started sauteing the onions and potato. All in all, dinner was on the table (or kitchen island, in our case) in 40 minutes...and that's only because we were waiting for the corn bread.

Notes: The recipe in its original form is below. I added a bit more onion, did not have the ground chipotle so added a small dash of smoked paprika and (of course) additional cumin and the juice of one whole lime. The recipe makes four servings, but we only have enough for one lunch leftover, and you bet your ass I claimed that!!


Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

courtesy of Eating Well magazine

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water 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.

Smashed chickpea sandwiches

Sometimes you just want a good sandwich. Fresh turkey, crisp romaine, hearty bread, and some mayo, if in the mood, is the closest thing to divinity. This week I wanted to add a vegetarian twist, and a recipe on Smitten Kitchen fit the bill. This food blog has the most gorgeous photos, and if you call if food porn, then call me addict.

These sandwiches are deliciously simple, and just plain delicious. The beans make them filling and they have a slight Medi flair. They call for olives - which I had on hand for half the mixture since Matt's a fan and I'm not - but he ate them when I wasn't looking. Go figure. He said he "didn't know they were for the recipe" but they were on the counter with all the other ingredients, so I think he's lying.

I topped my sandwich with some roasted red pepper, sliced cucumber for more crunch, and cheddar cheese (cheese makes everything better). Matt topped his with some gorgeous watercress (given to us from his parents from a hydroponic farm near their house...it still had the roots!) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar: equally amazing, light, and just plain fresh.

Smashed Chickpea Sandwiches

• 2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained
• 4 Tb. sliced black olives (we didn't use)
• 4 Tb. finely chopped red onion
• 4 Tb. chopped parsley
• Zest and juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• few Tb. of olive oil (more or less dependent on your personal preference)
  

Mix everything but the oil in a bowl and lightly smash the chickpeas. Add the olive oil, and mix and adjust seasonings. Enjoy as a sandwich or atop greens.

See that plastic container in the middle? That housed the olives, which Matt "didn't know belonged to the recipe". Lies, I tell you, lies!!

Pre-mash.

Post-mash.

Check if out open-faced style!

Lentil Soup

Doesn't lentil soup just feel healthy? Well, that's what I like to think, anyway. Last week, amidst my bean escapade, I made a vat of the stuff. It lasted for three days and became a short-lived joke ("What are you having for lunch?" "Lentil soup." "What are we having for dinner?" "Lentil soup." And so on and so forth.)

I meant to use Alton Brown's recipe, which has rave reviews online, but as I was adding the lentils I very ungracefully dumped two times the amount the recipe called for of those little suckers into the pot. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the other ingredients to simply double the recipe, and improvised. It's hard to mess up soup, and it's hard to mess up something so simple as lentil soup.

The soup was delish. My version, of course, had to oodles more cumin and a whole bunch of chopped cilantro - there is just no other way in my book and the soup took on an Indian undertone. In fact, we had it with roti. (For a girl with Crohn's, I have a very questionable affinity for all things Indian food.)

Below is Alton's recipe in its pure form. My notes follow in italics.

Lentil Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 quarts chicken or veggie broth
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

My notes: What the heck is "grains of paradise" anyway?! I opted to use canned tomatoes, a 30 oz. can, and omitted those crazy grains of paradise. I added MORE CUMIN, a dash of garam masala and coriander, loads of freshly chopped cilantro, a few dashes of chili powder, and garlic. I don't have a fancy stick blender so I dumped half the soup into my food processor (where I also had diced the veggies) and pureed. I left the other half in its whole form because I never recalled my mother ever pureeing her lentil soup. I also felt some of the lentils should remain in their true form. I know, I have no shame.

I love legumes.

There they are. All my lovelys...

I am having an affair with beans. And Indian food. And lots of it.

I am perpetually stuffed, and I swear on all that is holy my stomach is sticking out more. Beans are fibrous and filling, so you don't need to eat huge plates full of the stuff, but I still do. With naan. And chopped cilantro. Let me explain: these past few weeks I've been increasingly enamored with legumes. I cannot help it. Maybe it's a gastronomic rebellion of sorts: I had to limit my fiber while I was sick, and now I'm having a gluttonous free-for-all with nuts and beans and tomatoes. And chocolate. Oh, and cheese. Help me.

Every night I whip up another curry or Indian dal or whatever, and, oh lord, I cannot stop. Beans are so damn versatile. And cheap. And healthy. Like I said, I'm having an affair with legumes. And baby, they're gooooood..... That being said, more bean recipes will be posted shortly. Sorry.

Tonight we had channa masala, an Indian chickpea and tomato dish. One of my favorites at Indian restaurants, second only to chicken saag. (Really, it's better than it sounds.) And to make matters worse, Matt just made a huge batch of homemade sesame naan. Perfect for scooping up more beans! Hey, when we get into something, we really get into it.

Here's to hoping you can stomach more beans...

(Mostly) Black Bean Chili

My favorite spices are cumin and cilantro (coriander) without a doubt. I adore them, relish them, and all my culinary dreams center around them. We've also been eating a lot of beans lately, and our all-time favorite bean is the black bean. We have black beans in veggie enchiladas, on top of nachos, in Indian dishes, and, sadly enough, Matt tops his hot dogs with them.

So it is only fitting, as the winter chill sets in, that I should make a black bean chili loaded with cilantro and cumin. This chili calls for all black beans, but I threw in a can of pink beans JUST TO GO A BIT CRAZY! We do not discriminate when it comes to beans.

This chili is meatless and takes no more than 30 minutes to cook: perfect for a quickie pantry meal after a long day at work. It's also delicious, has a terrific balance of spice, and can be made without the heat by omitting the cayenne pepper. We served with honey corn muffins I found in Real Simple, but I think it would even be better with tortilla chips (oops, that's another thing we love!).

Black Bean Chili

• olive oil, for sauteing
  
• 2 medium to large onions, chopped
  
• 2 medium bell peppers
  
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  
• 3 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved (or a mixture of black beans and pink)
  
• 1 32-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 16-ounce can hominy (optional)
  
• cilantro to taste (We adore cilantro; I used about 1 cup chopped and very loosely packed, and then topped with additional cilantro.)
  

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, hominy (if using), and diced tomatoes. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top with cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and scallions. Gobble up!

Chopping set-up. All the peels go in the compost pail, which is a nice change from the fruit fly-laden jar Matt used to keep. Thank you, Crate & Barrel.

Muffins out of the oven.

Makes awesome leftovers.