Monday Recipe - Sweet Potato Chili and Quinoa Risotto

Thanks to a massive plumbing problem, I was home on Friday, and since the plumbers were done by 2:30 (after having fished some lovely paper towels out of the pipes, whatwhat?), I had time to go to Target and grocery shopping. I had been concerned I wasn't going to have enough time for everything this weekend, and the plumbing (while a hassle of epic proportions) made my life easier.

So my Halloween involved a spinning class, laundry, and cooking. I made two recipes. One was a sweet potato chili inspired by a post on Cranky Fitness a while back, and the other inspired by Leah from her comments in my weird food combo post last week.

And I know you all look at me strangely when I type something like this, but I haven't tried the chili yet. I cooked up a big pot of it, and it finished cooking at 11:30p, so I put it in the fridge, and then was so busy this weekend never got a chance to try it. But I'm having some for lunch this week (and sorry in advance to my co-workers reading this...I'll try not to stink you all out of the office...)

Quinoa "Risotto"
5 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1/2-1 lbs chicken, cut into small pieces
1/2C feta (approximately)
quinoa (not too much, just enough to soak up the tomato juices)
dash of cinnamon
dash of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Above quantities are estimated, I didn't actually measure them when I was cooking.

Put oil in a pot and cook chicken until cooked on the outside. Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes release their liquid. Add quinoa. Cook until the quinoa has soaked up the tomato juices and become chewy instead of crunchy. Add feta and spices.

The quinoa binds it together a bit and makes it feel like it's risotto, but it's a whole grain, healthy version of it. It's also very tasty when reheated.

Sweet Potato Chili
1 lb beef and or lamb (I used 1/2 of each) - optional
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (or food processed, I love my food processor)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you're going vegetarian)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 zucchinis, diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans cooked kidney/black beans (I used one of each)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Chopped fresh cilantro - optional (I forgot to buy it, so I didn't add it)

Heat olive oil in heavy pan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and pepper flakes and stir until cooked on the outside. Add 1 cup of the broth and the sweet potato. Cover pan and reduce heat. Simmer until sweet potato is almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes (with the juice), beans, garlic and spices. Add the zucchinis and the rest of the broth. Simmer uncovered until the chili thickens and the sweet potato is very tender. Adjust seasonings as needed. Add cilantro to the bowl when serving. You could also add a sprinkling of parmesan if so desired.