The temperatures have plummeted this past week. Whereas we were getting a low of 6°C at night a week ago, we are now flirting with the freezing mark. If the sun comes out, then we can get up to a pleasant 10° or so, but when it is overcast we are staying firmly in the single digits. Brrrr! The heating in our house hasn’t been turned on yet, so my knitting is also going a bit slowly, since in the morning, me fingers are quite cold. But I am working away on a cowl I am designing (still…life has been busy!). To help with ideas and whatnot, while still knitting, I have been following along with Aroha Knits Swatch Studio. The free videos are a recording of a live-stream event she did a while back. I found them to be quite useful and inspirational, once you get past some of the comments that are popping up such as “I’m here!” and “Great job!” from the viewers during the live stream event.
In any case, I am only a few colors away from finishing my cowl, and then I will work on getting it tested over on Ravelry. I am loving using the Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply (as usual). The colors that I am using tend to inspire the stitch pattern, rather than the other way around.
On top of the chilly weather, my parents have flown in this weekend for a nice, long visit! As I am to be quite busy with them, I want to spend minimal time in the kitchen, yet keep us well-fed and happy. So the slow cooker will be getting a workout, to be sure! Or in this case, my Multi-chef Pro by Solis. I can’t stand washing pans, so having the sear function built in is a boon.
This recipe comes together incredibly fast: gather ingredients, sear meat, sauté veg, toss in the seasoning, add the rest of the ingredients and ignore for 8 hours.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 0.5 Kg Stewing beef/ragout
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 0.5 bell pepper, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 T tomato paste
- 2-3 T chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 dried chipotle chilis
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 (400g) can diced tomato
- 1 (400 g drained) can black or pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 (140 g drained) can kidney beans, rinsed
- 1 small can corn
- 1 large (apx. 0.5 kg) sweet potato, skin on and cubed into rough chunks
- 1-2 cups beef stock
- Salt and pepper
Directions
1) Sear beef in oil in preheated Solis Multi-chef Pro on sear setting. Season generously with salt and pepper.2) Add chopped onions, garlic and peppers and stir. When slightly soft, stir in tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, bay leaf, dried chilis, and cayenne pepper.
3) Add beans, corn and sweet potato. Stir in canned tomato and enough beef stock to moisten, but not make soupy.
4) Turn the cooker to low, cover and let sit 7-8 hours.
5) Serve topped with your choice of toppings.
Eat This, Knit That 