Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

Happy Friday! 

It's lunch time...and the perfect time for some (leftover) black bean & butternut squash chili! 

We made it earlier this week and it was a hit.  We kept going back to the stove to spoon "just a little more" into our bowls.  It's addicting. The squash makes this chili different and also a little sweet, yum!  We'll definitely be making it again. Just don't wait till the last minute to put it together because it needs to simmer for several hours.

I found the recipe on my friend Kim's blog, check it out here! 

 

 

  Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

• 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 1/2 chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
• 2 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced*
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 2 1/4-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking bulgur**

Top with:

• Sour cream
• Coarsely grated hot pepper
• Monterey jack cheese
• Diced red onion chopped
• Fresh cilantro
• Pickled jalapeño rings

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle chili powder and coriander over; stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes with juice, beans, chipotles, and oregano. Add 10 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (time will vary depending on freshness of beans). Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Stir squash and bulgur into chili. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until squash and bulgur are tender, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide chili among bowls. Serve with sour cream, cheese, red onion, cilantro, and pickled jalapeño rings.

*I just used canned green chiles
**Or any grain...baby barley cereal works great! :)

Don't forget Mom's cornbread to serve with it!

And...just a word to the wise...be careful chopping the squash, especially if your knives are as dull as ours.  I won't post the photo of my poor sliced little thumb on this food blog post (yes I did take a photo).  Just take my word for it, it wasn't pretty!

J&L's Favorite Chili

The greatest thing about this recipe (besides the fact that it is the tastiest chili we've ever made) is that the hardest part of making it is opening all these cans!

 There are two secret ingredients that make this chili so good...and so easy.  Ssshhh!

 J&L's Favorite Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans pinto beans (with juice)

1 can kidney beans (with juice)

3 cans diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 can whole kernel corn (with juice)

1 to 2 cans green chiles, to taste

1/3-1/2 cup green olives, drained and chopped (sometimes we add a few black olives, as well)

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix

1 (or more) bunch chopped green onions 

Salt (and/or garlic salt), to taste

Combine beef, onions and garlic in a large pot and sautee until beef is fully cooked.  Dump in everything else!

ATTENTION ALL OLIVE HATERS:

Please don't leave them out!!  Just chop them small!  I promise...you won't even notice they're there but they'll add great flavor you don't want to miss.

We like it HOT.  We usually add two full cans of green chiles.  Unfortunately, Knox does not appreciate it when I eat spicy foods :( so at this particular stage of life we have to settle for a measly 1-2 tablespoons.

Does anyone else like to "snip" their green onions?

Or make a heart out of their chopped onions?  Okay maybe this is taking the chili photo shoot a little too far.

Don't forget to top this with your favorite chili toppings...sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado slices, more green onions, shredded cheese...

May we recommend Vermont white cheddar?

Enjoy!

P.S. Certain husbands might want you to add hominy to this chili, and run to the store at the last minute to pick some up.  And beware...they might come home with a can that is almost as big as the soup pot!  In our refrigerator we now have enough hominy to last a lifetime.  If anyone has any great hominy recipes please let me know. :)