I love butternut squash! I couldn’t resist buying one the other day, and needed to put it to use. I especially love butternut squash with sweet & heat, and cayenne, ginger and cinnamon do the trick here. I was actually going to make a much more fattening dinner, but decided on this leaner choice instead.  best of all, it’s all in one pot. 🙂

Ty’s Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew

olive oil for misting pot
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt (i used sea salt with sea vegetables)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes, and their juices
5-6 c. vegetable stock
2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, optional
cayenne pepper to taste, optional (i used 1/2 tsp. for hot)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onion and salt, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for another minute.

2. Add all other ingredients. Cover and drop heat to simmer for 40 minutes.

Results: YUM! my absolute new favorite. next time i’ll add a can of corn in with the beans too. 🙂

(rinsing your canned beans well helps to reduce the gassiness often attributed to eating your friend, the legume.)