Name: Vegetarian Stew with Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2/3 cup quinoa; 1 1/3 cup water; pinch of salt; 2 cups diced (1/2-inch butternut squash); 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 medium onion (diced); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger; 1/2 large jalapeno pepper (seeds & membranes removed, minced); 2 large cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 cup lite coconut milk (stirred); 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes ((with juices)); 1 14 ounce can of chickpeas, (drained & rinsed); 2 green onions (thinly sliced)

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This easy vegetarian stew is rich in flavors, thanks to coconut milk, butternut squash and fresh ginger. The leftovers heat up well for lunch the next day.

Monday was time for a serious detox. I spent the weekend at the Joshua Creek Ranch for Georgia Pellegrini's Girl Hunter (more on that in a future post), and happily feasted on venison, smoked turkey, wild game gumbo and maybe a glass of wine or two (or three). Monday was a return to a Meatless Monday meal of Crockpot Gingered Chickpea & Spicy Tomato Stew. With a chunk of ginger sitting in my fridge, an extra can of chickpeas and butternut squash left over from my recent obsession with Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa (I've made it three times in the past two week), I set to work on a light vegetarian stew.

One of the first recipes on my blog paired coconut milk and jalapenos with cauliflower and brown rice (here's the recipe) and knew it was a good match. This time, since I'm now a little more health conscious, I switched to lite coconut milk and replaced part of the coconut milk with diced tomatoes. The sweet butternut squash provides a great foil for the heat of the jalapeno and the coconut milk and tomato sauce soaks into the quinoa. Piled into a bowl and garnished with green onions, it makes for a comforting and satisfying dish.

The vegetarian stew recipe:
In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water, and place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork and re-cover to keep warm.

In a medium or large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the cubed butternut squash. Cook until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until the onions are turning brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add ginger and minced jalapeño and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring.

Add the lite coconut milk, diced tomatoes with juices, chickpeas and cooked butternut squash. Turn the mixture to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Divide the quinoa between bowls and ladle the stew over top. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve.

More vegetarian stews:

Cookin' Canuck's Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout
Cookin' Canuck's Crockpot Chickpea Stew with Balsamic Caramelized Onions
Herbivoracious' Persian-Italian Eggplant Stew
Sailu's Kitchen's Tangy Shallot Stew
The Skinny Gourmet Andreae's Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

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