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.

Rockin' the Guac(amole)...

I'm in a dip kind of mood (as if my last post didn't give it away).

Yesterday was eggplant. Today I moved on to avocado.  I'm trying to introduce Little Miss to new foods.  She hasn't attempted avocado in a while...a long while (the first attempt left scars on our psyche - and our walls).  Anyway, I found myself having an abundance of leftover avocado and wondered if the old adage about life giving you lemons held true for this green, mushy, super-food.

 Apparently it does because I've got a HUGE container full of rockin' guacamole. 

I like to shake things up a bit when I cook.  Don't get me wrong - I'm all for traditional and purity and all that jazz, but sometimes, just sometimes, I like to turn a classic on it's ear.  So I skipped the chopped tomatoes and tossed in pomegranate seeds.  Same tartness. Same colour contrast. Way better crunch! More like a burst actually...a sweet, tangy burst of flavour that balances the richness of the avocado just beautifully.

So...I've got the guacamole. Who's bringing the chips?

Enjoy!

By the way...raspberries are also an awesome substitute for the over-worked tomato.  Really. I'm not kidding.

Pomegranate Guacamole

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados
1/2 a red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
seeds from half a pomegranate
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Scoop out avocado flesh into large bowl. Using a fork, mash until mostly pureed but with some big chunks left.

2. Add onion, garlic, two-thirds of the pomegranate seeds, lime juice, cilantro (if using) and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes to let the flavours "blend". Taste and adjust lime juice, salt or pepper as needed.  Sprinkle remaining pomegranate seeds on top and serve.