Sweet potato and red beans chili

If you are on my side of the world, it is getting colder out there and the days are getting shorter. It is actually raining right now and I am writing this from my couch, all cozy with fluffy socks on and a large cup of herbal tea. Bliss!

Today's recipe is a savoury one, vegan and gluten free. A dish that is quite quick to make from whole foods (less than half an hour) and so delicious and comforting. Perfect for this season. So let's dig in!

INGREDIENTS:

For 2 people

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 small onion

1 small garlic clove

2 large tomatoes (diced)

1 avocado 

1 tin red beans (rinsed) 

3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Muscovado or Demerara sugar

1/2 tin tomato paste (or 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of ground cinnamon 

A pinch of Cayenne chili powder (or more if you like it hot)

Olive or coconut oil

Pink Himalayan salt

Black pepper

Brown Basmati rice

A few coriander leaves (optional)

METHOD:

Pre heat your oven at 180°C (350°F)

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray with a little olive or coconut oil and bake for 20 minutes until nice and soft.

While they are in the oven, start cooking your rice.

Dice your onion finely as well as your garlic. Spray a frying pan with oil and sauté the onions and garlic with the sugar to caramelise them. Add all of the spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, paprika, turmeric and chili powder). Cook and stir for a couple of minutes (this will roast the spices a little). 

Deglaze with the vinegar then add the tomato paste. Stir. Add the diced tomatoes and rinsed red beans, simmer for about 10 minutes then mash everything up with a potato masher. Season to taste.

At this point, your sweet potatoes should be done (or almost).

Mash up an avocado with half the juice of a lime, a pinch of ground garlic and some salt and pepper.

Serve over rice, add  the sweet potatoes and the mashed avocado. Top with a few coriander leaves.

Apricot, almond and basil tart tatin (vegan and GF)

I haven't posted in ages. I have been studying and travelling and exploring and studying some more. I'm back in France for the summer and since gorgeous, juicy summer fruits are in season, I thought I would whip up a nice Tarte Tatin. An apricot and almond Tarte Tatin. I mean look at these beauties I got from the farmers market! Also, there is nothing easier than this recipe! The only difficult thing is that if you want to make your puff pastry YOURSELF. There are endless recipes on Google or YouTube, vegan or not, gluten free or not, take your pic. Mine was organic, vegan and gluten free. A shortcrust would work fine too. Every time I eat this tart, I feel like I'm on a holiday in Provence, in the South of France, at a sunny terrace, listening to the gentle breeze and singing cicadas. So give it a try and let me know how you liked it :-)

Ingredients for 6 people :

1 organic GF puff pastry
7 ripe apricots
2  big TBS almond meal
1 big TBS vegan butter
2 TBS brown sugar or demerara sugar
For the decoration:
1 handful of sliced almonds
A few basil leaves

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180° C. In your tart tin, spread the vegan butter and sprinkle the sugar on top. This will create a bit of a syrup. Sprinkle the almond meal over it. Take your apricots halves and place them in the tin rounded side down.

Roll out your puff pastry and place it gently over your apricots. Press down on the sides.

Bake until it is puffed and a nice shade of golden brown. Mine took about 20 minutes.

When golden brown, let cool for a couple of minutes. Put a plate or dish tightly over it and invert so that your tart and syrup fall onto the dish.
Sprinkle the sliced almonds and basil leaves on top. You can serve cold or warm with some vegan ice cream (will post a recipe soon). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!