Three Bean Chili

This is my family's favorite chili, and I have been making variations of it for years.  This is a vegetarian bean chili, but I have made this with beef before and less beans.  This most recent rendition also has pumpkin in it.  I had heard about adding pumpkin puree to chili to add more vegetables and decided to give it a try.  It sounds unusual but the chili is still delicious and doesn't have a particularly pumpkin flavor.  I'm always glad to find ways to incorporate more vegetables into my freezer meals.  It could probably take a whole can of pumpkin.  That's what I had planned on and bought a whole can for the chili, but I really needed pumpkin pancakes before I got around to making the chili. Some of the pumpkin had to be sacrificed for that cause.  Your favorite chili will most likely freeze well too.

Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Heat and eat
Recipe Column: CK



3 anaheim chiles
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
7.5 oz pumpkin puree (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp chile powder
2 tsp cumin
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed (I generally use great white northern)
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 11 oz can corn, undrained

1. Roast the anaheim chiles over a flame or under a broiler until the skin is dark and blistered all over.  Remove the chiles and place in a plastic bag.  Allow them to sit for a few minutes.  Rub the skin off the chiles and rinse them.  Remove the seeds and stems and roughly chop the chiles.
2. Pour the diced tomatoes and their juices along with the tomato sauce into a large saucepan.  Add the chopped chiles and bring the tomatoes and chiles to a boil.  Lower the heat and allow them to simmer together for 10 minutes.  Add the pumpkin and puree the tomatoes, chiles and pumpkin together using an immersion blender or by transferring to a regular blender and then transferring the puree back to the pan.
3. While the tomatoes are simmering, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and green bell pepper.  Cook stirring regularly until softened and starting to brown.  Add the chile powder and cumin and cook a couple minutes longer.  Transfer the entire mixture to the saucepan with the pureed tomatoes and chiles.
4. Add the beans and the corn along with the liquid from the corn can to pan.  Simmer everything together for at least 5 minutes or until all the beans are tender.  Pay particular attention to the chickpeas.  Sometimes canned chickpeas can still be a little tough, so check a few to make sure they've had a chance to soften.  You may occasionally need to add water as the chili simmers if it starts to get too thick.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To freeze:

Cool the chili properly then divide into the desired number of bags or containers and freeze.

To serve:

Thaw the chili in the refrigerator overnight.  Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.  Serve with what ever chili toppings you prefer.  I like mine with just a dollop of sour cream.