Good evening :)
Today was a whirlwind, but a productive whirlwind. I think this gorgeous weather is helping me get my groove back…!
It felt like Summer out there today!
My running jacket and gloves were left behind for a tank top and shorts. Sa-weet.
The run:
- Distance: 4 miles
- Time: 33:29
- Avg pace: 8:20 min/mile
- Splits: 8:38, 8:25, 8:13, 7:52
I’m currently shopping for my first 5km race! Hopefully I can find one in October. :)
My reward was a dinner that only dreams are made of…
Folks, start your engines.
Emily’s Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili in Pumpkin Bowls
Adapted from Emily @ The Front Burner.
Ingredients:
- 3 mini pumpkins
- 1 medium sweet onions, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell peppers, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small butternut squash, cubed
- 2 cups black beans (1 lg can), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp chili powder (or more to taste)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Sea salt, Spicy Herbamare, and pepper to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Take mini pumpkin and slice the top off about 3/4 of the way up. Scoop out insides of the pumpkin using a grapefruit spoon. This part takes a long time- about 10 minutes per pumpkin so budget your time wisely. Save and rinse the pumpkin seeds to roast them with some olive oil and salt if desired. When your pumpkin’s are empty and cleaned out, brush the insides with olive oil and sprinkle on sea salt and ground pepper to your heart’s content. You will be eating the pumpkin flesh so you want it to taste delicious! Now pop your pumpkins onto a baking pan and into the oven for 30 minutes. While they are roasting in the oven, make the chili. In a large pot, add the oil and turn heat to medium. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or so. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid burning. Now add the chopped pepper and butternut squash. Cook for about 12-15 minutes. Now add in the drained and rinsed beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, vegetable broth, and S & P and stir well. Simmer on low-medium for another 5 minutes. Now remove your pumpkins from the oven and fill the bowls 3/4 of the way full. Place pumpkins carefully back into the oven (again without top) and bake for another 30 minutes. Once they are cooked, turn oven off and leave pumpkins in the oven with lid on to stay warm. They will stay hot in the oven for another hour if necessary. Serves 3.
Only during the Fall could you take your centrepiece and turn it into DINNER!
Did I tell you the other day I Googled: ‘Is it possible to eat too much pumpkin?’
I’m not proud of this.
I did not have a grapefruit spoon so scooping out the inside of the pumpkin proved to be rather difficult.
And by rather difficult, I mean that I wanted to poke my eyes out because it took so long.
Those pumpkin guts are ruthless I tell you! So many strings so little time.
But luckily this recipe is well worth the effort.
You simply cannot go wrong with the ingredients in this recipe. It’s like they were created to be together, working in harmony in this chili.
After adding the diced tomatoes, veggie broth, seasonings, etc…
My house smelled so delicious, I thought I was in Martha’s studio for a minute! Not that I know what Martha’s studio would smell like, but trust me, I have dreamed about it.
Ok, now I just sound creepy.
Fill it up about 3/4 of the way (not as much as I did!).
My overflowing pumpkin chili made for quite the juggling act when I carried it onto the deck for the photoshoot. I’m pretty sure I would have let my SLR drop before this bowl of chili too. ;)
Every good bowl of pumpkin chili needs a hat.
The awesome thing about these chili bowls is that they trap in a ton of heat!!!
As a result, I think this was the first hot meal I have had in a while. ;)
In case you are wondering, you most certainly eat the inside of the pumpkin! It was so delicious scooping a bit of the pumpkin flesh along with the chili into one delicious bite.
In conclusion:
1) One of my favourite Fall dinners yet.
2) Please make this weekend. You will oooooo, you will ahhh, you will shed a tear of delight. Or maybe that’s just me.
Wow, besides making pumpkin butter this weekend, I think I need to make this one too! Looks fantastic!
Wow, besides making pumpkin butter this weekend, I think I need to make this one too! Looks fantastic!
O.M.G. That looks AHmazing! I must try!
We are having a chili cook-off at our office on the 14th, I may just have to wow these folks with a fall chili like this! Woohoo!
I am going to try this next weekend! I have been reading all of your recipes and past posts, and I have to say, your blog is awesome! Keep it up!
Amanda-Vegan in Salem
Hey! I just wanted to tell you that while your photos always look awesome…. these ones in particular are just GORGEOUS. And I really want some pumpkin chili!!
I ate too much pumpkin (and other orange vegetables) when I was a baby and turned orange. Seriously!
… I may be headed down the same path again, hahah
My mom said I ate so much sweet potatoes when I started to eat solid food as a baby that I turned orange too!
I love the presentation of the chili! I made another batch of my veggie chili… but I think I will try some version of this one this fall.
“Those pumpkin guts are ruthless I tell you! So many strings so little time. “–
Omg so true!!! Carving a pumpkin is the same way. The strings just go on and on and on and on….But worth it in the end!
The little pumpkins..oh wow. My daughter would be in heaven!!! We went to the store and got a mini pumpkin for like 99 cents last week and she cherishes that little pumpkin like it’s her whole world. It’s the little things when you’re 3 :)
The recipe looks divine and the presentation…IN pumpkins. Wow. You rock!!!!
p.s. Saw your twitter tweet at me…from like 3 days ago. I am twitter retarded. As in, I can barely even make a tweet, let alone read half of them LOL
That is such a good idea!
There’s the 5k Oktoberfest run here in my city next weekend. You should look into it!
Wow! Looks like heaven to me. I love eating out of pumpkin bowls and squash bowls. :)
I think you read my mind. I was just thinking about how I wanted to find a delicious chili-style recipe to fill in mini pumpkins. Now I don’t even have to look! Thanks so much for the recipe :)
This recipe is not only festive, but absolutely genious! Thank you for sharing!
The pumpkin chili is so pretty!!!
I wish I had the time to make this to bring to our family’s Thanksgivng dinner this weekend!!!
That. Looks. So. GOOD!
I have an allergy to pumpkin innards (not when I eat them, thank you Lord – just when I touch raw ones and then touch anywhere on my face). I would have to scrub my hands like NUTS after scooping the pumpkins. Just might be worth it, though. YUM!
I love edible bowls!
those pictures are gorgeous!
I love your blog and have been following it for the past year. I’m a sophomore in college and was just diagnosed with mono-I was wondering if you had any good immunity boosting recipes? I need to get better soon!
Oh my gosh that was a phenomenal dinner! I read this post this morning, you said to make the recipe this weekend and so I did! I made it for dinner tonight and it was so incredibly delicious. However, my pumpkin bowl became way too soggy while cooking, so when I tried to lift it off the cookie sheet, the entire pumpkin bottom fell apart. It was a HUGE mess (although totally salvageable because we just ate the chili in regular bowls). Any hints how I could prevent this next time? I’d love to be able to serve it in the pumpkins.
Oh dear, sorry that happened to you!
My advice would be to cook the chili longer in the pot and for less time in the pumpkin :) Also maybe dont scrape the bottom down as much as you normally would?
Oh my goodness!! That is picture perfect! I would love to make this very soon. Just getting in to the Fall swing today. Wreath up and pumpkin bread baking at this moment. :)
It’s totally different over here on the other side of the country… my run this morning was in the 30’s! Brrr! But I sure would of loved to warm up to this amazing looking chili!!!