Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili

I love our slow cooker. I put food into it and then go outside and putter in the garden until I'm hungry. Miraculously, dinner is ready! And I don't have to worry about it burning if I've spent longer outside than I intended.

My go-to slow cooker book is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. Her chipotle sweet potato chili is sweet, smoky and colorful, and it has quite a kick.

We enjoyed it over a mound of brown rice with gently-steamed snap peas on the side. Best of all, there will be leftovers for later in the week.

I started the kidney beans cooking in boiling water on the stove, then assembled the rest of the stew and started it cooking. I drained the kidney beans when they were just tender and stirred them in. They were able to pick up good flavors even in the shorter cooking time.

Although I like a good spicy kick to offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, you can add less chipotles if you prefer. Also, I used a roasted red pepper from my freezer. You can use a fresh one if you prefer - just seed and chop it and throw it in the sauté pan. No need to roast and peel.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili
2/3 cup kidney beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp chili powder
4 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp canned chipotle in adobo, chopped

Pick over the kidney beans and remove any small stones or debris. Rinse them, put in a pot with enough cold water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in 1/2 inch chunks.

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cover and cook gently until the onions are tender. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring, about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in sweet potatoes until they are covered in spices.

Scrape this all into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the cooked kidney beans, and 1 1/2 cups water. Season with salt, about 1 tsp or to taste. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Stir in the chipotle. Taste and add more chipotles or salt to taste.

Serves 6-8