Heart Healthy Slow Cooker Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

I was 8 months pregnant with our first daughter when my husband, Graham, had a health scare which revealed his high cholesterol. Not what you’re expecting as an outwardly healthy 30 something soon-to-be father, eagerly anticipating your new arrival.

While he lost all practical use of one eye, which he regained over time helped by an eye patch, he turned his attention to fixing the cholesterol problem.  Since the eye patch meant he couldn’t drive, I naively assumed I could get myself to hospital when I went into labour.

Never fast foodies or junk food enthusiasts, our occasional indulgences were confined to experimenting with exotic ingredients or dining out.

So Graham took his new plight to heart and resolved to eat his way to optimum health. Oats began to feature very highly at breakfast time for their cholesterol reducing properties (and they still do) and there were nuts and seeds everywhere. Plant sterols were in abundance in our house where red meat was not and we both became more aware of the health benefits of the food we chose to cook and eat. He approached it with vigour and a clear optimism and saw it as adding to our repertoire rather than detracting from it.

This week we’re cooking a heart healthy recipe for sweet potato and black bean chili, whose benefits include

an abundance of soluble fiber helpful in lowering blood cholesterol levels and associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack (American Heart Association). In addition, black beans are a budget friendly food rich in protein and complex carbohydrates helping slow digestion and regulate blood sugars. Black beans offer a simple solution for increasing your intake of essential nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc which we are often lacking.

Looking back I wish I had a slow cooker in my kitchen after Lily’s birth as I got a definite case of “baby brain” and for a brief period I forgot how to cook!

Ingredients
1 ½ cups dried black beans pre cooked/ 3 cans drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups/1 large onion, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed 1” pieces
1tbsp & 1tsp all purpose flour * omit if you are gluten free or prefer a more soupy texture
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp each of hot smoked paprika, cocoa powder, cumin seed
½ tsp each of garlic powder, thyme, ¼ tsp black pepper
2 chipotle chilis, canned in adobo, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 x 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste, natural

to dress:
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
sour cream (fat free)
seasoning

Rinse the black beans and soak overnight in water

Drain and rinse the black beans.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion & sweet potato. Fry gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook out for 1 minute.

Add the garlic, spices, chipotle chilis, bouillon with water, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well together and place in your slow cooker insert.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Serve in bowls with the chopped cilantro, slices of avocado and a tablespoon of fat free sour cream

Leftover Tip

Use any leftover chipotle chile in adobo from the can and blend in a mixer with low fat sour cream and mayonnaise for a spicy topping.

Looking Ahead
Heart healthy month comes to a fishy conclusion next week with our Soy Salmon Lettuce Wraps.

Zen Toolkit
The chili is great for freezing, double the recipe so you have a batch leftover.

Zen Moment
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
– Corrie Ten Boom