As part of the American Cancer Society’s Healthier Holiday Table campaign, I am re-publishing my Cuban Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Stew that so many of you have made and love. Thank you — it always tickles me when I see it mentioned here or on Facebook!
First, some cancer-prevention tips courtesy of ACS:
· Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products. Here are some innovative ways to add more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to your day while watching your refined carbohydrates, sugar, and fat intake.
· Limit how much processed meat and red meat you eat. Some studies have linked eating large amounts of processed meat to increased risk of colorectal and stomach cancers.
· Drink no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 per day for men. Alcohol raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and the colon and rectum.
· The Society recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these), preferably spread throughout the week. Here are some tips to help you fit exercise into your busy schedule.
As for my own household, we are definitely getting our fair share of exercise as well as fruits and veggies as both DH and DS are vegetarians. My kids, like all kids, will grab the grilled cheese sandwiches before loading up their plates with salad, but I make it a point to pack fruit for snacks and lunches and hide veggies in meals whether pasta sauces, pizza or stews. The following Pumpkin or Butternut Squash stew is a favorite fall and winter dish in our household. We usually eat it with tortilla chips or rice — in which I hide veggies there as well.
Photo from Vegan Treats and Eats blog.
Cuban Squash Stew
(2) 15oz cans of white kidney or cannellini beans
(1) butternut squash or pumpkin (the smallest you can find)
1 3/4 teaspoon of salt
sofrito sauce
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (tightly packed)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup or half a can of tomato sauce
6 manzanilla olives (This is optional. Put in as many or as little as you’d like. We love olives so I always put in a minimum of 6.)
Directions: Boil butternut squash to soften, peel, de-seed, and dice into 3/4-inch dice. You will make approximately 2 cups.
Boil the squash in 5 cups of water. Add beans from the can.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the sofrito, which by the way, I use as my base sauce for everything from beans to lasagna. Put the oil in a large frying and set it on medium-high heat. Put in the onion and garlic and stir and fry for a minute. Now put in the poblano pepper and cilantro, turn the heat down to medium and stir for a minute. Put in the cumin and stir once, then add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and simmer very gently, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes.
Add the salt and the sofrito to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer until all the flavors are blended. Enjoy!
That looks so delicious! Especially since I am just getting over being sick. I’m making it tomorrow.
Definitely try it, Lauren! Feel better soon.
I made it last week and it was wonderful. I’ll probably make a few more iterations since I have a whole bounty of pumpkins from the garden.
I should add that it’s pretty straightforward to make. I didn’t have chiles on hand so I just added a bit of chipotle powder. It would be good without chiles, too. The basic idea of the pumpkin plus the canned beans is excellent.
To make it even faster, you can buy a bag of frozen, cubed squash. It would come together with almost no prep.
One more thing: If you want it to be more like a side dish and less soup-like, and you’re not adding rice, you can also just use less water. It’s a very nifty master recipe.
Thanks for the tip! The chipotle powder sounds interesting. I will have to try that!
Penzey’s chipotle powder is Teh Awesome.
A friend of mine turned me on to them many many years ago, when their only store was in the midwest and the only option was mail order. Now, they have many more stores, and you can walk in and smell every herb and spice they sell (they have little sample tins out of each one). It’s a fun place to go.
The catalog is very fun too, because every spice is lovingly described with how it is produced and where it comes from. In many instances, you can choose between various origins of the same spice, and they’ll describe the difference.
Unfortunately the closest store to you is in Santa Rosa which is actually closer to me. I’d be happy to bring some to you next time I come down…
I have two gallon-size freezer bags of pureed pumpkin (used to be jack-o-lantern). Does anyone have a recipe they love for this? I know pumpkin bread, and can make a sorta squash/pumpkin soup, but would love something more interesting. I wonder if I can do a variation of THIS soup, with puree and black beans???
I think this would work with pureed pumpkin. If you give it a try can you let me know? I am curious. Also, I like the idea of freezing the pumpkin so that it’s cut up and ready to go.
Have you ever made pumpkin ravioli? It’s wicked yummy, but a little time intensive.
I’ve never done home made ravioli. Sounds like a good project for a long winter weekend!
Only two? I have more than that in my freezer and my front porch is still littered with pumpkins!
One of my favorite ways to use the puree is in a risotto.
This one is very good, and I use puree rather than chunks:
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/10/butternut-squash-risotto-transcendence.html
But, the thing about risotto is that it’s time consuming to make and requires a lot of attention. Voila, a solution!
http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/01/13/herbed-risotto-with-chicken-and-caramelized-onions/
This recipe basically runs unattended and honestly I think it is just as good.
So what I do is I use the squash and sage from the first recipe… and then the method of the second. Super sneaky, and very good. The risotto makes a terrific side dish but even my carnivore husband will accept it as a main dish.
It is best with the fresh sage, but a really good rubbed sage (from Penzey’s for example) just added as powder in the end will still produce a nice result.
Yum! Ive avoided risotto because of the constant stirring, and that first recipe has FOUR pans going at the same time(?). But if I can do it more simply, it sound great!
And of course, don’t forget the option of pumpkin pie. I just use the Libby’s recipe with 2 c of my own pumpkin and it’s actually not all that unhealthy. You can get nonfat evaporated milk, and I use a crust made of almonds and oats that I discovered the year I was on a super restricted diet and wasn’t supposed to have regular wheat flour.
Be sure to strain the pumpkin (to remove excess water) if you are going to use it for pie or ravioli.
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