An easy, hearty vegetarian sweet potato chili with black beans and chocolate. Make ahead for weeknight dinners and let the flavors meld together.
In a large pot, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, salt, pepper, and garlic and saute until onions are translucent and fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add in sweet potatoes, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander. Stir well to keep the spices from burning.
Add black beans, crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir to combine, making sure there is enough liquid covering all the ingredients. If not, add a bit of broth to just cover. Bring the chili to a simmer. Cover and cook 25 to 35 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until well combined.
Serve with desired toppings.
Recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates
Make this in the slow cooker! (This busy graduate student did it all the time.) Add all ingredients except chocolate and toppings and reduce to 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook on high for 4 hours. Stir in chocolate when sweet potatoes are cooked through. Serve with toppings.
Be sure the semisweet chocolate chips are dairy free or swap them for your favorite carob chips or vegan dark chocolate bar, broken into small pieces. Garnish with your favorite vegan chili toppings such as scallions, avocado, lime, or nutritional yeast. Your favorite vegan crumbles are also a great addition.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 pound of ground meat of your choice, cooking it with the onion if you wish.
Sometimes I'll stir in greens that may be just past their prime (you know, that salad mix that's been open for a week in the back of the fridge). For example, spinach, chopped kale, and chard are all great options to add at the end. Cabbage can be added with the sweet potatoes but I stay away from bitter greens like arugula or radicchio.
Use a homemade chicken or vegetable stock instead of store bought. Or make your own vegetable bouillon. You can make your own beans on the stovetop or in a slow cooker instead of using canned beans.