From Italy to Chili (The food, not the Country..my attempt at a play on words, and not a spelling error)

Yes, my Husband and I DID just return from our long awaited Honeymoon to Italia, and you are probably thinking I will be blogging about the incredible experience we had there.  Although I am uber pumped to do so (eh I really did just use the word uber, didn't I?)  That word is in fact SO nerdy that the spell check has it underlined in red in hopes I will abolish it from my post.  Sorry, just not going to happen.  As I was saying...although I am uber pumped (yes I also said pumped) to write about Italy, I am holding out for just a little while longer so it does not have to be completely over.  If I blog about it and post my journal entries it brings a finality to an experience that I am not ready to hand over yet.  I will say this...my Husband Adam and I will be forever changed after our Italian adventure, and we hope this trip was the first of many dates in our long lasting relationship with travel.  More on Italy to come.

Q:  SO why does this title bring up Chili?  A:  Because I made it for dinner tonight, and it was too delish not to share.

My hubs is a meaty man...not meaty as in chunky, but meaty as in he needs to eat meat with every meal.  Although I have been known to dabble from time to time, I prefer anything NON-meat.  Because of this, we often make two versions of every meal...one with meat, and one with either a meat substitute or veggie style.  Tonight Adam worked late and did his own thing for dinner, so I decided to make this healthy treat for myself.  He even tried some when he got home, and LIKED it.  I'm sure he would have liked to have a little ground beef or ground turkey in there though, so next time we will
prob add some of that to his batch. OKay, enough babble.  Here is the simple & healthy recipe:

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili Recipe

Find It Here!

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese or reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

Directions

(Throw everything except the cheese in a crockpot, and turn it on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 6-8 hours). Sprinkle cheese on top, and enjoy.  p.s. I use Veggie Shreds: Cheddar Flavor  for my cheese portion, due to a cheese intolerance.  TIP:  Be careful when choosing cheese alternatives.  If you are trying to go completely vegan, this particular choice has the ingredient casein, which is a dried skim milk protein.   This ingredient is deceiving in two ways:  1.  the obvious reason in that it is a hidden dairy product.  & 2.  The actual word itself does not follow the rule,  "i  before e,  except after c, or when sounding like a as in neighbor or weigh. ...all and all, the word bugs to no end.

OR

• In a nonstick Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, saute sweet potatoes and onion in oil until crisp-tender. Add the chili powder, garlic, cumin and cayenne; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, coffee, honey, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup chili with 1 tablespoon cheese equals 252 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 554 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 10 g protein.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili published in Healthy Cooking August/September 2010, p33 

Mangia, Mangia (eat, eat)!!!