Mama Kat Thursday: Fall Chili Recipe

That's the Mama Kat prompt for today, "Share A Fall Recipe."

And I have the perfect one for October!
Orange & Black Chili
(With Sweet Potatoes & Black Beans!)

I found and tried this recipe last Oct and since then have made it my annual Halloween tradition--since it is black and orange!

It was originally meatless, but I find "meatless" doesn't stick to the ribs very well, so my version includes ground meat.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil

1 lb ground meat of your favorite type
1 med-large sweet potato peeled & cut up. (Don't make pieces too small since it becomes so soft during cooking.)

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp chili powder

4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper or red pepper (or mince a

small fresh jalapeno)

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups water

2 15oz cans black beans drained & rinsed

1 14oz can diced tomatoes
4 tsp lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1) Heat oil in dutch oven over med heat. Brown ground meat and drain if needed. Add sweet potato, & onion and cook until onion is turning transparent, stirring often, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt & stir in. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reducing heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook until sweet potato is tender, about 10 - 12 minutes.

2)  Add beans, tomatoes & lime juice; increase heat to high, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for about 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Makes 4 servings of 2 cups each.

It can also be made in a slow cooker with slight changes to the cooking procedure: 
Brown the ground meat and onion together, then drain if needed. Pour meat mix into slow-cooker, then add remaining ingredients, except cilantro. Stir around to combine well & cover. Save cilantro to stir just before serving.
Time for cooking is guesswork.
I'd allow at least 3 hours for cooking, maybe starting on high for an hour, then reducing to low for another 2.