Fall Peanut Curried Squash Stew

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Red Kuri Squash, chopped (never heard of that before? Neither had I, but it was so pretty and grown in Vermont so I had to try it! I'm assuming that they don't show up everywhere, so really any medium sized butternut, acorn, or pie pumpkin will do)

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups veggie broth

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Optional:

2 cans cannellini beans (white beans), rinsed

1 bunch dinosaur kale, chopped, or 3 cups of spinach

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and squash, and saute until softened and the onion is translucent. Add the jalapeno, ginger, and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the curry and garam masala and saute for 30 seconds longer. Add the tomatoes and veggie broth and simmer until the squash is tender.

  2. At this point, if you have an immersion blender, you can use this to blenderize your stew and make it creamy. If you do not have one of these, I recommend you get one, they are so worth it! However, you can always pour the soup into a regular blender to do the same thing. Return the stew to the pot and stir in peanut butter.

  3. If you are planning on using the beans and kale or spinach, add them to the stew. Heat on medium high until kale is wilted.

  4. If you are NOT using the beans and kale, then you can simply serve stew in bowls and top with cilantro.