Pumpkin Chili

I am so excited that fall is finally here! To me, fall means nice weather, several big holidays to look forward to (namely Halloween), and pumpkin everything! I usually focus on pumpkin desserts but I thought I would try using pumpkin in something savory. I found a recipe for pumpkin chili and made a few modifications. It was so easy and delicious and we're going to have leftovers all week. This is the perfect recipe for a crisp fall evening.

Ingredients

about 1.25 pounds of turkey (you can also use beef)

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 clove garlic

1 can red kidney beans

1 can white kidney beans

2 cans black beans

1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice

1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon chili powder (I would probably add more chili powder next time as we like spice and it did not come out very spicy)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper

cinnamon to taste (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat, cook turkey until it begins to brown. Drain any excess liquid. Stir in onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. 

Stir in the beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Note, our pot was not large enough for the contents so we split it up into two pots and tried to divide ingredients as equally as possible. Season with the spices.

Simmer for about an hour, continuing to stir every 5 minutes or so.

While the chili was cooking I threw together some Jiffy cornbread muffins. You can buy a box at most grocery stores and while it is not the best cornbread it's pretty good and super easy. It pairs perfectly with the chili!

Enjoy!

Vegan Enchiladas

I found a recipe for vegan enchiladas that looked so good, I had to try it. The enchiladas turned out so well and were so filling you would never know it was vegan. I also had never realized how easy it is to make enchiladas! I definitely plan to repeat this recipe in the future.

Ingredients

8 corn tortillas (I highly recommend the corn & wheat tortillas from Trader Joes)

1 19oz jar enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe's enchilada sauce which was about 16 oz, but still worked well)

vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 package (11-14 oz) soft silken tofu

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

salt & pepper to taste

fillings/topping of your choice (I used black beans, black olives, tomatoes and soy cheese)

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium-to-high heat. Saute the onion until it's soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for about 2 minutes. Throw the onion and garlic mixture into the food processor along with the tofu, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. I also through in a little bit of fresh jalapeno to add some spice. Blend the ingredients together.

Next, I sprayed Pam on either side of the tortilla and dipped both sides in a pan with enchilada sauce. Next time, I will try to omit the Pam to make the enchiladas healthier.

Place the tortilla in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spoon some of the tofu mixture onto the tortilla and add whatever toppings you are using.

Roll tortilla and place seam-side down. 

Repeat until all tortillas are filled.

Pour any leftover sauce onto the enchiladas.

 Add cheese on top if desired and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread Muffins

My dad and one of my brothers hate bananas so growing up I never used to bake anything with bananas. However, Michael is a huge fan of anything banana flavored so I've tried a couple recipes before, but nothing that was good enough to repeat. Tonight I tried something a little bit different. I used a banana bread recipe but decided to make it into muffins. They were very easy and turned out really well, I will definitely make them again.

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

about 3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped pecans (can be substituted with walnuts)

In a large bowl, stir together the melted margarine and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. While stirring, add in the flour, baking soda and salt and continue mixing until smooth.

Next, add in chunks of the bananas and using a wood spoon (or a hand mixer) mash the bananas while stirring until the bananas are in small pieces (or continue until they are completely mushed into the batter.

Next, add in the pecans and sour cream.

Stir until well combined. Spoon batter into lined cupcake tins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Olive Dip

Ingredients

1 cup pitted black olives

1 cup pitted green olives

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine the black olives, green olives, kalamata olives, and garlic in the container of a food processor. We used our magic bullet blender extension, but next time I will definitely use my food processor for better efficiency.

Pulse to chop, then add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Process until smooth, or the consistency of your liking. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!