The Great Pumpkin....Chili?

We had an unseasonably cold week last week and it put me right in the mood for baking and comfort food. Usually, that's not a good thing for my South Beach eating plan. But, not this time. A friend of a friend shared a recipe for pumpkin chili with me a couple of years ago, and although the original recipe was missing something, in my opinion, it was a good base to run with. The recipe is my version of the recipe, with some alterations. This recipe is SB phase 2 or 3 friendly since it does contain pumpkin, which not advised on P1. It's also gluten free and great for diabetics.

I get lots of interesting responses when I tell people I'm making pumpkin chili, but let me tell you, it's GOOD. The pumpkin puree adds a certain creaminess to the chili and my family loves it. This is an easy recipe to make stove top or toss it in the crock pot all day.

PUMPKIN CHILI

What You'll Need:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
1 lb. lean ground beef (or bison, turkey, chicken, etc.) I used organic, grass fed beef
1 (14oz) can pumpkin puree (not with pie seasoning)
1 cans of black beans drained and rinsed (you may also use kidney or pinto beans)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (I used 4 fresh tomatoes because I had some that needed to be used)
1/2c your favorite salsa or chile sauce (I used green chile sauce)
1 cups (approx.) chicken stock
Garnish:
Low fat sour cream
cilantro
garlic chives
cheese


Place oil into skillet on medium high. Once the oil is heated, add onions, peppers, garlic and spices and saute 5 minutes. I actually didn't have a red pepper but I did have some carrots that I wanted to use so I tossed them in there. Then add the ground meat and cook until the meat is done. Drain the fat off of the meat and add to crock pot (or large stock pot if making stove top) on low.

To the pot (or crock pot) add the remaining ingredients. Tough, right? You'll notice some green stuff that wasn't in the recipe. It's swiss chard. I had some beautiful chard from my CSA and decided to add it. Nothing like getting extra veggies to your kids, right?

Give it all a good stir. Cover it and walk away. If you are cooking stove top, cook on low for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. If you're cooking in a crock pot, just leave it until you're ready to eat.

When it's ready, top it with your favorite garnish and enjoy!