Tasty Tuesdays

Yesterday I spent a few hours going through my vegetarian cookbooks to find R. and I some meals for the upcoming weeks. To admit I've had these cookbooks for about a year and a half and haven't cooked not one thing from them. I've also never had butternut squash before and was VERY pleasantly surprised. Now to the details - I didn't have some of the exact ingredients so I substituted.

You Will Need:
~ 4 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
~ 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut
~ 3 Medium Carrots, peeled and cut
~ 1 Large Onion, chopped * I used about half of a large red onion
~ 2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
~ 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed with garlic press
~ 1 Can of Plum Tomatoes * 1 Large Tomato, sliced and diced
~ 3 Jalapeno Chiles, seeded and minced * 1 Jar of Jalapeno Chiles (the kind you use for nachos)
~ 1 Cup of Vegetable Broth
~ 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
~ 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
~ 2 Cans of Black Soybeans, rinsed and drained
~ 1 Cup of lightly packed fresh Cilantro
~ Plain Nonfat Yogurt (optional)


Start by microwaving the squash for 2 minutes to soften it. Cut the squash into pieces, place it in a bowl. Then do that same with the carrots and onions, putting those into another bowl. Grab a deep skillet and heat 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil on med-high heat until its hot. Add squash then cook until it's golden. Should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Once done place the squash back into the bowl. Add 2 more teaspoons of olive oil into the pan, with the carrots and onions, chili powder and garlic. Stir occasionally - until golden. It should take about 10 minutes.

(If you are using a can of plum tomatoes then skip this step, otherwise you will want to cut your tomatoes up now. )

Move everything into a saucepan, otherwise it could almost overflow like ours did.. *whoops*. First move the carrots and onions over; add the tomatoes, jalapenos, broth, sugar, salt, squash, and soybeans. Heat to a boiling on medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes..or until squash is tender.










You can then add the cilantro. Or make rice to serve with the chili, like we did. This was both our first times eating squash and it turned out really good. R. said "it's like they're potatoes". This recipe makes about 10 cups or 6 main dish servings. But I think since we paired it with the rice it'll last us for about the rest of the week.

Have any recipes that you would like to share with me?? Please do! and let me know if you try this recipe I would love to know how it turned out for you.