Vegan Pumpkin Chili for the Soul.

Yesterday when we were at the grocery store Jon and I bumped into an old friend. She commented that she was so impressed that we had a shopping list. It's so funny, we've been together for years now and of course things evolve and change but one thing that hasn't is we are diligent about meal planning. Especially with me being in school, our lives are just too busy to leave it up to chance. So yesterday we shopped and planned not only for all our dinners but our lunches for the week. Jon prefers to eat vegan for his breakfast and lunch meals and although I tend to require a little extra protein, I'm just as happy to do it myself as well. Since the weather has become colder, we've been enjoying soups for lunch for the past month or so. I wanted to switch it up this week so I tried my hand at a vegan pumpkin chili. It's absolutely delicious and you don't in anyway miss the animal products. It's lux, spicy (only if you want it to be), and super healthy!

Vegan Pumpkin Chili for the apoplectic soul in need of love. 

Makes 10 2-cup servings. It's easy enough to cut in half, or freeze. But I don't do things in small doses.

Ingredients:

2  yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce 
4 tablespoons mild chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cups pureed pumpkin (make sure it's 100% pumpkin and not "pumpkin pie filling")
1 Quart vegetable broth or water
6 cups cooked mixed beans (I make my own beans because canned beans are to mushy for me. I used a mix of pinto, navy and black, but you do you.)
2 tablespoons lime juice

1 can (2 cups) low sodium corn (optional, but I love the hint of sweetness it gives.

Directions:

1. Chop up the onions, carrots, and bell peppers into a small dice.
2. In a big soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper and sauté them until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño, soy sauce, and spices and cook that all together for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, and beans and stir well so everything is mixed and the pumpkin is totally dissolved. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat to low. Let cook about 30 minutes or longer if you want and your beans are not mush.
3. When it is done simmering, turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. 
4. I served mine with cilantro, but avocado would be amazeballs. Or cheese and chips if that's how you roll.

Let me know how you like it!

xx, Randie