Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Chili

It's still gray and chilly in Santa Monica, so I've still been craving comfort foods. I had about a cup of pureed pumpkin and half a red kuri squash in my fridge that I needed to use before they went bad. I decided I'd experiment with a pumpkin chili recipe. Most chili recipes I come across seem to be tomato based, but I wanted to make a more authentic style sans tomatoes. I was only armed with dried, ground spices instead of fresh or whole dried chili peppers, so I definitely want to play with this recipe again when I can shop for ingredients. Considering it was practically a "kitchen sink" chili, however, I think it came out pretty tasty!

Pumpkin Chili 
Ingredients 
1 T olive oil 
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 C pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp - 1 T chili powder (amount depends on intensity of the chili powder and desired spice)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 C cooked pinto beans, or 1 can
3 C pumpkin, cubed 
3 C vegetable stock
1 T tapioca flour, optional for thickening


Directions 
1. In a medium soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, until onions are translucent.
2. Add pureed pumpkin and saute 1 minute longer. Mix in all the spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add pumpkin, beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.  If you want a thicker chili, dissolve tapioca flour in a small amount of chili broth and return to pot. Simmer for another five minutes.


4. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for about five minutes before serving. Serve with non-dairy sour cream, if desired.