Butternut Squash Chili with Quinoa and Peanuts (Recipe #116)

When I think of chili, I think of tomatoes, beans, and chili powder. This recipe for butternut squash chili took the whole concept of chili to another level. There were not any beans or meat in this dish, so it was a totally different kind of chili. I was shocked by how good this was and how well the peanuts fit into the recipe!

This recipe starts by explaining how to roast the butternut squash and onions. I let them roast long enough, so that they began to char a bit on the edges. After the vegetables were done roasting, I processed some of them with water and peanuts until it was smooth. In a dutch oven, I added oil, bell pepper, jalapeno, and salt. I let those soften before I added in ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, and pepper. I also stirred in diced tomatoes, coconut milk, quinoa and water. I brought the pot to a simmer and let that go for about 15 minutes until the quinoa was tender. Then, I added in the puree mixture that I made and the rest of the roasted veggies. I kept that on the heat for about 5 minutes to let the roasted veggies warm through. I put the chili in bowls and I topped them with cilantro and peanuts.

I do have a short story about what happened when I was cooking the chili. I regularly buy and cook jalapenos. Jacob and I love eating them! When I diced up this jalapeno, I didn’t think anything different than I normally do. I put them in the pot to saute with the bell pepper and it was fine. About a minute later, I start coughing. I go stir the vegetables and my eyes immediately water. A few minutes after that, Jacob starts coughing from the other room. I have never had such a jalapeno that it filled my whole house with almost death-like air! Anyway, everything turned out to be fine and the chili ended up having the right amount of spice, but I just thought it was funny that the jalapenos let off such a crazy powerful smell.

I wasn’t sure how the peanuts were going to fit into a chili, but this recipe highlights a lot of beautiful flavors. The peanut, the coriander, and the cinnamon made the dish sparkle. I loved how the dish tasted and how it was filling. It was a very hearty meal. This is the perfect dish to make in the fall while butternut squash is in season. It also makes the perfect dish with the cooler weather!

Taste: 10/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: This was not a “typical” chili and I loved it!