Vegetables.

Beans.

Tomatoes.

Few things are as comforting as a warm, steaming bowl of chili.  This vegetarian version is packed with so much flavor you will not notice the “missing” meat.  You will notice the familiar rustic flavors, the earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the colorful nutrition they bring to your table.

What makes a good chili for you?  For me it is all about texture and flavor.  This dish will keep you smiling from ear to ear as you bite into the sweet onion, crisp corn, tender sweet potato, you hit the smokey chili powder and touch your tongue on the cinnamon sour cream.

 Ingredients

•  2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. Chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. Dried oregano
• 2 Cups frozen corn
• 1 14 oz. Can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14 oz. Can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 28 oz, can tomatoes,  diced
• 1 Sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 Cup Sour cream
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• Sprinkle of salt
• 1 Cup of Cilantro sprigs
• 2 Green onions, thinly sliced

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan/pot over medium -high heat.  Toss in the onions and green pepper and saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to brown, 6-8 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, cumin seeds, chili powder, and oregano.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the spices are very fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in corn, black beans and kidney beans.  Add the juice from the tomatoes and then add the tomatoes as well.
4. Add the sweet potatoes and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce the  heat so the liquid is barely simmering.  Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili begins to thicken, 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream and cinnamon.  Just before serving, season the chili with salt to taste.
6. Ladle in serving bowls and top with sour cream, cilantro and fresh green onions.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  Feel free to experiment with different vegetables you have on hand.  This would work really well with parsnip as a substitute for the sweet potato.

A great one pot dish for the family to enjoy or even a dish to whip up on Sunday and eat through out the week for lunches. 

Have a super weekend and a great weekend.  Please let there be SUN.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Can you believe it is Monday already? Time is flying by as of late and it is hard to believe. This weekend was action packed to say the least but an enjoyable one regardless of the less than ideal weather.  As a family we volunteered our time at our local elementary school to help build a new playground.  With over 200 volunteers it was quite a site and the playground is going to look amazing.

Maybe I was inspired from building because in the afternoon the family built a picnic table for the kiddies and chose to stain it a dark walnut color.  It looks pretty good and will be a great addition to the deck.  Saturday night included a Zesty nephew having a birthday as well as some great food to go along with it.  Dishes such as chicken asparagus lasagna, homemade spaghetti and meat sauce, chocolate cake with boiled icing and of course an ice cream cake.  I am going to feature the chicken lasagna upcoming as it was to die for.  Thanks Zesty-in laws.  Sunday included a shopping spree to Moncton, family dinner and a fun day with the family.

As I was preparing this post – i was unsure of what to feature for the food.  Earlier in the week, I had a clean the fridge meal and came up with this spicy beef and sweet potato plate that was decent but not amazing.

Ingredients

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• Frozen green beans
• 1 Tsp. Ground ginger
• 1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1 Tsp. Soy sauce
• Splash of lemon juice

Method

1. Wash and fork the sweet potato and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes.  Peel and chop into cubes
2. Over medium heat, add the ground beef to a sauce pan and begin to brown the meat.  Add ginger, pepper flakes and soy sauce and continue to brown.  Once no longer pink add the lemon juice and sweet potatoes.
3. Continue to saute for another 4 minutes to get the flavor in the sweet potatoes; meanwhile follow the instructions for the frozen beans and cook them in the microwave.
4. Plate up the sweet potato and beef and top with the green beans.
5. Enjoy!

Zesty Tip: Storing you ginger in the freezer and using grater is a great way to avoid spoilage.  It grates easy and does not lose any of it’s flavor.

So an action packed weekend to say the least and an equally busy week ahead.  Have a great start to your day and I will see you on Wednesday!

Here is a snapshot at the picnic table.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

As this week is catering week, another recipe that I served was super simple yet dazzling sweet potatoes.  Instead of the traditional potato skin I thought I would attempt a slight twist to kick it up a notch.  I used flavorful sweet potatoes which were baked twice, drizzled with sour cream and crumbled bacon.  Sound alright?  They were quite delicious.

Getting back to the tips from yesterday’s post with regards to catering, I prepared the sweet potatoes the day before by baking them.  I then made the filling and stuffing for the big day.  This was really simple as you will see further down in the steps below.  This offers the guests something a little different with a bit of color.  I am one of those people – “If it looks great, I am all over it”

Check out the ingredients and instructions for these Sizzling Sweet Potato Skins.

Ingredients

• 4 Medium Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Low fat Buttermilk
• 1/4 Tsp. Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 Slices Bacon (Fried and crumbled)
• 3 Green Onions (Chopped for Garnish)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400, place sweet potatoes on a sheet and rub with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Half sweet potatoes length wise and scoop out most of the flesh into a mixing bowl.
3. Mash until smooth; add buttermilk, nutmeg and paprika.
4. Stuff sweet potatoes will filling.
5. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until lightly brown around the edges at 400 degrees (about 15-20 minutes).
6. Garnish with bacon, sour cream and green onion.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When baking the sweet potatoes the first time, it is a good idea to keep them somewhat firm and not over cook them.  They will soften up the second time around as well as with the butter milk.

Stay tuned for another catering dish coming up tomorrow…. Have a great day!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty