Sometimes Mustard Greens Come on too Strong- (Vegan Acorn Squash and Mustard Greens Chili)

I love when I get a Hollygrove Market Box and I get to improvise.  Meal planning to me is like a fun research assignment at work.  I am presented with a set of facts and I have to find an answer.  Getting a box of produce and needing a week's worth of meals feels the same way.  Fun to me, but overwhelming to some.  We all have our things in which we excel.   I only wish I excelled in not spilling things on fancy clothes and furniture and picking men; that is, before I met my currently wonderful Gentleman Caller.

But I digress.  I had a box full of goodies and I decided that the tomatoes, acorn squash and mustard greens in my box had to get together and make a dish.  Enter this dish for Acorn Squash chili from Teaspoon of Spice. It sounded like the perfect answer for my box of produce with a few adjustments and changes!

While I liked the addition of some greens in there, I suggest you steer away from locally grown mustard greens.  Man were these potent! I think other greens (like collards), spinach or kale would be much better.  But other than that, this was excellent.  So warming, comforting and vegan without the garnish.  Try this for these lingering cold days for lunch (it reheats beautifully) and you will not miss the meat!  Full recipe to follow the montage.

Sorry all you can see is the garnish!

A great vegan cast.  

I am not sure that I have worked with acorn squash previously.

Roast them cut down side while you prep the rest of the goodies.

I rinsed the crud out of these local greens, they were some dirty; the sign of good produce!

A perfect roast.

Saute up the aromatics.

Add the chipotle and brown it up to impart flavor, remember, this is vegan!

Get all that flesh out of the squash and break it down

Let it simmer and build flavor, the longer the better!

Looks pretty good, but you know what will make it better?

Cilantro, green onion, cheese and Greek yogurt as garnish!

Vegan Acorn Squash and Mustard Greens Chili (Adapted from Teaspoon of Spice)

1 medium acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, skinned and roasted (see note)
1 can of no-salt added diced tomatoes or two tomatoes cored and diced
1 small can diced green chiles
1 can refried pinto beans
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder or paste
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 pound hearty greens, washed and chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if you aren't a veg head)
Garnish:
Plain Greek yogurt
Shredded cheese
Fresh cilantro
green onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place cut sided down in a greased baking pan and roast for about 45 minutes (until soft). Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Remove soft flesh and mash in bowl. Set aside.  In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add chipotle powder or paste and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.  Chop up roasted pepper and add to pot. Sauté another minute. Add squash, tomatoes, greens, beans, broth, can of chiles, chili powder and cumin. Stir well and cover; cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Serve with dollop of plan Greek yogurt, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro and green onions

Happy Cooking!

Missy

Note: You should follow the method in this recipe to skin your pepper http://my-shittykitchen.blogspot.com/2015/08/drinking-and-blogging-do-not-mix-inside.html