Black Bean, Kaniwa, and Roast Butternut Squash Stew

A pressure cooker isn’t necessary, but it does cook your beans faster. I start with dried beans because they taste better and cost a lot less than canned. But (confession), I totally used pre-cut butternut squash for this recipe. I don’t mind passive cooking time, such as putting beans in water to soak at breakfast time or overnight, but like to save time on cooking prep when I can. Please feel free to improvise with whatever veggies or grains you have on hand. Roasting the veggies in the oven makes them super sweet. My kids have sweet tooths, and both liked this stew.

Ingredients

2 cups of dried black beans 2 sprigs of fresh epazote, or 1 teaspoon dried 2 bay leaves 1 pound of diced butternut squash 3 carrots 2 bell peppers 6 cloves of garlic ½ tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil 1 cup of kaniwa, quinoa or amaranth ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

1. Rinse the beans, place in a bowl and then cover with 2-3 inches of water. Let sit for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse. 2. Place the beans and enough water so that the water level is at least twice as high as the level of the beans in a large pot or pressure cooker. Add the epazote* and bay leaves. Boil for 15-20 minutes at high pressure in a pressure cooker, or for 1 hour in a normal pot. For more bean cooking tips, click here. 3. Preheat the oven to 375* F. Chop the squash, carrots, peppers and garlic into bite-sized pieces. Scatter on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat for easy clean up. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil. Bake until they start to brown, about 20 minutes depending on size. 4. Once the beans are cooked, or just about cooked, add the kaniwa, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, spices to taste and stir in the roasted veggies. 5. We served it with avocado. Enjoy! This recipe makes a big pot and fed us for several meals. *Epazote is a Mexican herb commonly used with beans and sauces. You can buy it dried  and it is very easy to grow.