Hot Potato, Hot Potato...

We're a little obsessed with sweet potatoes right now.  And why not? They're sweet, delicious and so full of nutrients; they really do put regular spuds to shame.  That said, this isn't a sweet potato post. It's a chili post.  It just so happens that this chili happens to be topping a sweet potato. (We ran out of tortillas and well, at the end of the day, a sweet potato is a carb too!)

Daddy Vegan and I had been craving Tex-Mex lately, and none of our usual chili recipes were doing the trick.  I think it's because our others ones are more "Mex" and not enough "Tex". That's where the 'chipotle' comes in.  "Chipotle" is a smoke-dried jalapeno pepper made from red jalapenos, meaning the peppers that don't get picked when green and are allowed to ripen.  The smoking process removes a little bit of the heat and replaces it with a dry 'smoked' flavour.  Most commonly, chipotles are found canned in an adobo sauce (a hot marinade of other ground up spices).  Recently on a trip to Target's grocery section, I came across ground chipotle powder - and bought it by the gross.  It's basically a chipotle that's been ground into a fine powder, and it's become a staple in my kitchen.

What I love about this chili recipe is that it's hearty, smoky, spicy enough to tease your tongue, and it takes 20 minutes to make. Yes, that's right; 20 minutes. That means WEEKNIGHT dinner, people!  And it's versatile. So far we've served it on baked sweet potatoes, as part of a vegetarian taco salad, in a burrito and it will be the main feature at an upcoming vegan "taco night" at our casa.

This is a base recipe; you can tweak it any which way you like.  Dial up (or down) the heat with the amount of chipotle powder you use; dice in some veggies (red and green bell peppers for color and crunch), or play with the bean mixture too.  Any way you fix it, it's sure to a be a crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!

Chipotle Bean Chili

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
2 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 cup water divided in thirds
2 tsps chili powder
¼ tsp chipotle chili powder (more if you like it really smoky)

1 x 15oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed well
1 x 15oz can kidney beans  drained and rinsed well

1x15oz can black beans drained and rinsed well
3 tablespoons fresh salsa (store bought is fine)

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, add vegetable broth and onions to pan. Saute until translucent and soft (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and jalapenos and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to keep garlic from burning.

2. Stir in chili powders and 1/3 cup water; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to form a paste. Add remaining 2/3 cup water and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10-12 minutes or until most of the water disappears and the sauce is 'thickened'. Remove from heat. Stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork or potato masher.

Get your slurp on...

It's another soup post!

This soup knocked my socks off...literally. Must have been the chipotle pepper. Okay, I'm kidding. It's not that spicy. I think I was just blown away at how a simple thing like a sweet potato could produce a soup that is so rich and spicy and sweet and simple - all at once.

I first saw this recipe on Chef at Home. Michael Smith is kind of a hero of mine. I mean - have you seen that guy's kitchen pantry? I'd do almost anything to play in there for a day. His spice collection alone is staggering. Anyway, he was making this soup and it just looked so comforting and delicious - and it was snowing here for a change, which made me crave something warm and rich. This soup certainly fits that bill.

Having what seemed like a bushel of sweet potatoes on hand the other day, I made two batches of it: one with the chipotle pepper for Husband and myself, and a second batch - minus the peppery heat - for Little Miss. Both versions were an instant hit. And took less than an hour to make. So the next time you're craving comfort, think soup. Just be sure to pour yourself a big bowl...you're going to want to dive right in.

Enjoy!



Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
(From Michael Smith's Chef at Home TV series)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 large sweet potatoes, washed and grated
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
(available in the International Foods section of your grocery next to the salsa)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
salt

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, add olive oil and onions and saute until soft, golden and translucent but not dark brown.

2. Add vegetable stock and grated sweet potatoes and stir. Bring to a simmer.

3. Add chipotle pepper (if using), cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Continue to simmer until potatoes have softened (about 15-20 minutes).

4. Puree in a blender or right in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning and , if necessary, adjust thickness by adding a cup or so of water.