black bean chili with butternut squash.

Hey Friday, nice to see you!

It has been a long and busy, yet uneventful week. Wish I had more to report, but I do have some fun things planned for this weekend. Keep an eye out Monday for a recap.

My dad came home from the hospital this week (yay!), and I've offered to help my mom out with the cooking. Since my parents aren't vegan or necessarily vegetarian, I wanted to find good hearty meals and still stay vegan/vegetarian. For my dad's new super-powered heart, I'm trying to incorporated a lot of heart healthy vegetables and fats.

After having a delicious vegan wrap from Tommy's (I had a picture but was deleted in my frantic Blackberry scrolling), I went home to cook Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard for dinner tonight. It looks gorgeous, and tastes surprisingly meaty.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves (from 1 small bunch)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender and golden, about 9 minutes. Add squash; stir 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in chard; simmer until chard is tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.


I don't love onions, I probably only used a 1/2 cup chopped and I didn't have any chili powder (whoops), so i did a couple sprinkles of cayenne pepper. Eh, seemed to be okay.

With a chili or stew I seem to think making it the day before you plan on eating is best. It has time to macerate and thicken. Serve with some bread and go to town!

I'm sure my parents will be very happy tonight!

happy weekend!