Pumpkin Ole ~Joanna

This is the first of six posts from amazing bloggers who are taking my little bloggie hostage. Perhaps I can get some good loot while driving a bus load of Americans Down South. I hope that you enjoy the posts over the next couple of days.

I am SO excited that Joanna from Fitness & Spice is posting for me. She has such great ideas for everything. Also, she has put together this GIGANTIC e-book of blog posts and stories which you can purchase to help support Breast Cancer research.

She’s always been such a lovely and cheery support throughout my blog experience as well as on twitter. I wish I didn’t live in Australia sometimes. I told her that she should make her own pumpkin puree–why not? It’s easy and it’s natural. Have you ever had a pumpkin pie from scratch–you will die and never buy canned pumpkin again!

Here’s a GREAT recipe…I am going to eat my computer screen. ~M

—————————————————–
Pumpkin Olé! ~Joanna, Fitness and Spice

I eat pumpkin all year round. I kid you not. I could eat pumpkin 365 days a year. Just ask my former co-workers who used to roll their eyes at me when I would make pumpkin soufflé in the office microwave for breakfast almost every morning. When I was telling Michelle I was having a hard time finding canned pumpkin puree earlier this month she insisted I could make my own. And guess what? She was right!

Ever since devouring my first batch of homemade pumpkin puree no gourd has been safe! In fact, this weekend, with a little help from Rachel Ray Magazine, I made an amazing recipe using acorn squash. I wanted to share this recipe with you today because I thought about Michelle the entire time I was preparing this dish. Without Michelle’s coaching I would have been busting open a can of puree instead of busting open a relative of my beloved pumpkin.

This soup also reminds me of another conversation I had with Michelle who mentioned she was having a hard time finding good Mexican food in Australia. I don’t think you’ll find a soup exactly like this on any Mexican menu, but I think Mexican restaurants around the globe might reconsider if they had a batch of…

Fitness & Spicy Chili con Chili

• 1 large acorn squash (about 2 pounds), cut into quarters and seeded
• 3 dried red chilies
• Boiling water
• 1 t chili powder
• 3 poblano chilies
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 T chopped fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I use Chobani. Learn why I love it here!)

Preheat the broiler. Microwave the squash on medium-high power until fork-tender, about 10 minutes; let cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh and transfer to a food processor; discard the skin.

In a bowl, soak the red chilies in just enough boiling water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Discard the stems and seeds. Add the red chiles and the chili powder to the food processor; puree.

Place the poblano chiles on a baking sheet, and broil, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Discard the stems and seeds, then chop.

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash puree, poblanos, black beans, oregano, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the Greek yogurt.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It just might squash your need to run to the border!

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post