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Alrighty folks, I am at it again.  Now that I’ve quit my job to stay home with my little one I have time (sorta…between rounds of peek-a-boo and the itsy bitsy spider and during 20 minute naps which is all we get around here) to spend on my little food blog…and the first post since my return is this sweet potato chili. 

The past few weeks I’ve been working on some exciting changes around here.  First off, I’d like to send a shout out to Katie at Ginger Fox Invitations and Prints who designed my adorable new little avatar that I totally love.  I’m usually more of a diy kinda girl but I’ve had something specific in mind for this blog for awhile so when my friend Danelle gave me her graduation announcement and told me who designed it I had to jump on the opportunity to have Katie do some work for me!  Bonus when I found out I already knew her from one of my student wards.  Katie was great to work with and came up with something better than I could have imagined, so kudos to her! Check out her facebook page and etsy shop for any of your own  custom design needs.  Anyway, other exciting changes, all of the recipes here at callmebetty are now save-able and print-able which should make them much easier to use.  The recipe index on the site should be much more user-friendly as well.

Whew…that was a mouthful.  On to food which is what we’re all here for anyway, right? right!

Okay so I recognize that it’s June here and that the weather is hotter than…alright I can’t come up with a metaphor…but it’s been pretty freakin’ hot lately, but because of our impending cross-country move we’re using up leftovers ’round here and chili is on the menu. 

So, I have a gripe about chili.  I’ve made many recipes and I love it, but my gripe is that canned chili is pretty dang good.  In fact, I feel like I had never (until this recipe) made a recipe that was as good as good ol’canned chili.  So I set out to change that with this recipe, and I have to admit, I exceeded my own expectations. 

The secret is simmering.  Lots of it.  This is not one of those meals to start at 6:00 p.m.  I’m sure it will still be tasty but it won’t have the magic of the simmer.  I know it takes planning and I know it’s a pain, but the simmer is CRUCIAL.  Okay, okay, I’ll be done lecturing you now.  Sheesh. 

I hope I haven’t scared you away because this recipe is actually super easy, it just takes time.  So without further adieu.  Sweet Potato Chili (with meat and lentils).

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Sweet Potato Chili (With Meat and Lentils)

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

A delicious twist on chili con carne simmered all day long for rich deep flavors

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Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 6 cloves large garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 ½ tbsp . chili powder
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp honey
• tsp Salt to taste, I added 2
• 3 cups cooked lentils, or two cans lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 14.5 oz cans tomato puree, or ~8 fresh tomatoes peeled and pureed
• 4 C beef broth or 4 C water w/beef bouillon cubes
• 1 very large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef over medium high heat with onion. Drain off any fat.
2. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
3. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato puree, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and honey. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. After chili has simmered, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add lentils, black beans, pinto beans, and diced sweet potatoes. Simmer for about 30 minutes longer until sweet potatoes are soft. Can serve with green onions, cheese, sour cream, and cornbread.

Notes

To cook the lentils bring 1 cup lentils and 2 cups water to a rapid boil, when boiling reduce to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes, until soft. You may be able to add dry lentils directly to the chili 30-45 minutes before serving if you increase the liquid by ~2 Cups. I used dry lentils and 1 Cup of dry lentils yielded about 3 cups.