Vegetarian New Mexico 3 Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 3 Organic Sweet Potatoes Diced
• 4 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion Diced
• 4 Cloves of Garlic Minced
• 1 Jalapeno Finely Chopped
• 2 Tbs. Finely Chopped Oregano (Or dry, i pull mine straight from the garden when available)
• Bell Pepper (Red, Green, and/or Orange)
• 1 cup dry Pinto Beans
• ½ cup dry Red Kidney Beans (Or cheat with a can of organics)
• ½ cup Black Beans (Or cheat with a can of organics)
• 2-12 ounce cans of organic tomato sauce
• 3 tomatoes diced
• A lot of Red Chilli Powder- Maybe half a cup (next time I’m gonna try and do it original style with the real red chiles boiled and blended down as if for enchilada sauce)
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp. Raw Local Honey

Directions

Beans:

I grew up on rice and beans and I prefer making them from scratch as I shy away from pre-cooked packaged food habitually.  When cooking beans from scratch there is a process that if skipped can lead to problems (gastrointestinal problems a.k.a. flatulence). I prefer not to offend with any of my recipes so I follow these steps for the beans:

• Pour the beans on the table and separate out all the dirt and not so bean looking beans.
• Place in a large bowl of water (when I’m being picky I use the same water I drink - Alkaline) to soak overnight approximately 6 to 8 hours.
• Drain the beans and add new water (most important part that I used to try and be conservationist with, the only thing I conserved were the properties of the bean that lead to flatulence)
• Boil on low for 2 to 4 hours, I really just keep going till they are the consistency I prefer, soft and slightly starchy still.
• In the last 30 minutes I add 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil, Sea Salt to taste, and ¼ of the onion to the beans.

*Fast Friendly Opportunity(FFO)* (For those of us working on limited time budgets this is a great opportunity to double up the portion and freeze half for your next meal that includes beans)

Potatoes:
I find it easiest to work with the potatoes by broiling them

• Spread 1 Tbsp. of olive oil on whatever you use for broiling (I use my ceramic cookie sheet)
• Add the sweet potatoes in a single layer and drizzle another 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over the top of the sweet potatoes. 
• Sprinkle sea salt over the potatoes and set in broiler at around 475 degrees. I like to watch it carefully and spread them continually so they don't get burnt (Last time I forgot about them but the one burnt side didn't ruin the taste

Chili:

• Add 2 Tbsp. of ollive to a large sauce pan over medium-high heat
• Saute 1/2 of the onion (leaving a ¼ behind to add to the chili later)
• Before the onions start to brown add the jalapeño, garlic, and bell peppers.
• “This is how we do it!”  Ya had to get a little Montel J. on you, cuz I don’t know where I decided this was the way but I’ve been doing it since I was 10 years old making a big ole pot of chili to serve our unconventional family of 13 + as we always had a couple of the neighbor kids living with us. For some reason this next step has to be done here.(Make sure you already separated out the half you will refrigerate or freeze for another meal.)
• With the beans warming in a larger pot (If it’s the one you cooked them in, drain and save some of the water so the chili isn’t too runny), stir the dried chili powder in.
• Add the tomato sauce
• Stir in the sautéed veggies and the diced tomato, and let cook another 5 to 15 minutes.
• Add 2 Tbsp of local raw honey
• Taste and add more chili powder if it doesn’t quite taste chili enough.

Serving Suggestions (in order of healthiness):

• As a soup - The healthiest way I know to eat it is alone.
• Over a baked sweet potato. This option I really enjoy. Sweet potato is one of those paleo-friendly options that really tastes good.
• Over brown rice.

• Over Corn Chips. Normally you’d use fritos to make a pie, and I was able to find a brand at some health food store that were a little healthier. This is that kid friendly option that I break out occasionally so they don’t look at me like I’m completely unreasonable when it comes to their food.

However you eat it, I hope you enjoy!

(Photo sourced from http://www.myrecipes.com)