Eats: Quinoa W/Moroccan Winter Squash & Carrot Stew

9:00 AM

This may look like a pile of brown rubbish, but it was delicious. I tried editing the photos so they would show off the food a little better (we have the worst lighting in our house), but this was the best I could do. I followed THIS recipe, but made a few adjustments. For instance, I could not find coriander and saffron is an expensive little bastard, so those were not included. The flavor came out pretty strong according to Kyle, so if you skip those two ingredients like I did, add a little more of the mint to help balance the intensity of the cumin and cayenne pepper.

Here is the recipe:

Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pinch of saffron

1 cup water

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups 1-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)

2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled carrots

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided

For stew:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For quinoa:

Rinse quinoa; drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

Rewarm stew. Stir in half of cilantro and half of mint. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle remaining herbs over.

I did not rewarm the stew, but like I said, this was pretty amazing! I assume it is healthy too, Kyle called it vegan-hippy food...right after scarfing it down.