three sisters stew / bountiful vegan thanksgiving!

a few weeks ago i was surfing one of my many beloved food blogs, and i came across the small e-cookbook 'a bountiful vegan thanksgiving.' its technically a compilation of 65 recipes, although over the half the recipes are by nava atlas. it was only $9, and all the profits go to charity. i like cookbooks and i like charities, so it seemed like a win-win situation.

if you're still looking for recipes for this week - or just want some fun fall recipes - you should (click here) and check it out yourself.

last night, i finally got around to trying the 'three sister's stew (three sisters being the native american trio of corn, squash, and beans), and it was pretty good. nava has posted the recipe on her website, which you can check out (here)...

to begin with, you have to roast butternut squash. this, of course, means cutting the thing in half and dumping it in the oven. i was impressed that i was able to do this myself and not hurt myself.

the trick is roast until soft but still firm, so that you can then cut up the squash into little cubes when it is cool, like so...

then they sit aside for a second while you cook (wait for it).... onions and garlic.

now the squash can go back in...

plus tomatoes...

plus corn, chiles, peppers, beans, veggie stock, and spices.

here is what it all looked like before half an hour of covered simmering...

and after, which is kind of the same. some of you may be wondering what i do during such simmering periods that don't really require much except occasional stirring. this time, it was dishes. that, and an exciting random playlist. i had just finished transferring some random songs from old computer to new computer to ipod, and so i was treated to such delightful random old-yet-new songs as digital underground's 'humpty dance,' joni mitchell's 'help me,' and joseph arthur's 'honey and the moon.' all three are pretty good songs, if i do say so myself. anyway.

here is how i served the stew, which was pretty good, although i must remember to add red pepper flakes next time.

and, as proof that i do actually buy them, here is a baguette, which was eaten on the side. that is all.