Sweet Potato Quinoa & Cacao Chilli
If you don’t have a passion for cacao, the likelihood is I won’t understand you as a person. Surely a love for cacao is the fundaments of being a human? I think so anyway. Cacao creates such a buzz within me and soothes my mind, as well as my constant chocolate craving. Cacao is scientifically a happy food that is naturally adored by humans, therefore you should never fell guilty about eating chocolate or adding it to your food… right?
Within my far from ordinary diet, I have cacao in some form at least once a day. My favourite go-to is Hot Chocolate! You just can’t go wrong with a slow energy releasing hot bevvy. My sweet tooth needs to be satisfied somehow! However, cacao tastes just as good within savoury food. Mexican/ Latin American food works especially well with this wondrous ingredient.
I’m sure you’ve heard the trick of popping a piece of rich, dark chocolate into your chilli bowl for an added deep taste; the same goes for a couple tablespoons of 100% cacao (or cocoa if you wanted!) If you try your regular chilli with a little bit of choco magic, you won’t be able to go back. Come to the dark side; become a cacao addict like The Hungry Herbivores.
My other favourite ingredients? SWEET POTATO! I need that stuff in my life. New jersey potatoes are out and Sweet Potatoes are in. The soft texture and naturally sweet flavour is to die for. The sweetness of the potato combines beautifully with the richness of the dark cacao. Add this to my fave grain, Quinoa, another sweet thing, Sweetcorn and those gorgeous Mexican Spices – Tada! You have a super simple, super tasty Sweet Potato Quinoa & Cacao Chilli.
This is a great recipe for a quick dinner to feed the masses. The ingredients are cheap, abundant and notorious crowd pleasers. Any leftovers (yeah right) are freezer friendly and lunchbox happy, so you can relive the cacao goodness when the flavours have mellowed and developed even further. Perfecto.
Let me know what you thought of the recipe and whether you’ve been converted to a life of cacao…
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 chilli, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1½ tbsp cacao powder
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup quinoa
- ½ cup frozen sweetcorn
- 1 lime
- seasoning to taste
- Heat the olive oil to a large saucepan or pot over med high heat and add the cumin seeds. Cook until popping.
- Add the onion and fry until translucent.
- Add the garlic and chilli, stir and fry until fragrant (30 second to a minute)
- Mix in the tomato puree, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, cacao until it forms a paste. Glaze the saucepan with a little vegetable stock and stir the paste into a liquid. Add the sweet potato. Fry for about a minute.
- Pour in the rest of the vegetable stock, tinned tomatoes and quinoa. Let it come to a heavy simmer, then reduce heat for a steady simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 mins, add the sweetcorn and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through.
- Season to taste, then serve!