Pumpkin Carving Ideas

All from Southern Living 2011

Pumpkin Chili Mole

About 6 1-cup servings

Vegan, Dairy Free

Ingredients This recipe recommends organic ingredients... of course. 
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
14 sweet peppers or 2 bell peppers, chopped
1 hot pepper of choice, diced (optional) such as arbol
1 15 oz (425 g) can kidney beans
1 15 oz (425 g) can black beans
1 15 oz (425 g) can pumpkin puree (or butternut squash puree)
1 28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes if cannot find fire roasted, use normal diced tomatoes and add hot pepper flakes
1 12 dark beer

Seasoning Mixture
1 tsp raw cacao powder (or unsweet baking cocoa)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
**Add salt to taste.  I didn't add any as with the canned beans and tomatoes it was salty enough.

Directions
1. Heat a Dutch Oven or large stock pot over medium high heat; spray with cooking spray, add onions and peppers; saute about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic; saute an additional 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile mix spice mixture in a small bowl.
3. Add spice mixture to pot and all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Recipe posted on Florida Coastal Cooking Blog. See it here.
My thoughts.... Beef Chili > Pumpkin Chili. 
Disagree? I'd be glad to take the challenge and try out your pumpkin or vegetarian chili recipe. 

Pumpkin Pie (Paula Deen, Food Network - modified)

Prep Time: 20 

Cook Time: 50 

Ready In: 2 hours

Servings: 7

Original Recipe Yield 8.5" pie

Ingredients:
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
* sprinkle of nutmeg
* 1 piece pre-made pie dough
* Whipped cream and almond slivers for toppings.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Footnotes: 
Added to recipe nutmeg and almond slivers for toppings. Did not use the ground ginger. Highly recommend blind baking and using Pillsbury premade (but not prebaked) pie crust.