Vegan Pumpkin Chili

Watching the NY Giants being routed 34-0 is painful. Especially considering that it was since 1996 that we didn’t get a regular-season shutout. Really upsetting.
Let’s be honest, Atlanta was very, very good, and we were very, very bad. An all-day disaster.
When I’m in a bad-football-mood I resort to comfort food and good friends. I thus invited my football clique to stay over for dinner and decided to make some tasty old-fashioned chili.
As I was about to start, I realized I didn’t have any ground beef at home. That gave me a good excuse to cook a vegan chili with pumpkin.
It was a huge success. Good food, good drinks, good laughs, there’s nothing else I’d rather have. We did consoled ourselves from the tragic game.
There were no vegans last night, yet no one complained about the absence of meat. I had the impression that some of them didn’t even noticed it.
Just to say that this dish is winner (unlike the Giants).




Vegan Pumpkin Chili  Print this Recipe!
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Few notes. If you’re worried about the heat, scale back a little bit on the chili powder. Better yet, add a little bit at a time and stop when you reach the desired kick.
I rarely make real vegetable broth, I use organic vegetable bouillon with salt. It might not be the real deal but it’s close enough.
Lastly, this recipe makes for a huge pot of chili, so either use your largest pot or cut quantities in half. Just remember that chili cooks best in bigger quantities.

Ingredients
Makes 12 servings (or more)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 ½ cups / 10 ½ oz / 300 gr diced pumpkin
1 28 oz / 800 gr can of crushed tomatoes
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups / 14 oz / 400 gr green lentils, rinsed and picked over (you can alternatively use black lentils)
1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr pearled farro (or barley)
⅔ cup / 6 oz / 120 gr bulgur wheat
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Toppings: fresh chopped parsley, dollop of plain soy yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil.

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium heat add the olive oil, and onions. When the onions soften up, add the garlic, ginger, chili powder and cumin.
Stir well and cook for a minute or so, until everything gets quite fragrant.
Stir in the chipotle pepper, green bell peppers, diced pumpkin, tomatoes, tomato paste, and the vegetable broth. Now add the lentils, farro, and bulgur (stirring between each addition).
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. After 10 minutes, take a taste and adjust with salt and/or chili powder.
Simmer away for about 35-45 minutes or until the lentils and grain are fully cooked through.
If the chili thickens up too much, add more water, one cup at a time.
Before serving do your final adjustment with seasoning and water, if necessary.
Serve sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley, a dollop of soy yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 250 calories, 44 grams of carbs, 2.9 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein.