White Sweet Potato-Cranberry Chili

Heather and I made this chili on the fly, and it came out super good. So good, in fact, that it won the ward Halloween party chili cook-off. I'm pretty proud of us. Here's an approximate recipe written after-the-fact. Feel free to adapt it to your own culinary whimsy. Also, it looks pretty cute when you serve it in a pumpkin. If you can cut the pumpkin to fit a bowl in it, bigger win for you because you don't have to clean it out all the way :)

White Sweet Potato-Cranberry Chili 

(if you have a better name for this, send it my way, because this is pretty lame)

3-4 sweet potatoes, diced

Olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small onions, chopped

1.5 Tbsp rosemary

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

4 cans Great Northern beans

3 cans chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp chicken flavored bouillon

1 rounded tsp meat curry masala powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp basil

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp maza flour (or regular flour)

1 hot yellow pepper (or any hot pepper you like)

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (without shells!)

1.5 cups dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets in aluminum foil. In a medium mixing bowl, combine 4 Tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add sweet potatoes, toss to coat. Spread evenly on baking sheets. Bake about 8 inches below upper heating element for approximately 20-30 minutes. (I was checking them about every 5 minutes. Take them out when they're sufficiently roasted and "screaming.") Set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, onions, rosemary, and cayenne pepper in a large pot. Cook on low heat until onions are translucent. Add chicken, beans, broth, masala powder, thyme, basil, and whatever other herbs tickle your fancy. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix milk and flour. Add to soup while stirring constantly. 

Cut off the stem of the pepper and cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and white membrane. Flatten each half of the pepper and place skin-side up on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet (I transferred all the sweet potatoes to one baking sheet, and then re-used the empty one). Broil 4-6 inches below the upper heating element for 8-10 minutes, or until the skins are dark. Remove from oven and wrap foil tightly around them. Take care, as foil will be extremely hot. Let peppers "sweat" in the foil for at least 15 minutes—this makes it easier to remove the skins. (I sped up the process by sticking them in the freezer.) When they're done, peel off the skin. Chop finely and add to pot.  

In small mixing bowl, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Add pumpkin seeds, toss to coat. Place on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Roast under broiler, about 5 minutes. Add to pot. 

Add sweet potatoes and cranberries. Salt and pepper to taste (it will definitely need salt ... we added it so sporadically that I have no clue how much it was. So taste liberally). 

Lentil, Spinach & Cumin Soup

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
150 g brown or green lentils
1.2 litres vegetable stock
200 g spinach
freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons of Greek yogurt, to serve
25 g pine nuts, lightly toasted, to serve

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the onions. Cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes until softened. Remove half the onion and set aside.

Continue to cook the onion left in the pan for a further 10 minutes until deep brown, sweet and caramelized. Take out and set aside for the garnish.

Return the softened onion to the pan and add the garlic, coriander, cumin seeds, and lentils and stir for 1-2 minutes until well coated in oil. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are lovely and soft.

Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer half the coup to a blender and liquidize until you have a puree. Stir back into the soup. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls, add a dollop of Greek yogurt and scatter the pine nuts and fried onions over the top.