Winter Squash Chipotle Chili with Bulgur Wheat

I love to bake and cook, and my notebooks are frequently full of greasy, crumb-filled pages with half-legible recipes.  A blog seems as good a place as any to keep track of them, and to share them with the general public. Some are blatant rip-offs from other blogs, so I will temper my lack of originality with the occasional post about the trials and tribulations of biking in the District of Columbia...an idea that, to be fair, was largely inspired by this guy and these guys.

The immediate reason why I decided to start this blog is a very creative vegetarian chili I just threw together, and I am VERY happy with it.  Truth be told, I'm a better baker than a cook, so I get really stoked when my thrown-together recipes turn out OK.

I am by no means an expert and cook very much by trial and error.  I'm sure that real cooks would read my recipes and scoff at my laugh of technique, but whatever.  

(I kind of forgot to add the spinach for the first serving....it was still simmering, so I went back and added.)

Here's what you need!

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 acorn squash, gutted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks*

OR

Whatever winter squash you have sitting in your kitchen and keep forgetting to cook

1 red onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped into smallish chunks

2 1/2 c. vegetable broth

1/2 can of whole tomatoes (usually they come in a 28 oz. can...a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes would also work)

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, washed and rinsed

A couple handfuls of spinach or chard

1/2-3/4 c. bulgur wheat (technically, optional, but it makes this chili very hearty--who needs beef?)

2 tsp cumin

1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sliced

OR

2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

a few dashes of cinnamon (I neglected to measure)

a drizzling of honey (also forgot to measure)

salt

grated cheddar cheese (optional but highly recommended)

sour cream (same)

Pour oil into a large pot, heat on medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent.  Add a dash of salt.  Throw in red pepper.  Saute for a couple more minutes.  Add acorn squash chunks, chipotle, cumin, cinnamon, and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.  Pour in veggie broth, tomatoes, and black beans.  Aid the breaking down of the tomatoes by smushing them against the side of the pot with a spoon (it's fun!). Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer.

In the meantime, toast the bulgur wheat in a skillet.  If it starts to pop, you'll know it's done.

Add bulgur wheat to chili.  Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, depending on how tender you like your squash.  Taste for spice and add honey and salt accordingly.  When chili is reaching a satisfactory level of done-ness (and the bulgur wheat is no longer crunchy), add the spinach and stir until it's slightly wilted, no more than a couple of minutes.  

Ladle into bowls (I don't understand why people include steps like that in recipes....you don't have to.  You could eat it straight from the pot with 5 friends while sitting around a campfire.  In fact, it might be better that way.) and add as much sour cream and cheese as your heart desires.

Grab a glass of red wine, some homemade cornbread, and revel in the smug satisfaction that you have cooked a successful vegetarian chili.

  

*Because of its ridges, acorn squash is a pain in the butt to peel.  If you are an amateur and have no patience, like me, hack at it with a vegetable peeler until you are ready to throw it across the room.  Then cut up the squash with whatever peel remains on it and cut the rest off from there.  I thought leaving some skin on would be OK, but it resulted in some unpleasantly chunky, wood-like bits.

Look at that lovely spinach!