Butternut Squash Black Bean Chili

I was lucky enough to discover this recipe about a year ago. Stephen and I were doing this 21 day cleanse (no animal products, no gluten, no caffeine, no sugar, and no alcohol). As you can see, our diet was severely limited. We were on a mission though, and I really worked hard to make us hearty, healthy dinners so we never really felt like we were missing out. This is one of Stephen's favorite chilis now, he ALWAYS asks for it. I recently made it for a couple of our friends that came over to watch football and they loved it too. Its hearty, mildly spicy, and delicious. This will forever be one of my favorite chilis. This recipe was adapted from epicurious.com. It is also really good the next day, don't be scared of the Swiss chard and butternut squash. It really is delicious and GLUTEN FREE!

Olive oil

2 medium onions

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 small to medium peeled butternut squash (about 3 cups), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (can also use chicken too, both are good)

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

3 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves

Directions:

• Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender.
• Add squash, stir for about 2 minutes
• Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper
• Stir in the beans, broth and tomatoes with juices and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the squash is tender.
• Stir in the chard and simmer until it is tender but still bright green (about 4 min)
• Serve!