Pumpkin, Black Bean, And Corn Chili

With Forrest out of town for a few days, I decided to make myself some chili.  I wanted to use ingredients that I had on hand, so I came up with the idea to make black bean chili.  I consulted Dara over at Cook in Canuck, because I've liked some of her soups before.  As luck would have it, she has a great recipe for Smoky Black Bean and Corn Chili.  I used her recipe as a template and modified it to both fit my tastes and what I had in my pantry.  While this isn't a traditional "chili," it hit the spot to satisfy my craving!

Pumpkin, Black Bean, & Corn Chili
Adapted from Cook in Canuck

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds dried black beans, cooked with water in pressure cooker
• 2 10 oz bags frozen corn
• 1/2 of a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chipolte powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp salt
• sour cream
• spicy cheese blend

Directions

Combine all ingredients except sour cream and cheese in a large dutch oven.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated through.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese.

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Homemade Peppermint Patties

Peppermint Patties have always been a favorite treat in my house.  We used to keep bags of bite sized York Peppermint Patties in the pantry to always have an after lunch treat.  Once we went natural, the originals were replaced by Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint Creams.  Now, the poor TJ's version has been replaced by these homemade treats.

Homemade Peppermint Patties are easier than you'd think.  The downside is, they don't last very long!  I imagine I'll have to make a batch a week to keep up with demand.

Homemade Peppermint Patties
Adapted from Design Sponge

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup (Wholesome Sweeteners makes an organic option)
• 2 tsp peppermint oil
• 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Combine powered sugar, water, coconut oil, corn syrup, and peppermint oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until it comes together.  
2. Dampen your hands and form mixture into a ball.  Place on parchment paper and flatten into desired thickness.  Add powdered sugar as necessary to keep from sticking.  Use a small cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes.  
3. Place shapes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Put finished shapes in freezer for 30 minutes.  
4. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and coconut oil, stirring until smooth.
5. Coat peppermint shapes with chocolate mixture, working quickly to avoid too much softening.  I don't worry about the messy extra chocolate, it's just bonus chocolate! 
6. Allow candies to set in refrigerator on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Store in refrigerator. 

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