Black Beans Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bowl

There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of beans and rice during the cold days we have had lately.  Just thinking of it makes make mouth water.  I added butternut squash and spinach to the beans to increase the nutritional value of the dish as well as its taste and texture.  I used black beans but any other type will do. The fresh garlic with the vegetable broth are all you need to make this wonderful one pot meal full of robust flavor as you eat it with rice or quinoa. The butternut squash adds some sweetness and pairs up well with the spinach and beans.  It is an easy quick meal to prepare.

Black Beans Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bowl

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat the coconut oil in a saute pan to medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook till the onion is translucent and the garlic slightly brown but not burnt.  

Add the vegetable broth and butternut squash to the onion and garlic mixture and heat through till the butternut squash is soft but not mushy.  

Add the black beans and the spinach leaves and heat through till the spinach is cooked and the whole dish heated through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the brown rice in a bowl and ladle the black bean butternut squash mixture on top.  Enjoy.

Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

I have been trying to come up with a good butternut squash soup that would make me happy and the recipe below is the one.  It is simple to prepare and with very few ingredients.  It is also vegan and healthy for you. I love not only its delicious rich taste but also its creamy texture.  The green chilies gives it a robust taste with hardly imparting heat. It adds that flavor that lifts the soup to another level together with the cumin powder and coconut milk.  The role of the cumin is to give the soup a smoky flavor without being spicy while the coconut milk gives it its creamy texture.  The lime squeezed over the soup before relishing it is a must.  It gives it a sparkling refreshing taste. Perfect for any gathering when you want a soup for the appetizer.  So good and easy to prepare.

Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1-4 oz can green chilies
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk from a can
• 1-2 limes cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a pan with cooking spray.  Place the butternut squash and add salt and black pepper. (Note 1). Spray with cooking spray if you wish. Bake for 20 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth in a Vitamix Blender or any blender and add to it the rest of the ingredients except the lime wedges.  Blend till smooth.  You can change the variable setting of the Vitamix blender to 10 and blend for 5 minutes till you see steam coming from the vent of the cover.  You can also transfer the blended mixture into a pot and heat on a stove.

Serve with slices of lime.   You can also use cilantro as an optional topping but the lime is a must.

Notes:

1.  You can also cut the whole unpeeled butternut squash lengthwise and put the cut side down in a pan and bake for 35 minutes or till skin is brown.  Cool and remove the seed and discard.  Scoop the flesh of one of the halves and use for the recipe.

Kale and Butternut Squash in Coconut Milk

We have a dish in the Philippines called Ginataang Kalabasa or Squash in Coconut Milk. One can add other vegetables like green beans to the squash and any kind of meat or seafood, the most common one being shrimp.

This recipe is an adaptation of this dish. I used butternut squash in combination with sweet kale.  I also used grape tomatoes and to boost the protein, I added canned northern beans.  Since I want this to be vegan, I did not use fish sauce the traditional seasoning and instead utilize the flavor of soy sauce or tamari. Non vegans can use the fish sauce which gives the dish that distinct flavor familiar to most Filipinos.

I have read a recent explanation why coconut oil and coconut in general have been touted to be healthy although it had been known otherwise due to it being a saturated fatty acid.  Not all saturated fatty acids are created equal.  In this publication written by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, PhD (please see the research papers cited therein), she explained that middle chain fatty acids which coconut oil mostly is composed of, metabolize through a different pathway that results in their being directly transported to the mitchondria (in the liver), the energy machine of our body.  As a result they are utilized for energy faster by the body than the long chain saturated and unsaturated ones like olive oil. These long chain ones go through a different pathway and they can end up as stored fat. Since coconut oil is metabolized faster it also helps the faster metabolism of its longer chain counterparts.

With this in mind, I used the coconut oil and coconut milk from the can in this dish with less trepidation than previously.  I highly recommend reading the source I obtained these pieces of information and the scientific research papers backing it up. Note to get the benefits of the coconut oil it must be raw or organic cold pressed and has not gone hydrogenation.

This dish is very delicious and filling served over the rice of your choice.  The flavor of the kale is enhanced by both the pairing with the squash and the thick coconut milk based sauce.

Kale and Butternut Squash in Coconut Milk

• 2 tbsp organic cold pressed coconut oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1-15 oz can northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp of tamari
• 2 dry red chili peppers
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 whole butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 head sweet kale, leaves chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• curry powder or juice of lemon (optional and suggested for added flavor)

In a large saute pan with a cover or a Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil at medium heat and saute the onion, ginger, garlic, grape tomatoes if using and tomato paste till cooked.  Then add the broth, beans, tamari, red chili peppers and coconut milk. Heat the mixture through then add the squash and kale and boil gently till the squash and kale are cooked.  You want the squash not to be mushy.  

You can serve this as a main dish over rice of your choice or over Naan bread or as a delicious side dish.