The Perfect Meal for a Snow Day

Instead of going to the grocery store and stocking up on the essentials last night like most people did, I chose to go to the gym for a quick run, and then proceeded to sit on my bum all night watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the KU game. Kinnnnnnda regretting that decision now that I've been cooped up in my apartment all day with only frozen chicken breast, freezer burned edamame, half a jar of peanut butter, a stale bag of pretzels, and some Greek yogurt to tide me over until I get enough courage to brave the roads. Note to self - go grocery shopping more than once a month. Especially before a massive blizzard.

so so hungry. dyyyyyyyyyyyying right now.

In case any of you actually made it to the grocery store last night or have a well stocked pantry, you should try out this amazing vegetarian butternut squash chili I made a few months ago. It would be the perfect meal for a cold, snowy day. Seriously you MUST try it.....and it has avocados. Obviously it is amazing.

Chopping all these up is the hardest part.
I promise.

Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado

Serves 4

• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ground sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 14 ounce canned diced tomatoes (including the liquid)
• 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 avocados, diced
• cilantro (optional)
• 3 corn tortillas for crispy tortilla strips

Start by chopping up the onion, bell peppers, squash, and garlic. Toss into a large stockpot or Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Be sure to stir every few minutes so the veggies cook evenly. Once the onions start becoming translucent, turn the heat down to medium-low.

Add the salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, bay leaf, cinnamon, tomatoes, black beans, vegetable broth, and stir. If you are like me, and have never heard of chipotle in adobo you can find it in the Mexican food section of the grocery store. It took me and the Hen House worker a good 10 minutes to find it, but eventually we struck gold! 

Cover for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally. Simple enough right? You can taste test occasionally and add additional chipotle if desired. I think I ended up adding another 1/2 tablespoon when I made it, but it is completely up to you. After an hour the butternut squash should be tender and the liquid should have reduced so you are left with a thick chili consistency. 

If you want to add a little crunch to your chili, you can cut a few corn tortillas into tiny little strips (approximately 2 in long), and heat them in a small pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Be sure to sprinkle with salt and stir occasionally. Cook until the strips are crispy and turning golden. Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil while you are dicing up the avocados. Now that I think about I do still have some corn tortillas. Maybe I can at least make some tortilla "chips" to munch on today. Hmmmm....

If you want to get fancy (and take a great Instagram pic) chop up some cilantro as a garnish. I promise you won't be disappointed if you make this! Now if only I could get to the grocery store... Guess I will have to settle for salivating over my Recipes Board on Pinterest. Depressing.

Hope everyone in the Midwest is surviving Winter Storm Q (since when do we name winter storms?!?) and having a great snow day!