What Up Friends!

Hope everyone is doing well and continuing to stay safe! Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week, and therefore the holidays are upon us. Man, where did the year go!? One moment we were coming home to quarantine. The next moment….well, then again, we’re still here quarantining….gah! What a year!?

Anywho - it’s been a few weeks since my last blog post. To be quite honest, I had a rough late September - October. Life, loss and depression slapped me in the face, and I was in dark, low place. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God pulled me out of a hole on October 30th. I’ll talk more about this in a later blog post, but for now, just know I am BEYOND thankful that Jesus loves me (and you) so much.

During those trying 6 weeks, there were multiple bright spots, one of them was cooking this hearty and delicious Butternut Squash Chili featuring Beyond Meat with my friend India from The Eats Blog. She’s started a new venture called “Food Never Tasted So Good,” and came over to make this hearty fall chili. Folks are already starting to put up their Christmas trees + decor, so I figured I better share this recipe before pumpkin spice is traded for peppermint lattes.

Fun fact: one of my all-time fave chilis is the one from Wendy’s. I know, i know. So basic, but I just love it so much. I played with the recipe and figured out a year or so ago that it has the perfect amount of tomato sauce to make it taste super rich. The tomatoes and veggies are the base for so many wonderful chilis that I make all the time in the fall / winter.

For this particular recipe, I used ground Beyond Meat because I try to not eat a lot of beef or pork, but you could definitely use real beef if you like. I love Beyond meat because it doesn’t have soy (like Impossible) and has the most real “beef-like” flavor. They sell Beyond products at most grocery stores, so super easy to find. You could also sub this for ground turkey or ground chicken, but just know you’ll have to season a smidge more spices + seasonings because due the leanness of those meats, but it’s perfectly okay. Don’t like butternut squash, you could sub for sweet potato, but it would be a tad bit more sweet.

Even though this recipe is vegetarian (and honestly vegan), it’s FULL of flavor and even Husbae enjoyed it. This chili only gets better with time and can be frozen, thawed and enjoyed later. Simply, it’s win-win and fool proof. Now without further ado, the recipe!

VEGETARIAN Butternut Squash Chili WITH BEYOND MEAT

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground Beyond Beef

• 1 lb of cubed butternut squash (usually found already cubed in the produce section)

• 1 red onion diced

• 1.5 bell pepper diced

• 1 tsp garlic

• 1 14-oz can of whole kernel corn

• 1 (one) 14-oz can black beans (you could sub for kidney beans too)

• 1.5 14-oz can of diced tomatoes

• 2 (two) 14 oz can of tomato sauce

• 2 tbsp cumin

• 2 tbsp chili powder

• 2 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

Toppings: avocado, sour cream, cheese, green onion, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large dutch oven on medium heat, saute onion, bell peppers until veggies are soft (approx 5-7 minutes) and then add minced garlic. (season with S/P)

• Add Beyond Meat to veggies and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

• Add butternut squash to the beyond + veggie mixture.

• Time to spice it up and add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder and cinnamon. Don’t leave out the cinnamon. It’s just a smidge, but the subtle warmth is lovely in the chili.

• Cook down your spicy butternut squash mixture for another 5-7 minutes. The butternut squash won’t be soft yet, but the flavors will start to combine with the other base ingredients. The aromas will fill your home.

• Now, add the beans, corn, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

• Simmer on medium-low heat until the butternut squash is tender to a fork and all of the flavors have married together (another 15-20 minutes). If you need more salt / pepper or spices, now is the time to add them. Don’t be afraid - chilis are meant to be hearty and deep.

• Serve in big bowls, top with you fave items and serve with crackers or a cornbread. It is sure to warm you up!