Let’s continue with some more fall love and celebrate this season. As the weather is changing and the days are getting shorter and cooler, I am starting to crave more hearty comfort foods… like stew.

It’s time to dust off the slow cooker and make some chili – slow cooker sweet potato chili to be specific. The addition of sweet potatoes gives this chili a healthy kick. Did you know that sweet potatoes are considered a superfood?

On this site I always try to feature internationally inspired recipes with some background information. So I did a little research on the origins of chili. The combination of beans and chili always made me think of chili as a Tex Mex dish, but I guess it is a little more Tex than Mex. It goes back to the times of the frontier settlers and is now the official dish of the state of Texas.

In its original form chili was a brick of dried beef, suet and chili peppers which could be cooked with water for a quick stew on the road. You’ll notice that both beans and tomatoes are missing from the original and there is some dispute whether these 2 ingredients belong into chili or not.

I only know chili with beans and tomatoes and since making this sweet potato version, I wouldn’t want to miss these awesome roots in it either.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili

Cook Time: 8 hours

Yield: Serves 6

This hearty sweet potato chili is made in the slow cooker - perfect for cooler fall days.

Ingredients

28 ounce (796 ml) can diced tomatoes
23 ounce (680 ml) can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained; or 3 cups cooked kidney beans (start with 1.5 c dry beans, soak overnight)
1 cup corn, frozen and thawed
1 lb ground beef sirloin (optional)
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

If using cooked beans, soak 1.5 cups kidney beans overnight, rinse and pre-cook while preparing the rest of the chili.
Roast the corn until most pieces have a dark/charred corner, either in your slow cooker, if it has that function, or on the stove top. A dry pan or pot works best. Set aside corn and brown the meat (in slow cooker or on stove stop).
Combine all ingredients in the base of your slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 8 hours.

3.1

http://anomadsdream.com/slow-cooker-sweet-potato-chili/

Recipe adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner

Serve chili with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions or parley and some fresh (gluten free) corn bread on the side.

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