Pumpkin Sausage Chili

I adapted this one from One Dish Vegetarian Meals by Robin Robertson. Obviously I added the sausage to make it closer to what we think of as chili. I think it also would be good with leftover cooked chicken. I made 2 batches with one baking pumpkin. Seeding, peeling, and chopping the pumpkin meat was difficult but worth it. I improved my technique after giving my hand a blister the first time I made it. Pumpkin is full of nutrients and anti-oxidants, so it was great to find a dinner recipe that didn't involve pie. The orange pumpkin and black beans make this a lovely Halloween meal. You may have to hunt a little for the chipotles in adobo sauce - they'll be in a small can in the Mexican section of your store if you can find it. You can substitute a diced jalapeno chile and 1/8 tsp of cayenne if you can't find it - or omit it if you want to turn down the heat.

1 lb sage sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic (or 2-3 garlic cloves, minced)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (if you shred it trying to mince it - close enough)
1/2 baking pumpkin, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can of Ro*Tel (diced tomatoes and chiles)
1 cup of apple cider (or apple juice)
1 cup of water (or chicken broth)
4 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

Brown the sausage, then add the oil (omit if there's plenty from the sausage in the pan) and soften the onions, garlic, and chipotle for 8-10 minutes on medium heat. Add everything else except the beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer another 15 minutes and serve hot.