Week 4: Recipe #5--Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

My mom shared this recipe with me.  She found it in Real Simple magazine.  Pretty simple to make, and I liked the addition of the sweet potato--added something different to the chili.  I served this with tortilla chips and a salad.

You'll Need:

• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tblsp. chili powder
• 1 Tblsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsps. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• kosher salt and black pepper (I just used regular salt)
• 1 28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed
• 1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes (I left these out), and tortilla chips for serving

Preparation:

1. In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
2. Add the tomatoes (and their liquids) beans, sweet potato, and 1 cup water.
3. Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened (on low for about 7-8 hours; on high for about 4-5 hours).
4. Serve the chili with the sour cream, scallions, radishes and tortilla chips.  

**Tip:  The chili can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.