Fall is coming! Fall is coming! And with the cooling of temperatures (at least in the mornings and evenings) comes my desire to eat all the fall foods: soups, stews, curries and pumpkin spiced treats.

Does this happen to you? I swear with the changing of the seasons I find myself ridiculously excited for certain foods.

Anyway, I was inspired to make the stew not only because of the change in season, but also I needed to use up some pantry items I unearthed in my Great Pantry Re-Do of 2012.

Without further ado, I bring you Sweet Potato Black Bean Stew.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Stew

Recipe is based on the one from Ready Made Magazine – December/January 2011 issue.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 TBS vegetable 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 1/2 inch pieces

1 jalapeño {omitted – I am not so spicy and neither is my baby}.

1 clove garlic minced

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne {omitted}

3 Cups vegetable broth

14.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained {I used slow cooked beans from the freeze because I am fancy that way}

14.5 oz can of diced roasted tomatoes with juices

1 Cup frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped cilantro {replaced with green onions because I forgot to buy it}

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

shredded cheddar to serve {replaced with chunks of avocado – dairy allergy, yo}

What to do:

1.  Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, onion, red pepper, (and jalapeño if you are using it) and garlic, stirring to coat with oil. Saute until onion and peppers are soft about 4 minutes.

2.  Add chili powder and cumin (+ cayenne if you are using it) and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow potatoes to soften about 7-8 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally.

3.  Once potatoes are fork tender, add broth, black beans and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, stirring well and scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add corn, reduce heat to simmer and cook for another 15 minutes (or way, way longer).

4. Before serving, stir in green onions (or cilantro if you remembered it) and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with chunks of ripe avocado (or cheddar).

I served this with tortilla chips one night, ate it over basmati rice one meal and mashed it up for the baby for lunch and even had enough for a small gathering of friends. So, so good! And yes, I even found a way to incorporate sliced black olives because that’s how we roll these days.

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What’s for dinner at your house these shorter, cooler days?

Not really feeling this recipe? You can always visit the recipe archive for more dinner ideas.

Photo Credit: Me