I have a friend who patiently cleaned, peeled and cubed a fresh pumpkin and then selflessly gave me some. Scratch that, a TON!
I would have never even thought of doing something like that! But now that I have it in my fridge the ideas are flowing. First, I roasted some simply with curry. D-licious! The curry powder and pumpkin were such a fun combo it gave me an idea for a curry style chili of sorts and it came out even better!
The combination of black beans, pumpkin and red peppers was wonderful, but then I added cheese and spinach. Oh. My. Word!
I'm already dreaming of the leftovers tomorrow. Here's what I did…
- 1 Yellow Onion chopped
- About 2 cups of fresh raw pumpkin cut into small cubes
- 1 Red Bell Pepper chopped
- 1 can of Black Beans with liquid
- 1 tsp Red Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Cumin
- About 2 cups Baby Spinach
- 2 Rounds of The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel® Sharp Original Cheese
- Dried Cilantro
Spray a pot with non-stick cooking spay. Brown the onion over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin and sprinkle of kosher salt. Let the pumpkin brown a few minutes before adding the pepper.
Don't stir too much when browning. Let the veggies sit on the heat for a minute then toss and let sit again. You're looking to brown and scorch to draw out flavor.
Once the onion is all nice and brown and the peppers begin to soften, add the can of beans with the liquid.
If you are watching your sodium try to find cans without salt. I'm seeing them more and more.
Once you add the liquid be sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot. You want to get all that great flavor from browning the veggies.
Time to add the spice! I used this Red Curry…
and some dried cumin. Great combo!
Stir in the spice, lower to a simmer and let the flavors all merge.
While simmering put about a cup of spinach in a bowl.
Top with 1 and half cups of the pumpkin and back beans.
Now here comes the kicker. Cube a round of The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel® Sharp Original Cheese.
And top the chili.
Sprinkle some dried cilantro and mix it all together.
It may look like a big ole bowl of stuff…
but it sure was delicious!
And filling!
And satisfying!
And super healthy! -- According to NutrtionData.com this food is...
...a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1.5 cups with one round of cheese and the spinach | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 315 | 7g | 15g | old: 6 | new: 8 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 6g | 0g | 49g | 19g | |
Disclosure: I've partnered with The Laughing Cow. Click here for more info and click here to see all my ideas using the Laughing Cow!
This sounds delicious! So different too! I'm always looking for some "different" things to try with the family & I think this is going to be a hit!
Another absolutely mouth-watering dish! Yum! Black beans are one of my favorite fiber-rich ingredients and I'm excited to see them in this recipe. I can't wait to give this a try.
you can also use cubed pumpkin. forgot to mention that, sorry!
I like to create recipes myself. This gave me a great idea. I love Thai curry and also like Indian curry to a lesser extent. My husband, however, does not like Indian curry (or Japanese curry) at all!!! Have you ever made Thai curry? Light coconut milk makes it so much lighter. I'm not sure if you the red curry you have is thai or indian ~ I used to buy the jars of Thai Kitchen curry paste but I've graduated to buying it at the International Market here. I know you love to experiment in the kitchen and that you love pumpkin and squash and sweet potatoes so here's a basic idea that I know you would run with and make spectacular....
1 can light coconut milk (or 2 if you like a thinner sauce)
1 tsp red (or green) curry paste (more or less depending on how spicy you like your food)
1/2 cup butternut (or whatever squash you like)
1/2 cup sweet potato(or regular to balance the flavors a little)
1 can bamboo shoots
1 tsp splenda blend brown sugar
1 - 2 chicken breasts (or whatever meat you prefer) [I really like it with no meat but my family prefers meat.]
You can cook the veggies in the coconut milk at a low simmer to infuse them with that flavor but it takes significantly longer. I pre-cook the squash and potato first and then toss it all together.
Bring the coconut milk and curry paste to a low boil. Add veggies and pre-cooked meat. At the end, add the brown sugar. Serve over brown rice. You can top it with thai basil.
Roni
Thank you for all the work you do here. I have put back on 25 pounds of the 50 I lost 3 years ago and am transitioning from old WW to the new WW points system and am struggling. Your recipes and enthusiasm inspire and encourage me. Your family warms my heart. Keep up the good work and exercising that imagination! JM