A big bowl of meaty chili is a common craving of mine in the winter. It’s a good way to use up leftover bits of meats and vegetables and a can of beans or legumes can be thrown in as well. I like to add in as many vegetables as possible to keep it from being too heavy and make it more balanced. For this version I used some canned pumpkin (any puréed squash would work), diced yams, bell peppers and poblano peppers. To give it some moderate spice I like poblano peppers because they have a lot of flavour but not too much heat (they look like large jalapeños) as well as chipotle powder. Some cumin for smokiness and chili powder round out the spices. 
I wanted this version to be more rich tasting so I used beef as well as chorizo. Decased chorizo (remove the sausage casing and just use the spiced, ground meat inside) is one of my best tricks for adding in an extra layer of flavour without too much extra effort. Ground turkey can also be really good with these types of vegetables for a leaner option.
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 4 chorizo sausages, decased (up to 1 lb)
- 3 cups yams, chopped (1/4 inch cubes from 1 medium sized yam)
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1½ cup bell peppers, chopped (2 medium or 6 small)
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or any type easily available)
- 1 cup pumpkin, cooked and puréed (around ½ can)
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- Optional toppings: avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, green onion, cilantro, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt or shredded cheese
- Heat up the oil in a large pot or wok over medium high heat on the stove. Add in the onion and sautée until translucent, around 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, chorizo and beef and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and starting to brown. Drain the excess oil if there is a large pool of it at the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the remaining ingredients- yams, tomatoes, broth, pumpkin and peppers and leave to cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are softened and the flavours have time to come together.
Plain avocado, freshly squeezed lime juice and thinly sliced green onion are some of my favourite options for this type of chili but anything goes from tortilla chips to cheese to sour cream. 