"Three Sisters" Stew: Recipe from Vegan Holiday Kitchen

Happy Friday! It's cold outside and there is talk of possible snow this weekend. Hard to believe!

It is the perfect time, however, to make "Three Sisters" Stew. This is the second recipe I've made from the Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas. The first one, Mixed Greens with Green Apples, Beets, and Pistachios, was a delight: great ingredients, simple directions, and a very satisfactory result.

I've been developing my own recipes for years now. Even though I don't have a published cookbook, I know the process. I've also tested recipes for other cookbook authors for years. So, typically, I need to just glance at a recipe to know whether it will or will not work.

Looking at the recipe for "Three Sisters" Stew, I loved the ingredients, but thought the directions could use some work. And so I used the ingredients Nava listed, but changed the steps in preparing the dish. I hope no one finds any fault in this.

{You can see the ingredients in the above photograph on the right. Click on it to maximize it.}

Here's what I did:
1) I roasted the peeled and cubed butternut squash for about 25 minutes in the oven.
2) In a heavy bottomed pot, I heated the oil, added onion and garlic. I sauteed that for about 5 minutes. I then added green pepper and chillies and sauteed everything for a few more minutes.

3) To the vegetables I added all the spices: that allows the spices to "wake up" and release their natural oils.
4) I then added the tomatoes (I used fire roasted ones), corn, beans and water. I brought the mixture to a boil, turned it down to a simmer and cooked the stew covered for 20 minutes.
5) That's when I added in the roasted butternut squash and cooked it for 5 minutes. I think if you follow Nava's recipe and add the squash in the beginning, you'll get a very mushy stew.
6) I served the stew garnished with cilantro.

Overall, this was a good recipe. It was colorful, nutritious, filling and great as leftovers. If you aren't following a strict vegan diet, I'd recommend serving a bit of sour cream or yogurt on top of the stew...and why not even add a bit of shredded cheese?

Have a wonderful weekend!