Just in time for Halloween: one last recipe

Saturday night I trekked uptown in the drizzle after class to pick up this little orange gem. Those wayward corners of my mind that just can't seem to find a home for important dates and names of people have instead been occupied with all things pumpkin since the end of September. There was one particular pumpkin idea that I knew I needed to realize before I could get back to a farmers market.

Pumpkin chili seemed like an idea whose time had come. Plus I happened to have a canister of TVP chunks that I'd got months ago, packed up and brought with me to New York to sit staidly at the back of my cupboard with no intended use other than the Veganomicon Cholent that I'd originally used some of them in. The latter is delicious and you should make it after you've made this chili.

At some point it finally became obvious that TVP chunks would be great in chili (plus cheaper and/or easier than seitan). Sunday I got to work.

All my hoarding of pantry products and pumpkin-haunted thoughts paid off. This chili is one of the best things I've eaten in awhile: the richness of cocoa balanced with the spice of chili powder and jalapeno pepper in a thick, saucy tomato base with hearty bits of pumpkin, TVP, and pinto beans.


A fitting use for one of the red jalapenos and nearly the last of the green bell peppers that my dad had sent. Below is the recipe.

Pumpkin Chili

1/4 cup canola oil
2 small onion (or 1 large), diced
1 green (or red) bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno (mine was red), minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups chopped pumpkin (about 1/2 a small pumpkin)
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 1/2 cups water + 1 cube vegetable boullion
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups TVP chunks
1 3/4 cups cooked pinto beans (or 1 can)

Heat oil in a medium-large pot over medium heat, add onion and saute for a couple minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno another few minutes. When onion has begun to turn translucent, add pumpkin and cook a few more minutes (don't let your onion--or anything else for that matter--burn).

After pumpkin has cooked a few minutes, add spices and cocoa, sauteing another minute. When spices smell fragrant, add water, boullion, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and TVP chunks.

Cook over medium heat until TVP is reconstitued, pumpkin is tender, and liquid has reduced and thickened (about 20 minutes?).

Add pinto beans, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.


I've been eating this all week and it hasn't gotten old. Last night I even made some corn muffins (full disclosure: from a boxed cornbread mix--my cupboards have no space to give to an opened bag of cornmeal). It's been some satisfying eating around here lately.