Thug Kitchen’s Pumpkin Chili

Thug Kitchen is probably the most controversial vegan cookbook. Penned by the authors of the similarly named blog, I never followed it because I did not find their language amusing. OK, sometimes it made me smile and I like how it tries to show how simple and easy homemade food can be, and yes, it is all vegan. I will admit that I was curious about their cookbook, but instead of tracking it down, I hunted for online recipes. This was the first I made and really liked it.

I am no stranger to pumpkin chili (previous version here). I don’t know why but pumpkin puree works seamlessly in chili to create a silky broth. Both version were great but I found this one lighter in flavour since it used canned tomatoes instead of tomato paste and this one had the perfect amount of heat. Furthermore, this one was a bean-centric chili and I cooked up some of Rancho Gordo’s bayo chocolate beans. I was really enticed to use them with a name like that! Turns out it is called chocolate based on their colour, not their flavour. When Rob bought them, he was told they had the consistency of fudge. Not so true, but they have a lovely firmness that lended well to this chili. Small red kidney beans would also work well here.

While I made the chili, Rob made the arepas. What a wonderful weekend meal. Enjoy!

PS. If you are interested in being way more amused with a recipe than when I write them, definitely check out the original version here. Possibly the funniest disclaimer ever: If you try to make this chili with pumpkin pie filling, don’t complain about how f*cked up it tastes. You did that dumb sh*t yourself.

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays and  Bookmarked Recipes.

Pumpkin Chili
Adapted from Thug Kitchen (original recipe spotted here)

1 tbsp oil of choice
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper (I used 1 tbsp red pepper paste)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup roasted green hatch chiles
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
2 1/2 tbsp mild chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (14.5 ounces) low-salt diced tomatoes (or 1.5 cups, undrained)
1 3/4 cups pureed pumpkin (or a 15 oz can)
2 cups vegetable broth or water
3 cups cooked beans (I used 3 cups cooked bayo chocolate beans from Rancho Gordo)
1-2 tbsp lime juice (half a lime)
Toppings: cilantro, chopped onion, jalapeños, avocado, tortilla strips

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the onion and carrot and saute until lightly brown, around 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper paste, garlic, green hatch chiles, soy sauce/tamari, chili powder and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

2. Deglaze with the tomatoes, then stir in the pumpkin, broth and beans. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom.

Note: If making arepas, consider starting them now.

3. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and season to taste. Top with your choice of toppings (cilantro, chopped onion, jalapeños, avocado, tortilla strips).

Serves 4.