Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew

• 1 T canola oil
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly diced
• 1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t cayenne pepper
• 3 c vegetable broth
• 14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juices (fire-roasted from Muir Glen are a favorite)
• 1 c frozen corn
• ¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ c freshly squeezed lime juice
• Shredded cheddar cheese to serve

Heat canola oil in a large, heavy-bottom stock pot over medium high heat. Add sweet potatoes, onion, red pepper, jalapeño, and garlic, stirring to coat. Sauté until onion and peppers are soft, about 4 minutes.

Add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, cover pot, and allow sweet potatoes to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After sweet potatoes are fork tender, add vegetable broth, black beans, and tomatoes. Bring stew to a boil, stirring well and scraping the bottom of pot to incorporate all of the spices. Add frozen corn, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Before serving, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve stew with cheddar cheese and additional cilantro, if desired.

Serves 6-8.

VERDICT: For once in my life, this turned out looking exactly like the picture:

Not really any better or worse than every other sweet potato-black bean soup I've made. Really spicy, but that's probably due to using the entire enormous jalapeño that was the only one left at Lund's (Super Bowl Sunday being tomorrow and all). And possibly to realizing I was out of chili powder at the very last second and having to improvise with paprika, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Not really the recipe's fault, but toss nonetheless.