Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

It's been a yearly tradition that on Halloween (or close to it) I make Rachel Ray's Chipotle-Pumpkin Black Bean Soup while we carve pumpkins and watch Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street and pass out candy to whom ever dares come near the door thanks to some pretty vocal pups (Wow. Run on sentence much?).

Ferocious.


Anyways, while in Denver I started thinking that the base of the soup, plus a couple other ingredients, would make an amazing chili. Let's forget that i've been home for a month and am now trying this recipe for the first time, shall we?

And let's forget the blurry camera phone photo I am about to show you...use your imagination ;)




Pumpkin Black Bean Chili, serves 4-6 (Vegan, Gluten Free--although i'm no expert on that subject)

2 T canola oil
1 med yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 T chili powder
1 T oregano
1 T cumin
3 t garlic powder
1 t smoked paprika
1 1/2 t chipotle powder
1/2 t cinnamon
2 t Braggs liquid amino
12 oz Negra Modelo
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can water (I just measure it in the tomato can)
2 c. pumpkin puree

*In a large soup pot heat 2 T canola oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for about 2 min until slightly translucent. Next, add diced bell peppers and saute for about 5 minutes to soften. Once soft, add spices and cook for about a minute while stirring (I like to do this to "wake up" the dried spices). Add in remaining ingredients and simmer until desired thickness~about 25-30 minutes.

Couple side notes:
~Feel free to add fresh minced garlic instead of the powder. I'd say 3 med sized cloves minced would be perfect.
~No chipotle powder? Remember you can order it here. If you don't want to do that, sub in 1 chipotle in adobo minced finely and maybe about 1 T of the adobo sauce.
~Don't like it spicy? Omit chipotle and double the chili powder. But, seriously, who doesn't like some spicy~ness every now and again? :)
~Don't have Negra Modelo? Sub in any dark beer. I use it because I love it. So there.
~No need to specifically by the bell pepper varieties I used here. Green would be just as fine I just got all 3 of the peppers for $2.88. Score in my book.

**Garnish with sliced scallions, cheese, sour cream (vegan or not). More pumpkin puree...why not? :)

Now, this may not turn out quite like you expect a chili might be. It's a tad creamier thanks to the pumpkin puree. It's delicious nonetheless. Next time I may up the Braggs & the cumin. I simply can't get enough cumin. I've gone through 2 jars in probably 4 months. Yup, goes with/on everything!

Now, what goes better with some chili? Some may say corn chips...I say cornbread! mmhmm



Beer & Cheddar Cornbread serves 9...maybe
Inspired by Ashley's cornbread recipe.

1 c finely ground cornmeal
1 c all purpose flour
3 T ground flax meal
3 t baking powder
1 t garlic powder
1 1/4 c Negra Modelo (why not?)
1 t Braggs liquid amino
3 T canola oil
4 T agave nectar (can sub honey, brown rice syrup or maple syrup)
1 c + 1/4 c Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 9 x 9 baking pan with canola oil (or spray with cooking spray).

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, flax meal, baking powder & garlic powder. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine beer, liquid aminos, oil & agave (in that order--oil 1st makes agave come out so easily). Add liquid to dry and stir until combined. It may look really liquidy. Keep whisking! It will eventually come together. Mix in 1 c. cheese. Pour batter into an oiled baking pan (mine was 9 x 9 I believe). Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Side notes:
~Wanna make it vegan? Swap Dairy cheese for Daiya cheez.
~Scallions would make a nice addition mixed into the batter. Cumin would be good too.
~Gluten-Free? See Ashley's recipe. I'm a firm believer in the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it".

This was pretty delicious. I cooked it for 25 minutes and the knife came out clean. I think it could have cooked a few minutes more. It was a bit doughy to start. Also, was told it resembled banana bread....less agave next time for sure! Not bad for my first vegan cornbread. I have plans for version 2. Oh yes.



All I have to say is thank goodness my food is better than my photos.

Happy Halloween!

Easy Vegan Recipe~Cream of Broccoli & Spinach Soup~

Now, I can certainly appreciate that when the temps in the next few weeks will certainly be well into the 100's in some places (ahem, Florida) soup not be your go to meal of choice. However, I am the kind of person who enjoys soup all year long. The rest of your meals can be hot, so why not have a delicious bowl of soup? I have often heard that soup is merely a vessel for a warm & crusty baguette. I'm game.

I had some broccoli in the fridge to use up and so I decided to make a cream of broccoli soup. It is my FAVORITE soup to order at Panera Bread! Spinach was an addition merely to do the same-use up food in the fridge. This soup is so simple to make, I really don't know why I don't make it more often. Anyhow, without further adieu......

Cream of Broccoli & Spinach Soup *Serves 2~4*
1 T Canola Oil
1 T Earth Balance
1 leek, cleaned* & sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, peeled & chopped
3 c broccoli florets and stems (stems peeled & chopped)
3 c water
1 t vegetable base
1 bay leaf
3 c loosely packed spinach
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
3/4 c nutritional yeast
S&P to taste

In a large stock pot, heat oil & margarine over medium heat. Add leeks and saute about 2-3 minutes until they start to get translucent. Add garlic and saute for about another minute. Be careful to not burn the garlic or it will get bitter! Toss carrots in the pan and saute for about a minute to start softening. Add broccoli to the pot and season veggies with salt and generous amounts of pepper as well as the bay leaf. Next, add water and veggie base, stir to combine. Cover and cook about 15 minutes until broccoli is tender. Add spinach to wilt~about 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat & remove bay leaf.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until creamy..be patient this will take some time. About halfway through blending, add almond milk to help move the rest of the veggies along. (You can also puree this in a blender, just be sure to do it in batches!). Once pureed, add nutritional yeast and salt & pepper to taste.

Voila


You could definitely adapt this recipe by leaving it a bit chunky or adding fresh herbs (thyme would be lovely), subbing some or all the broccoli with cauliflower, puree peas in to the mix instead of spinach (i'd add mint too). Melt in some daiya cheddar cheez or swirl in some pesto.

So I encourage you to not turn your nose up at a delicious bowl of soup simply because it's summertime. This a great make ahead meal, perfect for those long work days when you are too hot to slave over the stove :)

What is your favorite soup? Is there any soup that you'd like me to recreate? Leave a comment below :)

Morroccan Magic

Sometimes I get these great ideas that I can do "X" amount of things on my 1 hr lunch break. Like make lunch....and dinner. *Magic*

Yea.

I had all these poor veggies that were waiting to be used and so I decided i'd try to make some kind of morroccan inspired dish~specifically a take on a tagine. I've always had a sweet tooth and the thought of adding dried fruit to a savory dish had always intrigued me..until now.

I'm undecided on how I feel about this addition to the dish. I either cooked it too long or need more fruit. They certainly did plump though...

Personally, I loved it. I think it was tasty as is...may work on balancing the spices a bit more though.



Side Note: As i'm writing this post, I think..wait, I need the recipe. I then realized I forgot to write it down..oops. Good thing my food memory is better that my regular memory :)

The ingredients list may be long..but it is seriously so simple!

Morroccan "Magic" Tagine
2 T canola oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
2 t cumin
1 t turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 t red pepper flakes
2 c chopped broccoli
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
2 c fresh spinach
1 can diced tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
2 c vegetable broth (I used 2 c water + 2 t vegetable base)
1/4 c golden raisins
6 dried apricots, chopped

1. In a large pan, heat canola oil. Add onion. garlic & ginger and cook 2 minutes.
2. Add spices~cook 1 minute.
3. Add vegetables, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste & dried fruit. Simmer 20-30 minutes until veggies are tender.

So good. And it took me 15 minute to make (minus cooking time). You could use just about any vegetable in here (would probably either decrease the amount of broccoli & sub in another vegetable or use something different--tends to get a little overcooked the second time around). Served mine over couscous topped with sunflower seeds (I am REALLY loving these lately!) along side of roasted chickpeas. mmmm.

If I am going to be making more morroccan inspired food, i'll be needing one of these in my life. Don't you agree?? :)