Sweet n Spicy Pumpkin Chili

It's October and that means Pumpkin! I love finding and making new pumpkin recipes.  I also love chili.  Why not combine the two for Pumpkin Chili!   A touch of sweet, also spicy with oodles of pumpkin and it is vegan to boot.  The first time I made it I took it to a chili cook off at my church and it took Second Place.  (First Place went to my other entry Chipotle Chocolate Chili ).  I love this fresh take on chili and hope you do too!  

Spicy n Sweet Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients 

1 Tablespoon coconut oil 

1/2  large onion, finely chopped 

1 carrot, finely chopped 
1 stalk celery, finely chopped 

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped 
1-2 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced
1 habanero pepper, minced 
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 
1/2 large onion, rough chopped 

2 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons soy sauce* 

1 cup vegetable broth 
1 can coconut milk
4 cups pumpkin puree
4 medium to large fresh tomatoes, chopped 

1  15 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes, with liquid

1 14.5 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 
1 14.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
1 14.5 ounce can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed 
2-3 cups uncooked cubed pumpkin
salt and pepper to taste 

garnish 

chopped green onions

shredded cheddar cheese

light sour cream or Greek Yogurt 

Directions

Heat coconut oil add 1/2 onion, carrot and celery, saute until caramelized
Add chopped peppers and remaining onion and saute about five more minutes 
Meanwhile combine chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cayenne 
Add the seasoning blend and soy sauce, saute five more minutes 
Add vegetable broth to deglaze the pan
Mix in coconut milk, stir to blend well and simmer five minutes
Stir in the pumpkin puree and blend well 
Add chopped tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes and all beans, mix well
Add cubed pumpkin 
Bring to a simmer and reduce heat
Simmer, covered until the pumpkin is tender 

Serve with desired toppings 

Tips and Hints

• I recommend fresh pumpkin puree
• *Use LaChoy or Tamari sauce to make this gluten free
• Can be cooked in a crock pot by transferring to the crock-pot right after deglazing the pan, then following the directions except cooking on low 6-8 hours 
• If you like a bit less spicy omit the habanero and use only one jalapeno, removing the seeds.  You can also use other chili peppers of varying heat depending on your preference

Pumpkin Puree

I love cooking with pumpkin!   Sometimes sweet, sometimes savory, always delicious!   The building block of everything pumpkin is liquid gold, aka pumpkin puree.  Of course the puree from fresh real pumpkin is superior to the canned pumpkin and it is easy to make.   Cook up a bunch, freeze the excess and enjoy all your pumpkin recipes 

Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients 

Pumpkin! 

Directions

Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the seeds, set them aside
Scoop out all the "guts" and scrape any excess off the pumpkin flesh
Cut the pumpkin into medium size chunks 
Place face down on a baking sheet and place in a 350 oven 

Bake until the skin is dark and the flesh is very tender, about 2 hours

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can handle the pumpkin remove the skin 
Place the cooked flesh in a blender and process on high until it is a smooth, thick liquid 

Tips and Hints

• I've used both the large jack-o-lantern type pumpkin and the smaller sugar pumpkins with success, though the sugar pumpkins reportedly have more "pumpkin" flavor and the larger pumpkins are a bit more "squash" like 
• The cooked pumpkin will likely have a lot of moisture, sometimes even liquid, make sure this is put in the blender with the flesh
• The hotter the pumpkin the more easily it will process into puree, so as quickly as you can after the pumpkin comes out of the pumpkin 
• If you are not cooking with the puree right away pour into a large bowl and allow to cool.  You can then place in freezer bags and freeze to use later
• You can roast the seeds later and snack on them, or save and plant