Black Bean and Sweet Potato and Sweet Corn Chili

When I first started cooking, more was always better.  Two spices?  No, lets add four!  Hmmm, doesn't taste right - lets make it six!  Needless to say, my cooking was not that good.

As time goes by (no, not that time going by) I leaned that sometimes, often, less is more. Fewer spices, fewer ingredients, make for a better meal.

Well, this recipe is a throwback to the bad old days - more more more!

Black Beans are one of our favorites - but as with many things, the same dish over and over is boring.  So with a limited amount of time and a dog walk to get in, I went for the old stand by - Black Bean Chili. But of course, black beans are not enough - we need more, More, MORE!

So in went the sweet potato.  Nope, not enough.  Lets add some tomato.  Not enough.  Fresh frozen sweet corn!

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG - more more more - onion powder, garlic powder, chili con carne seasoning, cumin, lime zest, vegetable stock, braggs aminos - more, More, MORE!

Tasted pretty good.  Served it over brown rice.  To be honest, I started with this recipe - but then the beserker took over.

Ingredients

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 sweet potatoes, pealed and diced 1/2 inch size
1 lb frozen sweet corn (our own)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained.  Feel free to use those mixed with green chiles if you like heat
1 tbs chile con carne seasoning (Penzey's)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 lime, zested (no juice)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 square baking chocolate or 1 tsp cocoa
1 can vegetable stock (you might need more - add enough to cover all ingredients)
1 tbs Braggs Aminos
1 chipotle in adobe sauce if you like it hot.  Dice it small.  Skip if you don't like heat (wimp)

Recipe

Toss all in pot.
Bring to low boil, reduce heat to medium
Walk dog
Cook till sweet potatoes are done (at least 30 minutes)
Serve with whatever- rice, pasta, chips, potatoes, sour cream, cheese.

That's it - dirt simple, and pretty good.  The key to remember is, chili needs time to cook for the flavors to meld.  It might me "cooked" and ready to eat in 10 minutes, but it will taste better after cooking for 30, even better after 45 minutes or an hour.  Just don't let it dry out completely.  And don't worry about the canned beans - they won't fall apart if cooked for an hour.

Red Lentils with Garlic and Onion

This is from Whole Foods (mostly) - what I like about this recipe is that instead of adding the onion to the lentils while cooking, your cook the lentils and garlic separately, then add at then end - it keeps the flavors distinct and stronger contrast to the mildness of the lentils.

Red Lentils cook faster than other lentils, and get soft and pulpy fast.  There is definitely no need to pre-soak them before using.


Ingredients

2 cups uncooked red lentils, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (or garam masala, or curry seasoning)
1 tomato, diced (peeled if you like)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced (or chopped fine)
12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or minced)
6 cups cooked brown rice

Recipe

Put lentils, turmeric, tomato and 4 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are very soft and pulpy, about 25 minutes. Add salt to lentils after cooking.  I leave them as is, but whole foods suggest you then purée in blender and set aside (or I suppose it could be boat motor time again).
While cooking lentils, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic and cook until golden brown, taking care not to burn them. You can also add some of the season to this mixture to cook into the onions and garlic - cumin would be fine here also.  Don't use more than 1 tps of seasoning.
Add onion mixture to lentils and stir well. Or serve lentils in bowls, then serve onion mix on top of lentils, allowing the individual to mix.

Serve hot, with brown rice on the side. Great as a meal itself, or great with grilled chicken also.


This is a fine dish with yellow lentils also