Dicentra
10-07-2009, 10:22
My mother in law brought me a ton of various squashes she had picked up at the farmer's market north of here. I started with the huge piece of gray hubbard squash (http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm). Skinning and dicing the hard squash was the hardest part. I recently bought the book 1001 Best Slow Cooker Recipes (http://www.amazon.com/001-Best-Slow-Cooker-Recipes-Cookbook/dp/1572840986) and I'm slowly working through many of the delicious ideas. Crock pots are wonderful for fall weather comfort food. Great book! I have 4 or this series now (with plans to eventually get the rest).
Here's the recipe as it reads originally. I, of course, cannot follow a written recipe to save my life, so I note the changes I made to the recipe below.
Bean and Squash Stew
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (13 ounce) can baby lima beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups peeled squash (butternut or acorn)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers
2 teaspoons minced roasted garlic
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
Combine all of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
I used 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, two cans of white kidney beans, omitted the lima beans and bell pepper, 3 1/2 cups of diced squash, 2 small onions (diced), chopped raw garlic instead of roasted and a blend of basil-oregano-thyme. I also added just a little water because the mixture looked a bit dry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2639/3983391663_b9e79d67d8.jpg
I set the crock pot to run on high for about 6 hours. The house smelled wonderful! Everything cooked down to a delightful stewy texture. I mashed the cubed squash with a wooden spoon after it had cooked through. Of course we had to eat some first! YUM!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3984156336_020ca2140d.jpg
I let the stew cool before loading it onto the lined dehydrator trays, spreading it as thin as possible. It is pretty thick with all the squash and beans. I got it down to about 1/8 thick. I set the dehydrator to 140* and let it go.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3986574713_9739df316d.jpg
It took about 6 hours for the stew to dry all the way, but now I have several servings of dried stew for future trips. This will be great served with couscous or pre-dried quinoa. I would do about 1/2 cup dried stew to 1/4-1/3 cup grains when packaging this up. Adjust to taste.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3987330710_ccd6727033.jpg
Here's the recipe as it reads originally. I, of course, cannot follow a written recipe to save my life, so I note the changes I made to the recipe below.
Bean and Squash Stew
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (13 ounce) can baby lima beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups peeled squash (butternut or acorn)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers
2 teaspoons minced roasted garlic
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
Combine all of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
I used 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, two cans of white kidney beans, omitted the lima beans and bell pepper, 3 1/2 cups of diced squash, 2 small onions (diced), chopped raw garlic instead of roasted and a blend of basil-oregano-thyme. I also added just a little water because the mixture looked a bit dry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2639/3983391663_b9e79d67d8.jpg
I set the crock pot to run on high for about 6 hours. The house smelled wonderful! Everything cooked down to a delightful stewy texture. I mashed the cubed squash with a wooden spoon after it had cooked through. Of course we had to eat some first! YUM!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3984156336_020ca2140d.jpg
I let the stew cool before loading it onto the lined dehydrator trays, spreading it as thin as possible. It is pretty thick with all the squash and beans. I got it down to about 1/8 thick. I set the dehydrator to 140* and let it go.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3986574713_9739df316d.jpg
It took about 6 hours for the stew to dry all the way, but now I have several servings of dried stew for future trips. This will be great served with couscous or pre-dried quinoa. I would do about 1/2 cup dried stew to 1/4-1/3 cup grains when packaging this up. Adjust to taste.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3987330710_ccd6727033.jpg