When the weather gets cold, we love to make a big batch of pumpkin chili. Pumpkin is a nutritional and antioxidant powerhouse. It’s also a great immune booster, which everyone can use this time of year.
This is one of our easiest recipes to make. It stores well in the freezer, so go ahead and make a big batch and save some for easy dinners later in the season. Fire roasting the peppers on the grill or over the stove burner gives the flavor a ‘wow’ factor and will have you coming back for more.
We serve our chili with a crowd-pleasing beer bread that’s also simple to make and deliciously comforting. If you’ve never made bread before, beer bread is a great place to start. It’s only a few ingredients and minimal effort because the beer does the work.
We find that an IPA produces the best flavor. We use Terrapin’s Hopsecutioner or Atlanta-made Night On Ponce from Three Taverns. Other good choices are Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Avoid overly citrusy IPAs or ones with high ABV unless you like really sweet bread.
Grab your crockpot, a couple of beers, and some bread pans and prepare to get warm and cozy with this plant-powered autumn dish!
Makes: 12 - 16 servings
Takes: 20 minutes hands on, 6 hours in the crockpot, 1 hour bake time for bread
Chili:
1 tsp avocado oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, diced
At least 5 kinds of peppers, such as:
1 jalapeno
1 serrano
1 habanero
1 red bell pepper
1 banana pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 15 oz cans pumpkin
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can white beans
1 can kidney beans
1 cup red lentils
16 oz package frozen corn
4 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chipotle
1 Tbsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp gochuchang or sriracha
1 Tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp tamarind paste
Method:
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Place peppers on a heated grill or hold over stove top burner with tongs. Grill peppers until nicely charred, about 5 - 10 minutes. Let peppers cool, remove seeds, dice, and set aside. Add all ingredients to a large crock pot and cook for 6 hrs on low.
We like to make the bread an hour before we eat the chili so its fresh. 2 loaves should be the right amount to finish off the chili, but it’s so delicious you might want extra!
Beer Bread:
3 cups flour, sifted
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
1 12 oz beer
¼ cup olive oil + some for greasing the pan
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients first. Pour in beer and mix lightly. The mixture should be a little clumpy. Pour into a greased loaf pan and drizzle olive oil over the top. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
Serve with a little vegan sour cream or our awesome pine nut cream. Finish with edible flowers, herbs, sprouts, and/or microgreens. Enjoy!