Brazilian Black Bean Stew

I was really in the mood for something flavorful and exotic a few days ago, and I wanted something that combined meat and a fruity, sweet flavor. I did some digging on allrecipes.com and found this recipe. Since I lacked a few ingredients and I can never seem to leave a recipe alone, I made some tweaks to it.

This gorgeous bowl of awesomeness is called Brazilian Black Bean Stew. And it's actually even better as leftovers than the first day of cooking, as I discovered today. The flavors soak through it all and flavor the whole dish to perfection.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 lb. chicken sausage, chopped or sliced thin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can Rotel (with green chilies)
1 1/2 cups water
2 16 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of pepper

First, heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken sausage just enough to warm it. (2 to 3 minutes). Add the diced onion to the skillet, and cook until tender. Stir in the minced garlic, then mix in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes with juice, Rotel, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Next, stir the beans into the rest of the mixture, and cook uncovered until they begin to soften a bit more. Mix in the pineapple, and season with salt, cumin, pepper, and other spices to taste. 

I recommend allowing it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings depending upon portion size.

Ratings from the Experts*: Me- First night I gave it a 7. It seemed way too tomato heavy and the spices just didn't seem to blend through it all. Today... I give it a strong 9. The flavors had melded together and the tomato did not seem overbearing today at all. It was delicious. The spices were great today, although in the future I think I would increase the cumin to 1/2 a teaspoon and add more than a pinch of pepper... and possibly add some basil to the mix for good measure. Hubby gave it a 7 as well but also agreed that it only seemed to get better as leftovers. I'm thinking somehow this might do even better as a slow cooker recipe? Nonetheless... this is a definite yes to making it again.

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