Start Me Up

So as promised, I am sharing with you all some SUPER awesome tailgating ideas from now until Sunday!  Because of that Super Bowl thing we have going on.  As I mentioned before, there is actually a team that I like playing in the game this year, so I am excited!  So, just an FYI, if you do not have a team affiliation for the game, you are now San Francisco 49 fans for the remainder of the week.  OK?  Great.

And also, since I was bitching about it yesterday, yes, it has warmed up and already my sinuses are angry.  It is supposed to get cold again by Friday.  And by cold I mean Arctic blast cold.  At least that is what my weatherman said.  I don't know.  He could be full of shit.  Regardless, 20 degrees makes a big difference, and I am pretty sure that is how much its going to drop.  So yay for the next three or four days...glad I have a stockpile of tissues right now.

So how in the hell am I going to incorporate soup into a tailgating food?  Please.  Do you doubt me?  I even managed to make it meatless...just because.  Boom.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

3 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced

3 large onion, diced

12 cloves garlic, minced

6 tablespoons chili powder

12 teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile 

¾ teaspoon salt

7 ½ cups water

6 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

3 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

12 teaspoons lime juice

1 ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

That will make you about 12 servings.  And how about this...serve them in bread bowls.  Adorable!

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And now your Zen...