Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili with Skillet Cornbread with Smoked Chiles

So I love black beans. I could pretty much eat them everyday. I decided to make this recipe for my mom and husband one Saturday night, after much debate with myself. It comes from a book that my husband bought for me called "Vegan Planet" by Robin Robertson and it's full of recipes. 400 recipes, to be exact. So you can see why I was having a hard time deciding what to make. After much consideration, I decided, you really can't go wrong with black beans or chili. Not to mention, I love one pot meals. I also decided to make the skillet cornbread with smoked chiles to go with it. It was the first time I'd made either chili or cornbread but I was up for the challenge. Turns out both recipes were pretty simple and very delicious!

The chili has a sweet and savory taste to it thanks to the combination of the butternut squash and the jalapeno. It's hard to see from my picture but it's got a cool color contrast between the black beans and orange squash. The cornbread does have a nice, smoky flavor and it's not overwhelming. Both the chili and cornbread were a hit with my mom and husband, so I must've done something right!

Black Bean and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeno (optional), seeded and minced

One 14.5 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped (I couldn't find these so I just used regular canned tomatoes)

1 cup water

1 cup apple juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 cups cooked or two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno (if using). Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, apple juice, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and squash and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the beans, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve hot.

Skillet Cornbread with Smoked Chiles

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk or other dairy-free milk

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 cup fresh, canned, or frozen corn kernels, cooked and drained

1/4 cup corn oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce(I had dried chipotles. If you use these instead, soak them in hot water to cover for 30 minutes to rehydrate them).

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I didn't have a skillet so I just used a metal, round baking pan. If using the baking pan, grease lightly.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the soy milk, maple syrup, corn kernels, corn oil, and chiles and set aside.

4. If using the cast iron skillet, oil it well and heat over medium heat until hot. While the skillet is heating, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a few quick strokes. Transfer the batter to the hot skillet or baking pan and bake on the center oven rack until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or warm. I like to put some Earth Balance spread on mine. Yum!