Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

I am still looking for low fat, vegan soup options for our two 'fasting' days. I combined two different recipes, that I found out on the intertubes and the results were WONDERFUL, you have the black beans with a with savory spices and big chunks of sweet potato that add a subtle nutty, sweetness. It's hearty enough to stick with you for a while.

About The Beans:  this recipe uses one whole pound of black beans.  I made them from dried beans, because I had the time and it's no big deal, they take approximately a couple hours ( pick through for small stones, add a tsp of salt, cover with water, bring them to a boil and remove from heat, soak for an hour, then cook until they are tender - black beans take about 30 - 40 minutes).  You don't don't have to babysit them, which makes it easy if you work-from-home.  One pound of dried beans yields about 6 - 7 cups of cooked beans.  If you don't care to cook your own beans, use three 15-oz cans of canned black beans (I usually use Goya brand).  Rinse them first, they have a lot of added salt.

In a big stock pot:

Heat 1 tbls of olive oil until shimmering

ADD and saute, until the onions are transluscent (about 3 minutes):

1 onion, chopped,
3 - 4 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced

ADD, your spices and sautee for about a minute until fragrant

1 tsp garam masala or curry powder (optional, I know some don't like this)
2 tsps salt or more depending on taste
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp Spanish Smoked Paprika

ADD,

7 cups of water or vegetable broth
3 sweet potatoes, diced into 3/4 inch cubes

Bring to a rapid simmer, and cook until the potatoes are done, 20-30 minutes

PUREE in a blender, with some of the liquid from the stew and add to the soup:

2 cups of black beans (or one of your cans of RINSED black beans)

[this black bean puree adds a richness to the stew]

ADD,

the rest of the Black Beans, or 2 cans of RINSED canned black beans.

That's it!  It actually was better than I thought it would be.  Let me know what you think!









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