Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Swiss Chard Pesto

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

Heat Scale
Submit Recipe

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (grind dried chile in coffee grinder till a fine powder)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (see above)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 batch swiss chard pesto
12 corn tortillas, warmed
1 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
cilantro to taste
lime wedges to taste

Instructions:

Toss the sweet potato in the oil, chili powder and cumin, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and cook until warm, a few minutes. Assemble tacos and enjoy.

From Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Swiss Chard Pesto