Sweet potato, black bean and chorizo chilli

No lie: this veggie-packed chilli is unbelievably tasty. I know you're thinking 'Really? It doesn't look all that hard to believe.' No, that's just my camera's fault, people. I had to leave my beloved DSLR back in Dubai as I had six months' worth of clothes to bring back. I'm cooking too much recently to go on another hiatus so please just bear with me until I'm reunited with my baby. My iPhone and I will do our best.

Disclaimer aside, this chilli really is good. I've been working on a more traditional beef-based chilli but have been running into some pesky/tasty issues (Ground beef or beef chunks? Chocolate, wine or coffee? Decisions, decisions...) whereas this recipe just clicked. I've been trying to eat more plant-based meals and this has all the goodness of sweet potatoes, black beans, tomatoes and spinach. I couldn't, however, resist throwing in a little Spanish chorizo and it suffuses the entire dish with its wonderfully savoury, smoky flavour. If you're vegetarian, try substituting with a teaspoon or two of chipotle paste, depending on how hot you like your chilli. 

You may, of course, eat this chilli however you like: piled over rice or bundled into a wrap. But please, you must at least once try it the way I have here. I topped my hot chilli with a little shredded cheddar cheese and some diced avocado tossed with garlic, chilli flakes and a little salt. I then scooped up all of that goodness up with homemade tortilla chips, which you can season to your liking and only take ten minutes to bake into crunchy, scooping perfection. Oh my God, guys. This is a dream combination. Just look at it. Now go make it.

For anyone suffering from food allergies or intolerances: I used Sainsbury's Deliciously Freefrom shredded cheddar cheese (a dairy-free lifesaver, this melts like a dream but is somewhat pungent, so go easy) and BFree's wheat-free Multigrain Wraps (excellent). 

Sweet potato, black bean and chorizo chilli

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 75-150g diced chorizo*
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 big handful fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and finely chopped
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 400g can black beans
• 2 large handfuls of baby/young spinach 

METHOD

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes in 1 inch cubes and then steam until easily pierced with a fork.

Add the oil to a large pan over medium heat. When hot, sauté the onions and chorizo for a 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes before stirring in the spices and coriander stalks for a further minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, using the same can to add another half-can of water to the mix. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper and let simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 8-10 minutes. 

Add the sweet potatoes, black beans and half the chopped coriander leaves, mix well and cook for another minute or two. Turn off the heat, pile the baby spinach over the chilli and place a lid on the pan. The residual heat will quickly wilt the spinach. After 5 minutes, take off the pan, gently fold the spinach into the chilli and add more salt or pepper to taste.

Notes: Sainsbury's sell diced chorizo in packs of two. I used just one 75g pack but feel free to use both packs for more chorizo per bite. 

For the diced avocado

Remember when I first started this blog and didn't like avocado? Yeah...funny that.

Cut an avocado in half horizontally and gently twist to separate the halves, discarding the pit. Use a small sharp knife to to criss-cross each avocado half into cubes without piercing the skin, and then use a spoon to easily scoop out the flesh. Season with roughly 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt.

For the tortilla chips

Line one or two baking trays with foil or parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180°C.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 2-4 tortilla wraps (depending on how many tortilla chips you need - I suggest at least one tortilla per person) into eight wedges each. If your tortillas are large, you can then cut each wedge into two more triangles. Lay your triangles on the baking trays in a single layer and brush lightly with olive oil. Season to your liking. I roughly sprinkled my tortilla chips with generous pinches of salt, cumin, paprika and garlic powder. SO good.

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes and then leave to cool.