Run Plant Based

Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

Orange Butternut Stew

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I am a fan of pomegranates, the sweet and tarty seeds remind me of snacking by the pool on lazy summer days as a kid. Days when I was relaxed, having fun and not in a hurry because eating a raw pomegranate is a time-consuming project that the adult version of me still manages to stain something during. But adding the seeds to my smoothie is relatively safe thanks to Trader Joe’s frozen bags.

The seeds do add fiber grit to the smoothie which is nice for a little texture and change up.

This smoothie had pomegranate seeds, spinach, blueberries, carrot, chia seeds and Sun Warrior protein powder and made a great breakfast this morning. I can usually get 4-5 smoothies worth from one bag of the frozen seeds, not too shabby for a couple of bucks.

After a huge salad for lunch, I was craving a hearty stew for dinner. I decided to experiment with fennel seed and chickpeas for another bean stew since I had more soaked chickpeas ready to go. And I have oranges and a butternut squash to use up from our last farm box. Orange and fennel seed go so well together for me creating a warm, rich flavor with a slight orange sweetness. It’s one of my favorite flavor combos after trying a lentil recipe using them a few months back and I wanted to create a meal-in-a-pot version.

Orange Butternut Stew

Sauce

  • 1 tsp. fennel seed
  • 1 orange, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. thyme
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 3 cups water

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.

Stew

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked for at least 24 hours (or 1 can of chickpeas)
  • 2 cups chopped butternut squash
  • 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil

Saute the coconut oil, chickpeas and butternut squash in a large soup pot until tender. Pour blender mixture into pot and simmer covered over medium heat for 30 minutes. Mix in spinach, simmer for another 5 minutes and serve. Makes 4 servings.

The flavors worked well together, I liked the way the squash chunks softened and absorbed the citrus flavors and the chickpeas were perfect texture – not crunchy, but still a firm texture. It wasn’t the quickest recipe having to chop up a butternut squash and requiring just over 30 minutes of cook time, but still a good weeknight meal. If you’re a fan of oranges and butternut squash, give this a try.

Comments

  1. oranges + fennel, youre right, DO go sooo well together

    the creamy factor of this soup just looks stellar

    and your foodie pics, the vita canister shot and the skillet shot, yeah i can totally tell you ARE rocking with a dslr here!

  2. Oh yeah, I’m makin’ that soup! Love the sauce!

    I’m a big fan of TJ’s frozen pomegranate seeds for smoothies and as a crunchy topping for banana soft serve. Yum!

  4. Oh I love those frozen pom seeds from trader joes, when I had a trader joes near I would always get those! I added them to yogurt, cereal, and just ate them plain!

    The stew looks good and I like how you have it so we can print the recipe!

    Happy Friday! xoxo

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