We are the Panda-Champions

I like you all, so I'm going to share with you one of my favorite things I've cooked in a while as a sort of early-Halloween gift. Heather and I made this rather unusual (but festive!) chili on the fly and it came out super good. So good, in fact, that it won the ward Halloween party chili cook-off. I'm pretty proud of us. Here's an approximate recipe written after-the-fact—I did my best, but you should definitely feel free to adapt it to your own culinary whimsy :) Happy Halloween!

Halloween Harvest Chili 

3-4 sweet potatoes, diced

Olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 small onions, chopped

1.5 Tbsp rosemary

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

4 cans Great Northern beans

3 cans chicken broth
2 cups milk, divided

1 1/2 tsp chicken flavored bouillon

1 rounded tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp basil

2 Tbsp masa flour (or regular flour)

1 hot yellow pepper (or any hot pepper you like)

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (without shells!)

1.5 cups dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup(ish) of brie, cut into pieces (About 1/2 small wedge. Do what feels right.)

Pre-heat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets in aluminum foil. In a medium mixing bowl, combine 4 Tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add sweet potatoes, toss to coat. Spread evenly on baking sheets. Bake about 8 inches below upper heating element for approximately 20-30 minutes. (I was checking them about every 5 minutes. Take them out when they're sufficiently roasted and "screaming.") Set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, onions, rosemary, and cayenne pepper in a large pot. Cook on low heat until onions are translucent. Add chicken, beans, broth, one cup of milk, masala powder, thyme, basil, and whatever other herbs/spices tickle your fancy. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix remaining cup of milk and flour. Add to soup while stirring constantly. 

Cut off the stem of the pepper and cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and white membrane. Flatten each half of the pepper and place skin-side up on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet (I transferred all the sweet potatoes to one baking sheet, and then re-used the empty one). Broil 4-6 inches below the upper heating element for 8-10 minutes, or until the skins are dark. Remove from oven and wrap foil tightly around them. Take care, as foil will be extremely hot. Let peppers "sweat" in the foil for at least 15 minutes—this makes it easier to remove the skins. (I sped up the process by sticking them in the freezer.) When they're done, peel off the skin. Chop finely and add to pot.  

In small mixing bowl, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Add pumpkin seeds, toss to coat. Place on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Roast under broiler, about 5 minutes. Add to pot. 

Add sweet potatoes, cranberries, and brie. Stir to help melt brie. Add salt and pepper to taste. (It will definitely need salt ... we added it so sporadically that I have no clue how much it was. So add slowly and taste liberally!)

Serve warm with (homemade) bread!



Also, it looks pretty cute when you serve it in a pumpkin. If you can cut the pumpkin to fit a bowl in it, bigger win for you because you don't have to clean it out all the way :)