Brazilian Black Bean Stew {with roasted sweet potatoes}

INGREDIENTS

2 cups

dried black beans (rinsed and picked over, then covered by at least double the height of water to soak. *See Notes)

5 cups

water

3 tsp

salt (divided)

2 tbsp

olive oil (divided)

large sweet potato (scrubbed, peeled, and diced into 1/8 to 1/4-inch cubes)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

3 cups

chopped onion

2 tbsp

minced garlic (divided)

2 tsp

cumin

1/4

to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)

medium carrot (peeled and minced)

red bell pepper (seeded, stemmed, and diced)

1 1/2 cups

fresh orange juice (or unsweetened orange juice)

medium tomatoes (diced, or 1 small can of diced tomatoes)

the zest of one orange

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

fresh cilantro

hot sauce of choice

avocado cubes

crumbled crispy bacon