Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

I have never met a bowl of vegan chili that I didn't like. If you ask me, vegans have one-up on the rest of the world when it comes to chili. Leave out the meat and you have more room for beans, grains, and fun veggie add-ins like peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms, celery, carrots--you name it. Start with some beans, tomatoes, and spice, and let your imagination go wild (well not too wild, no one wants broccoli in their chili). 

No two batches of chili are exactly the same, especially in my kitchen. For this year's first batch of chili I tried out two new ingredients: pumpkin puree and beer. This combination mingles with the tomato juices to deliver a unique, lip-smacking broth. The pumpkin and beer flavors are subtle in the, "ooh, what is that?" kind of way, peeking out from underneath the rich taste of the smoked paprika and sage. (By the way, this would be really, really lovely with handful of fresh chopped sage, if you have it.) 

I encourage you to try this pumpkin / beer combo, I think it will surprise you. 


Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
(adapted from (never home)maker)
Serves 4


1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups cooked black beans (or 2-15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1-15 oz can)
2-15 oz cans or 1-28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup hearty fall or winter beer (or sub vegetable broth)
1-1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tsp chili powder
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne


Heat 1/4 cup water in a large stock pot and add onion. Saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.


Add spices and stir to coat the onions, saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in beer and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.


Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Garnish with vegan cheese and chopped green onion.

Fan of white chili? Try this version with tomatillos and roasted mushrooms, a favorite from 2009.

Fresh Corn Pesto

Corn-a-palooza 2010 continues! Of course I am referring to those 14 ears of corn I acquired recently. A few days after the bisque, I made this fresh corn pesto. My recipe was inspired by a recent pasta dish by fellow Chicago blogger, Tim, of Lottie + Doof. His pesto sauce was not vegan, incorporating things like bacon grease and Parmesan, but was screaming out to me to be adapted. My adaptations paid off, big time. I dipped a spoon into my food processor to sample a bit of my creation and actually caught myself smacking my lips, immediately followed by going back for more. It is rich and savory, with a slight sweet note from the corn.























I started by sautéing the freshly cut corn kernels with garlic, then pureed the mixture with pine nuts, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and basil. I went easy on the basil as to not overpower the other delicate flavors -- the result was a flavor-balanced cheerful yellow pesto with tiny flecks of green. You can use this sauce for anything you would use a more standard pesto for. Some of mine fatefully ended up atop 4 single-serving whole wheat pizzas, along with thinly sliced red onion, sun dried tomatoes, and a sprinkling of daiya cheese. The rest of it is tucked away in my freezer, where only I know, so don't even try to find it.

Fresh Corn Pesto
(Inspired by Lottie + Doof)
Makes 1-1/2 cups

3 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 ears)
2 large cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup walnuts
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place a large dry skillet over medium heat and add pine nuts and walnuts. Toast nuts until the pine nuts are lightly browned, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove nuts and set aside. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in the same skillet and stir in corn, garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute about 4 minutes, until the corn is just tender, but not browned.

Scrape the corn mixture into food processor along with basil, pine nuts, walnuts, and nutritional yeast. Turn on the processor and drizzle the olive oil in through the feed tube, and process until almost smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

You may opt to thin out the sauce with a bit of water - I added 2 tbsp. If you are using this sauce for pasta you can do what Tim did and stir in up to 1-1/2 cups of reserved pasta water, added in 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve your desired consistency for serving as pasta sauce.

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In addition to churning out corn recipes, I have been baking! I was asked to bring something to share at a very large attendance barbecue this past weekend. Being the only vegan in attendance I wanted to make something that the crowd would remember. What better way to spread vegan love than with dessert?

Feast your eyes on these vegan delights! Clockwise from the left: Browned Butter Pecan Praline Blondies, Cookies 'n Fudge Brownies, and Double Chip Peanut Butter Blondies. All of the above are featured in Hannah Kaminsky's most recent e-book, Blondies and Brownies.

This massive platter was reduced to crumbs in a few short hours, despite there being plenty of sweet competition. People were shocked and intrigued that these were vegan, and asked me all about vegan baking and eating a vegan diet in general. Hoorah!

I'll leave you with a shot of me the night before the party baking up a storm! Check out my sweet new tofu pirate apron. I did not own an apron (what's up with that?), and when I found this handmade beauty by Panda with Cookie, I knew it was the one for me.

Thai Coconut Corn Bisque

While grocery shopping last week it occurred to me that I hadn't had any corn yet this summer. Seeing that I live in Illinois (read: the land of corn), that seemed outright insane. I snatched up 4 cobs with plans to consume them as soon as possible.

A couple days later I was roaming a farmers market over my lunch hour just for fun (what, you don't do that?). A lady was standing out in front of her booth as I walked by, and she approached me with an ear of corn, husk peeled back and ready to bite into. She claimed to have the best sweet corn around and insisted that I try it. Her tactic worked, ignoring the 4 cobs already at home, I bought a half dozen of hers.

Two days passed, still none of the 10 cobs had been consumed. My CSA delivery arrives with, what else, more corn. I suddenly found myself up to my ears in ears, 14 to be exact. It was definitely time to buckle down and eat some corn!

I decided to go with soup to start, because I knew I could get through half of my surplus in one shot. My soup borrows some techniques and ingredients from Joanne's and Ashley's soups, with a few twists of my own. The most exciting part is the homemade stock, which puts the bare cobs to use after the kernels have been stripped. Brilliant, and more importantly, delicious! The spicy Thai and citrus flavors compliment the sweet corn wonderfully. The bit of coconut milk stirred in for a creamy finish rounds out the Thai flavors, yet keeps things light enough for a summer meal.

Thai Coconut Corn Bisque
(Adapted from Eat Me, Delicious)
Serves 4

1/2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 stalk lemongrass
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups fresh corn kernels, divided  (about 6 large ears, reserve cobs for stock)
4 cups corn cob stock* (recipe below, or sub other vegetable stock)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp kaffir lime leaves, chopped (or sub zest of 1 lime)
1 tsp Thai curry paste, red or panang (omit for milder soup)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Stir in celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger - cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, start prepping your lemongrass. Cut off the bulbous portion at the bottom and remove the tough outer leaves. Cut a few slits along the stalk, and "bruise" the lemongrass by pressing the flat edge of a chefs knife blade down on it. This will open it a bit and release the flavors.

Add the lemongrass to the pot, along with the coriander, salt, crushed red pepper, 3 cups of the corn kernels, and the stock. Increase the heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove lemongrass and puree the soup with a hand blender (or in batches in a blender), leaving it a little bit chunky. Return the lemongrass to the pot, along with the remaining corn, diced red bell pepper, curry paste, and lime leaves. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the lemongrass, stir in the coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro, and serve.

*I made the stock a day ahead and refrigerated overnight to cut down on prep time.

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Corn Cob Stock
(adapted from Eats Well With Others)
Makes 4-5 cups

6 corn cobs, kernels removed and reserved for another use
1 red onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled
1 rib of celery, trimmed
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp coriander seeds
8 cups water
1 tsp salt

Heat a large (dry) pot over medium heat. Add coriander seeds and toast for about 3 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Freezes well.

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Have corn but not in the mood for my soup? Check out these wonderful looking, corn-centric recipes that are sure to inspire!

Potato, Corn, and Leek Chowder

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this chowder. By regularly scheduled program I mean India blog posts. I know, and just when I promised some actual food from India! Thank you for your patience, I will make good on my promise in the next couple of days.

No need to adjust your screen, you are actually seeing chowder in late April. Before you click away in hopes to find a more springtime-appropriate meal, stick with me and give this a chance. This is a very light chowder, and thanks to the roasted corn kernels and vegetarian chicken-flavored broth it has a rich buttery flavor without the presence of dairy at all. Rather than being made creamy by whole milk and flour, a touch of rice milk is stirred in at the end for a light creamy finish.

And how about the leeks? They might seem like they are behind the scenes, but they really are a headliner in this chowder. In fact, I built this recipe around the leeks. Tinned Tomatoes is hosting this month's No Croutons Required blogging event. The challenge this month is to create a soup or salad featuring veggies from the allium family (onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, etc.). I knew right away that I wanted to create a soup featuring leeks, so without any specific soup in mind I went out and picked up some. For nearly two weeks the leeks peeked out at me from the shelf in the fridge before I decided that chowder was their calling.

I am not the first person to put potatoes, corn, and leeks together in a creamy broth and call it chowder, although this might be the first vegan version out there. This is a great single pot meal that comes together in 30 minutes or less. I am fortunate enough to have access to frozen roasted corn at a local Trader Joe's, but if you don't have access plain frozen corn will do just fine.

Potato, Corn, and Leek Chowder
Serves 4

2 leeks, white and light green parts, halved and sliced
3 ribs of celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups chopped potatoes (bite sized pieces), I used yukons
2 cups frozen roasted corn kernels
3 cups water
2 "Not-Chick'n" bouillon
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
1-1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
2 cups rice milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large soup pot and stir in leeks. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and celery and saute for another 2 minutes. Mix in everything else except for the rice milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender--about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the rice milk, salt, and pepper, and serve.