SQUASH STEW

Squash Stew image

Even my boyfriend, who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, gets excited when I make this dish. As an added bonus, this happens to be fit for a vegan. This pleases a broad range of diets and tastes. Peeling the squash is quite tricky, but I have found that a carrot peeler is the most useful tool for this job. Serve with pita bread.

Provided by GILLIANMCLENNAN

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Stews

Time 2h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 medium acorn squash, peeled and diced
1 cup pinto beans, cooked or canned
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil and saute the onion for a few minutes. Add the cinnamon and chili powder and continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cumin seeds, saute for 2 minutes more before adding lemon juice and the tomatoes. Mix thoroughly so the stew doesn't get too chunky.
Stir the squash, pinto beans and water into the stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the stew simmer for 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Stirring occasionally throughout the cooking hour, and add more water if necessary. The finished stew should have a nice, thick stewy texture.
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Place one piece of pita bread at a time into the skillet. When one side of the pita bread gets hot, flip the bread over and heat the other side; approximately 1 minute of cooking per side. Serve the stew with the heated pita bread.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 256.6 calories, Carbohydrate 35.3 g, Fat 12 g, Fiber 11.5 g, Protein 7.1 g, SaturatedFat 1.7 g, Sodium 501.3 mg, Sugar 12 g