Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: Two Bean and Lentil Chili with Local Veggies and Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Monday, October 20, 2008

Two Bean and Lentil Chili with Local Veggies and Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

The cool evenings of fall make soup, stew, and chili some of the best types of food during this time of year. This post is about chili. I love chili, it is really versatile and can be made savory, spicy, and even sweet-spicy if you really want to mix things up a little bit. This time of year is also a wonderful time for those of us who like to eat local in the Midwest - we still have some of the goodies from the tail-end of summer (like tomatoes and fresh, hot peppers) as well as the staples of fall (sweet potatoes, winter squash) to work with. This meal was made for dinner last Sunday - the filling chili and tasty roasted sweet potato wedges were the perfect pairing with Sunday night football. Wahoo!

I also love how easy chili is. I had some beans on hand in the fridge, some fresh things, and I just shucked it all together in a large pot and let it cook for a couple of hours. Brett isn't the biggest fan of chili, I think I've mentioned before that I burnt him out on chili since it was one of the first homemade dishes I learned how to make. He really liked this batch and even happily ate the leftovers for lunch. That was how I really knew he liked it - he ate it again for lunch! He swore you couldn't tell that this was vegan chili.

The local booty legend:
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms















Yummy, chili!















Baked sweet potato wedges.

Two Bean and Lentil Chili with Local Veggies
Makes about 5-6 cups of chili.

1 cup kidney beans, cooked
2 cups black beans, cooked ****
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
4 cups of water
4 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and minced *
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced ***
2 "yummy" orange peppers, seeded and minced *
2 serexican chiles, seeded and minced ***
2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced ***
1 Spanish red onion, minced *
6 tomatoes (we used 3 red, 3 yellow), chopped *
6 cloves of garlic, minced *
chili powder
cumin
ground coriander
black pepper
salt

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Season to taste - but be careful, you can always add more seasonings later. Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into wedges *
1 tbsp safflower oil
a couple of pinches of black pepper
sea salt

Preheat oven to 450.

Spray a baking dish with safflower oil.

Toss sweet potato wedges with safflower oil, pepper, and salt.

Place on baking dish in a single layer.

Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes. Flip wedges over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with more salt if desired.

I will try my best to get the garden update posted tomorrow. It was really windy here yesterday - too windy to get decent pictures, so hopefully the weather will cooperate tonight. I am also feeling a little icky. I hope I'm not coming down with something. That would really suck.

'Til next time.

11 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I JUST stocked up on lentils and sweet potatoes yesterday.... NOW I KNOW WHAT TO MAKE!!! :0)

M said...

Now I'm craving sweet potato wedges!

jessy said...

lentils - that's what i always forget to add to our chili. thanks for the reminder, Jennifer! your chili sounds awesome, and just perfect for the cooler weather. that's awesome that Brett loved it! yay! your sweet potato wedges look super stellar, too! i can see all that tasty sea salt on 'em. mmmmmmm! i hope you're not coming down with anything either! drink lots of water & tea - and take care!

Anonymous said...

I'm making lunch right now and I'm not sure if I'm drooling over the smells coming out of the kitchen or these pictures. Both the chili and the sweet potatoes look REALLY good. Want to share?

Erin said...

That looks like a yummy, yummy chili!

Anonymous said...

i've been craving chili like mad! i just haven't made it yet. i'm waiting for it to get a little colder.

Bianca said...

Oh, I'm so excited about chili and stew time! I love the heartiness of winter foods.

And I really need to bake some sweet tater wedges soon! I love those!

Anonymous said...

Yum--I love chili and soup and stews! Chili is one of those great dishes where you can use whatever you have on hand in the fridge...I love using up extra veggies in chili! Yours sounds especially delicious...I love the 2 different beans and lentils!

Mmmmm...you have me craving chili now!

Courtney

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

Santo Dios! Chipotle in the chili plus sweet potatoes- this combo sounds perfect.

J said...

Veggie Girl - Wahoo for stocking up on those tasty ingredients. We hope you like this if you try it.

M - Me too!

Jessy - We love lentils in chili - they make it super tasty! I love chili during the fall and winter - it really easy and a hearty dish for the cool weather.

Tea + Jennifer = Best Friends right now.

Heather - I'd be up for a food swap. Especially if some of your vegetable soup and steamed green beans are involved. :-)

Erin - Thank you, it was.

Selina - The cooler weather has a way of making us crave soup, stews, and chilies doesn't it? It would be even better on a super cold day too.

Bianca - Me too! I need to bake some more too - yummy!

Courtney - Me too, so in some ways I am happy for the colder weather. Chili IS great like that - you can kind of do whatever you want with it. All the beans make it all the tastier and very filling.

Lisa - Hahahaha! It was a great combination.

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