Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe is a Pinterest find.  The original recipe is from Mike Free Mom.

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 6oz can tomato paste

32oz vegetable stock

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 t oregano

1 T olive oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 c dry quinoa

salt and pepper, to taste

avocado and cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10minutes).
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about 2minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5minutes, then add the quinoa.
4. Continue cooking for about 15 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. Add a bit of water if the chili becomes too thick for your liking.
5. Serve with avocado and chopped cilantro.

I have to admit, I intended this make this recipe as a way to use up some sweet potatoes we had, and had purchased a butternut squash at the store for another recipe.  Well, when I was making this, I completely misread the directions and used a butternut squash peeled and cut into bite sized chunks instead of the sweet potato.  Oops?  It was very good, but the cooking time was longer and I did have to add water on top of the vegetable broth.  Next time I was cook as per the directions; everything else about this was quite tasty!