Butternut Chili....yes, really.

It's gotten a little cooler these days, and I think the first official day of autumn is this Saturday, so all of a sudden I can't help but think about my favorite fall foods.  One of those faves is chili.  I make a lot of different kinds of chili throughout the colder months.  That's the beauty of chili, it can be made with turkey, beef, pork or vegetarian.  You can use all kinds of beans or just one type.  You can switch up the seasonings, and herbs and take it into a certain ethnic direction.  I dig it!

But when I told one of my friends today that I was going to make a butternut squash chili, I could feel the eye roll in his voice.  Some people are so old school  (I think maybe some people just lack imagination!).  Since I don't follow a particular set of rules, just my heart, I don't see how you can't know that the sweetness of butternut would mix perfectly with the spicy tang of chili.  Sweet and spicy, just like me....that works, right????  Plus there's the textural element that the bite-sized cubes of butternut squash add to this chili.  All in all, it's warm bowl of goodness....both from a health standpoint and a "wow your taste buds" standpoint.

I started by whipping up a quick batch of vegetable stock....onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and tomatoes.

It only takes a half hour for this to come together, so while it was simmering I prepped the rest of my chili ingredients: chopped some onion and shallots, minced some garlic, peeled and chopped a butternut squash, seeded and chopped a jalapeno pepper, opened a couple cans of black beans, a can of pinto beans, and a can of fire roasted tomatoes.  i measured out some chili powder, cumin and coriander and we're ready to roll.   Again bucking the rules, I usually wait until the end of cooking to taste and then adjust my seasonings; in this case I added salt and pepper, of course, along with a little balsamic vinegar (learned this tip from my college sweetheart's mom) and some grade B maple syrup to balance out the acid from the tomatoes.

I made this for a client tonight, but managed to save a little bowl for myself.  Welcome autumn....bring it!



Butternut Squash Chili

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 cups peeled, diced butternut squash

2 ½ cup vegetable stock

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 14-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, with juice

2 T chili powder

1teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Salt & pepper to taste

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add onion and shallot and saute  minutes until softened.
• Add jalapeno pepper and garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add butternut and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the veg broth, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and coriander.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes uncovered.
• Add vinegar and maple syrup and continue cooking  minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Yum it up!!!