Award Winning Vegan Pumpkin Chili

It’s been a while.  Things have been a little crazy, but wanted to share this recipe.  If you plan to cook to a big crowd for Halloween or Thanksgiving chili is the way to go.  I got a prize at work for entering my vegan pumpkin chili to a Chili Cook-off contest.  It starts out a little sweet and ends with a kick.  I added pumpkin flavors to give it an autumn twist.  The level of hotness is fiery hot, so adjust the recipe to your spice level.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 zucchini (cut in cubes)
• 1 red pepper (cut into cubes)
• 1 cubanelle pepper (cut into cubes)
• 2 serrano peppers (remove seeds and cut into small cubes)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds and cut into small cubes)
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of organic pumpkin (It has to be a can of pure pumpkin.  Don’t use pumpkin pie.)
• 1 ½ tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• ½ tsp of cayenne
• ½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of vegan worcestershire sauce (I used Wizard’s Organic sauce and you can get this at Whole Foods.)
• ¼ bottle of Sam Adam’s Pumpkin Beer
• 1 cup of corn
• 1 15 oz can of cannellini beans
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 ½ cups of veggie broth
• spring onions (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil under medium heat in a large pot
2. Sauté onion and garlic
3. Once onions are slightly caramelized sauté zucchini, red pepper, cubanelle pepper, jalapeno, and serrano pepper until soft
4. Add crushed tomatoes, pumpkin, beer, chili, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, and cayenne.  Cover pot and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat
5. Add cannellini beans, black beans, and corn
6. Add veggie broth as needed to create the thickness you need.  I used all 1 ½ cups of veggie broth
7. Cook on low heat for 45 minutes
8. It gets better overnight if you transfer the chili into a slow cooker and keep the temperature on warm
9. Dress it with spring onions before you serve
10. Sprinkle mild shredded cheddar if you like to make it vegetarian