Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Baby its cold outside!

It was -4 degrees when I got into my car this morning. That's not counting windchill. By the time I got to the highway a couple minutes later, the temperature had dropped to -6 (I didn't take another picture for fear of running off the road, so please take my word for it). The walk into work (about 8-10 minutes from my parking lot) was so cold that I felt sick to my stomach as I reached the front lobby. 

By the time I left work today it was a balmy 12 degrees out. I'm so ready for spring! Instead of going to the gym like I'd originally planned, I decided to take today as a rest day, since I did my long run (8.5 miles) at the gym yesterday. I'm not following a strict training program for the Hyannis Half Marathon in February, but I am structuring my long runs as I have in the past, and as I've read in several articles in Runner's World magazine: increase the distance of your long runs for two weeks, then cut it back on the third week, and so on. Two weeks ago I ran 8 miles, last weekend I ran 10, so this weekend I cut it back to 8.5. Next weekend I'll probably run 11 or 12. Anyway...back to the freezing cold and my nice warm meal...

Yes, instead of going to the gym I think I'd like to dig into a big bowl of Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili!

I came across this recipe on Serious Eats a week or two ago (in the "Eat For Eight Bucks" section, which often has great ideas) and have been excited to make it. I pretty much stuck to the original recipe, except excluded the cilantro, swapped out the chipotle pepper (I couldn't find one), and almost all of my ingredients were organic.

I started by dicing, mincing, peeling, and chopping all of my ingredients so they'd be easily accessible as I needed them. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and continue to saute until very fragrant - about 2 minutes.

Stir in beans (after draining and rinsing), tomatoes, chipotle (or other hot pepper) and salt.

Turn heat to high, pour in beer. Believe it or not, I didn't have a bottle of dark beer in my fridge. Then I remembered that there were a couple bottles of beer leftover from the last time Pat and I made beer at home (home brewed IPA=deliciousness). I opened a bottle (luckily it was in the cold hallway outside our side door), took a sip, and was surprised at how good it was!

Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes - until potatoes are tender but not falling apart.

 

When finished, spoon chili into bowls, squeeze a wedge of lime on top, and add a dollop of sour cream (or for something better tasting and better for you - use 0% vanilla or plain Greek yogurt - that's what I used.)

This chili is really good...and really spicy! It came out to be a little spicier than I normally eat, but after adding a little more Greek yogurt, it was the perfect balance of spice and creaminess.

After indulging in a bowl and then some, I'm liking this more and more each bite. To better explain myself, I've come up with a list of things I like about this chili, in no particular order:

• Filling, hearty, and really warms you up
• Full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants
• Beautiful colors for a drab white winter day
• Mostly organic (everything in this is organic with the exception of the spices and the homemade beer)
• Great alternative to meat chili and is more exciting than just plain vegetarian bean chili
• Inexpensive! I got most of my ingredients at Trader Joe's

Now that you know this, I think you should make yourself a pot. There are reports that we could be getting more snow tomorrow night, Wednesday, and maybe Thursday...a nice bowl of this chili would certainly help get you through another cold winter day.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small sweet onions, diced
• 1 orange and 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• (1) 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• (3) 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 minced hot pepper (or 2 tbsp minced canned hot pepper)
• 1 bottle dark beer (or homemade IPA!)
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt
• lime
• vanilla or plain Greek yogurt (for topping)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, hot pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn heat to high, and pour in beer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes.
2. Continue to simmer until potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Spoon chili into bowls, squeeze some lime in bowl and a add dollop of Greek yogurt.
   
   

Iron Soup (Chicken Sausage Soup with Beans, Lentils and Kale)

I'm feeling much better today! I don't know if it was the good night sleep I got, the gym sesh I had this morning, or the soup I made last night, which was chock full of iron...but whatever it was, I am feeling almost human again!

Soup is always a good thing when you're sick, and since finding out that I'm anemic, I wanted to make a soup that was full of iron and would kick some major anemia butt. This recipe was inspired by a recipe for White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo I found in Cooking Light.

Chicken Sausage Soup with Beans, Lentils and Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 link cooked chicken sausage (I used Trader Joe's Spicy Italian), thinly sliced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1 can organic pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cooked lentils
• 6-8 cups kale, torn into bite sized pieces and washed
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage to pan and saute for 3-4 minutes, until a little bit browned.

2. Add onion and garlic to pot; saute 8-10 minutes, until tender and starting to brown.

3. While onions cook, heat broth in another pan on stove or in microwave until almost boiling (about 4 minutes). Add hot broth, beans and lentils to pot. Bring to a boil.

4. Partially mash beans and lentils with a potato masher or fork. Add kale to pot and stir. Continue to simmer about 20 minutes (turn heat to low as it begins boiling).

Serve with some fresh ground pepper on top! 

This soup was wonderful! I doubled the amount of kale the original recipe called for, so this soup is very thick and really warms you from the outside in. All of the flavors taste great together, and its very satisfying as a meal. An added bonus is that its so quick to make and the ingredients can be amended to what you have on hand! I'd say this recipe makes at least 5 servings of soup, so its great for a family meal or to make for yourself and have plenty of leftovers!

My workout this morning was really to ease myself back to the gym. I hadn't been yet in 2011, and today I finally felt like I could go. If you're sick, you can benefit from a moderate workout (doing anything too intense or for too long can actually make you sicker) - so I did an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill alternating between 2 minutes of walking and 2 minutes of jogging, followed by back, bis and a little bit of abs weight training. 

So whether it was the soup, the sleep, or the exercise, I am feeling much better now!