Pumpkin Mole Chili w/ Chipotle Creme and Homemade Cornbread Croutons

I really generally hate chili. There's just something so...yucky about it. I think it's the chalky awful chili powder that most people use, or the overabundance of random veggies that people seem to throw into vegetarian chili {causing the chili to lose all focus}.

However, I can't resist a competition, and when I was invited to participate in a chili cookoff today, I knew I had to change my feelings toward chili, and fast. I looked at dozens of chili recipes, deconstructing them, determining what I disliked about chili, and rethinking the whole concept of this comfort food favorite.

I came up with Pumpkin Mole Chili w/ Chipotle Creme and Homemade Cornbread Croutons. Despite being the only vegan chili in the cookoff {and me being the only vegan in the whole slew of people there}, my chili won! It was amazing, if I do say so myself. Spicy, smoky, rich, deep, and complex -- everything you'd hope for in a man, now in chili form! heh And, because I'm so very nice, I will share my recipes with you here.

Pumpkin Mole Chili
Serves 6 - 8

1 medium sugar pumpkin {sometimes called pie pumpkins}, peeled, seeded, and diced
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large onion, diced
12 oz vegan crumbles {I used Boca Ground Crumbles}
4 1/2 cups red kidney beans {3 15oz cans drained and rinsed}
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 - 2 cups of vegetarian broth, depending on desired consistency {I used Better-Than-Bullion No Beef broth}
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tbsp pureed chipotle in adobo {more or less, to taste}
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Toss the diced pumpkin with one tbsp of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes or until tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and cook until golden and starting to caramelize. Add ground crumbles and cook until browned.

3. Add beans, tomatoes, broth, pumpkin puree, chipotle in adobo, cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a bubbling simmer, and check for seasoning. Lower the heat to medium low, and let simmer for 30 - 45 minutes to blend flavors.

4. Stir in diced roasted pumpkin, and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 10 more minutes, until pumpkin is heated through. Serve immediately.

Tip: When I'm roasting the pumpkin, I like to roast a second whole pumpkin, split down the middle and covered with foil. Then I can use the second pumpkin for the pumpkin puree called for in the recipe. It's much fresher and tastes better than canned pumpkin.


Chipotle Creme

1 1/2 cups vegan sour cream {I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream}
1 tbsp pureed chipotle in adobo, or more, to taste

Swirl the chipotle puree through the sour cream so it's streaked but not fully stirred in. You can stir it in all the way, but it turns kind of an unappealing shade of pink.



Cornbread Croutons

1 recipe cornbread {I like this recipe because it doesn't rise much, is quite dense, and holds together well}, baked and cooled
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the cornbread into small cubes, about 1".
2. Toss the cornbread cubes with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking pan.
3. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes, until crispy, tossing every 10 - 15 minutes.

Spaghetti Tacos

Okay, so this is really embarrassing, but the one show on TV that me, the Supertoddler, and the Ninjahusband can agree on is iCarly. Don't look at me like that! How often can you find a show that makes you laugh so hard you almost pee, but that is also clean enough for your 2-year-old to watch? Anyway, suffice it to say that we are big iCarly fans in our family.

On iCarly, Carly's older brother Spencer is famous for his "spaghetti tacos". They never explain what they are, and when I went looking for a recipe, all I could find was the following "recipe" from the iCarly site:

Get taco shells.
Get spaghetti (with meat sauce).
Get a BIG spoon.
Use the BIG spoon to put spaghetti into taco shells.
Eat.
Burp.

That didn't really sound like the most delicious thing to me. After bouncing some ideas off the Ninjahusband, we decided to make spaghetti tacos of our own, likely a little more elaborate than the above "recipe". We made them today for lunch, and they came out deliciously. Once we got over the slight weirdness of the texture of the spaghetti in the taco shells, we couldn't get enough of them. Supertoddler loved them too!


Spaghetti Tacos are serious business.


Mmm delicious!

We deliberated as to whether to go the Italian spaghetti route, or whether to stick with the Mexican/taco theme. We decided ultimately that Mexican-flavored spaghetti would be more fitting, plus afforded us the opportunity to add yummy tacolicious toppings. Here is our "recipe":

Spaghetti Tacos
{Makes 12 tacos.}

1 12oz package Smart Ground Mexican-Style Crumbles {or equal quantity of your other favorite crumbles}
1 14oz can tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/3 lb spaghetti noodles, broken into 2 - 3" pieces
12 taco shells
your favorite taco toppings {we used Tofutti Better-Than-Sour-Cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes}

1. Stir fry the crumbles on medium heat until browned and heated through. Add tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. Turn the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer while you cook the spaghetti.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender, about 9 minutes. Drain. Mix noodles with sauce.

3. To construct the tacos, fill about 1/2 way with spaghetti mixture. Top with sour cream, guacamole, or whatever toppings you've chosen. Eat! {Burping optional.}

Recent 1000 Vegan Recipes Adventures

I've been busy cooking this weekend, all recipes from 1000 Vegan Recipes. The picture above is of Pumpkin Ravioli with Peas and Caramelized Shallots.

Other recent adventures include:

Mylie's Secret Queso Dip

Avocado and Tempeh Bacon Wraps


Pastry-Wrapped Portobellos w/ Basic Mashed Potatoes and Madeira Sauce

Spicy Indian Cauliflower

Triple Coconut Cheezcake

Sesame-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

A delicious new way to serve spaghetti squash, blogged on the 1000 Vegan Recipes blog.

Lasagna Pinwheels

Lasagna Pinwheels were a good concept, but a little disappointing. Read more about it on the 1000 Vegan Recipes blog.

Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I know that's a conceited claim, that these are the best oatmeal raisin cookies...but I wouldn't claim it if it wasn't true. I promise you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that these will be the best oatmeal raisin cookies you will ever eat in your life. They are chewy and soft and perfectly spiced, with just the perfect amount of both oatmeal and raisins. Everyone who tries these raves about them.

Now you can make them too, and collect all the accolades for yourself. I promise, I won't tell that it's not your original recipe.

Disclaimer: These are not healthy for you. Cookies are not meant to be. They are a sometimes food. Healthy cookies are just...gross. If you're on a diet, don't make these. But if you want a great treat to indulge in once in a while, these are your ticket.

Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 3 dozen.

1 cup margarine {2 sticks of Earth Balance}, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unrefined white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana, mashed well
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream together margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and banana and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the sugar mixture until combined.
3. Add oats and raisins and stir until evenly distributed. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a greased {or parchment-lined} cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Broccoli and Lemon Orzo Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups. It's simple to put together, delicate enough to eat when you're not feeling well, but with a complex enough flavor to enjoy when you feel great and just want some good soup. It's on the brothier side, which lend itself well to being served with a loaf of crusty artisan bread.

The quality of the vegetable stock you use here is important. Use one that is relatively neutral and that you enjoy the flavor of. As with any brothy soup, it's only as good as the quality of your broth. Another note -- orzo is magical. As this soup sits, the orzo will soak up any remaining liquid. If you want to eat leftovers of this soup the next day, either plan on eating it more "casserole" or "stew" style...or add more broth/lemon to return it to its original soup state.

Broccoli & Lemon Orzo Soup
Serves 6.

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cups good vegetable broth
1 lb of broccoli, cut into bite­size pieces
3⁄4 cup orzo
the zest of one lemon
the juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp dill, chopped

1. In a large pot over medium­high heat, cook onions in olive oil until starting to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender and orzo is cooked through. Add zest, juice, and dill. Serve immediately.