Dinner Last Night: Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew

Last night's dinner: Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew, Cornbread, & Coleslaw.

The original recipe for the stew came from an article in Relish Magazine. I tweaked it to fit the tastes of my family (unfortunately, half of us loathe mushrooms. I'm not one of them). The coleslaw was very easy to make, and my kids, could eat bucketfuls of this stuff. They love it. The cornbread is always a hit (I use the recipe from Coleen Patrick-Goudreau's Vegan Baking--it's slightly modified, but I get the idea from her), and the soup was also a winner, although I let them layer it over a bed of leftover basmati rice, which got them more excited about eating squash, which is not always a popular with my kids (my oldest thought the squash was some sort of potato).

Here are the recipes for the coleslaw and stew (for the cornbread, check out Vegan Baking).

Vegan Coleslaw

With salads, it usually doesn't matter if you don't measure things exactly. When making coleslaw it's important to measure so you have a perfectly coated slaw (not saturated with dressing, and not skimpy on the dressing either). The trick in getting beautifully chopped, and therefore edible cabbage, is using a food processor. I chopped the cabbage into chunks and then processed it through the grater. For the carrots, I used the S-blade of the food processor. I peeled and cut the carrots into small chunks before processing.

• 4 1/2 cups chopped cabbage/cauliflower (I did mostly cabbage with about a half head of cauliflower--processed with the grater in my food processor)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled, and chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise (I made mine from scratch using my favorite no-oil recipe from 7 Secrets Cookbook)
• 1 TBS. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. sweetener of choice
• 1/2 tsp. celery seeds (don't underestimate the power of these little seeds, they add a lot of flavor and personality to the slaw)
• 1/4 tsp. salt (OPTIONAL)

Toss the carrots and cabbage/cauliflower mixture. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make dressing. Pour dressing over carrots and cabbage and toss until well coated. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the taste marinate or eat immediately.

Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew

This soup is perfect for a chilly autumn evening. It really is a meal in a bowl, and could easily be eaten alone. I love sneaking cabbage into soups whenever I can, because my kids and husband never know it's there! The secret is the chopping it very finely (food processor does this best), but not to the point of pureeing.

• 1 medium onion, slivered, then chopped lightly
• 3 c. finely chopped green cabbage
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 14 oz. can no-salt diced tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 2 heaping TBS. "chickenish" seasoning (vegan vegetable bouillon also works)
• 2 TBS. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 TBS. dried parsley (or use fresh)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (OPTIONAL--you can always salt your soup when you eat it to limit your sodium intake)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cans (about 3 1/2 cups) great northern white beans, rinsed

On medium/high heat, saute onions for 5 or so minutes in a large pot, stirring every so often so onions don't stick. Add small amounts of water if necessary. Add remaining ingredients except for the beans. Turn up heat to high until a boil is reached. Cover, then turn down and allow to simmer on medium/low for 30-40 minutes, or until squash is soft/slightly firm. Add beans and stir. Serve with fresh cornbread, toast, or crackers.