Pumpkin-Quinoa Chili

DId anyone make the Pumpkin-Quinoa Chili? I did (photos attached).

I had a number of observations about this recipe.

First of all, I love to cook, but I felt like a newbie with this recipe. It wasn’t like any other chili I had ever made so I felt like I had to constantly check the recipe for the sequence of steps where otherwise I might just wing it once I had the ingredients assembled. But now that I have made it once, I think I could much more easily make it another time.

This is the only chili recipe I have ever made that has no tomatoes in it! It also calls for quinoa, a gluten-free grain. This recipe will come in very handy with our friend who is both gluten-free and nightshade free (the nightshades are tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, and potatoes).

I changed up the recipe even before making it the first time. The recipe called for 3-4 tsp chili powder and 2 tsp cumin. I don’t typically use that much in a recipe, especially of the chili powder which carried the “heat” so I scaled it back. The chili did call for allspice which is unusual and I stuck with that amount. I’m glad, as it gave a distinctive taste to the dish.

The recipe called for 2 small cans or 1 large can of solid pack pumpkin. I just used one. I thought I had some frozen leftover squash to supplement the recipe and could not find it. But having made the recipe, I would say just one small can is perfect.

The recipe uses coconut milk, just ½ cup. When you open a can of coconut milk, please freeze what you don’t use in small portions for use in later cooking, maybe even making the same dish again. Coconut milk will not keep well in your fridge.

I’d be curious if anyone else made the dish and liked it.