Disclaimer: This will be the first of a string of entries that will soon be up. Bear with me here - I've got a back-log of a whole month's worth of recipes from my baking binge, after all.
There's nothing I love more than a bowl of hearty soup or stew on a winter night. But this year's winter here in Baltimore has been pretty weird. It's January, but the temperature outside is still in the 40's and 50's degrees F. Now don't get me wrong, I'm loving this mild weather; unfortunately, it's not exactly soup and stew weather. But dammit I'm tired of waiting for the weather to come around. And besides, I have a brother with a cold right now who could certainly do with a comforting bowl of soup (I know, I know, I am such a good sister. I try.)
This chili isn't anything special - it's literally a throw-together-whatever-I-have-on-hand kind of soup. I had a whole bunch of vegetables to use up so I just pretty much threw them together into a pot with some veggie broth, a can of black beans, spices, and some cilantro (trust me, the cilantro makes this dish).
I first sauteed an onion, a green bell pepper, and some garlic with a bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium-heat. When the onion became translucent, I added in a few carrots and a couple of potatoes, diced, and some frozen peas (probably about a cup or so) that I had to use up. Then add in about 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, some spices (I used oregano and thyme), and some salt and pepper.
Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Then, add in the black beans (drained and rinsed), a couple of tomatoes, diced, and a handful of cilantro, chopped. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, and then finish with a couple teaspoons of honey (or agave nectar) and lemon juice. Season with some more salt and pepper, as you like. And that's it, folks!
But of course, what kind of chili is complete without some kind of bread or biscuit, right? I paired this chili with some vegan sweet potato biscuits, mainly because I had a lot of sweet potatoes in the pantry to go through (notice a trend here?). I absolutely love sweet potatoes, and these biscuits certainly have there fair share.
Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits
(Adapted from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)
Yields 10 biscuits
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes (about 1/2 lb or one large sweet potato)
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp maple syrup (I used honey)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour (I used a mix of both)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
2-3 tbsp cold water (I used almond milk)
Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together the sweet potato, oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Sift (or whisk) in the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg.
Fold in the flour into the sweet potato mixture until the dry ingredients are moistened and crumbly. Add 2 tbsp of water and lightly knead five or six times until the dough comes together, adding more water as needed. Be careful not to over-knead - you don't want tough biscuits.
Drop the dough in golf ball-size mounds onto the baking sheet, and bake 12-15 min, until the tops are lightly browned and firm to the touch.
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