Exotic, simple, hearty - bean stew with a twist

Some times you just haven't got the time or the money to make something fancy for dinner, but you want something that has an exotic feel and satisfying taste.

You can make a meal out of black beans and a few other ingredients around the house in no time.

Back on land for a few days to wait out some heavy winds and visit with some friends and family, I put together a tasty Black Bean and Sweet Potato stew that is sweet and hearty that has a bit of an eastern feel to it with just some things that were on the boat. You can throw this togehter in 10 or 15 minutes if you have the sweet potato already cooked or if you want to zap it in the microwave to cook it.

I've been told this tastes really good as a side dish with poultry. I know it tastes great alone or piled on top of a scoop of rice.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium sweet potato, boiled and peeled, cut into bite sized pieces

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 red pepper, diced

1/4 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

hot pepper sauce, to taste

• Saute the red pepper, onion and garlic in a sauce pan until the onion begins to brown.
• Add the sweet potato and stir with the other vegetables until the sweet potato just starts to color around the edges.
• Mix in the beans, salt, pepper and hot sauce and stir until the whole mixture is heated through.
• Garnish with sour cream or non-dairy sour cream.

Vegan.