Black Bean and Kabocha Stew

This recipe comes from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

I made this years ago and loved it.

We've had unseasonably warm temperatures lately but today it was cool and overcast.

While others might say it was a gloomy day I actually loved it because it finally made me feel as though fall had truly arrived.

With the crisp cool in the air there is no comfort food like a good stew.

This vegan stew is thick, hearty and delicious!

The recipe can be found on this website or you can buy or check out the book at your local library.

A couple of things I want to mention first~

Kabocha squash is very difficult to cut up.  I tried using the method I use for butternut squash but it was still very hard.  I think next time I'm going to use the method of microwaving it for a few minutes first to soften it a bit.  Whatever method you use please be careful cutting this.

Also, I used about half of my squash for this recipe.  I didn't want the other half to go to waste or go bad so I just did a course chop, put it in a pan with olive oil spray and baked it at 425 for about an hour.  Keep in mind that I washed this first and kept the skin ON for the part I used in roasting but cut the skin off for the stew.  You can season this roasted the same way you would an acorn squash.  They have somewhat similar flavors.  You can use chili powder or something like Truvia brown sugar blend and cinnamon, eat it with just a bit of salt or whatever suits you.

Next point~ She uses white miso in this recipe.  If you're unfamiliar with miso it is a fermented soy bean paste.  There are several types.  The more commonly seen are red, white and yellow.  There is also a barley based paste which gives a more meaty flavor in my opinion.

The other thing to know is that miso is very salty in flavor so I would not add any salt while cooking and save it for the end.  If you taste the finished product and it needs it you can add it.  There's no going back once it's too salty.

The other thing I wanted to introduce some of you to is kombu.  This is a seaweed.

As packaged it is dried

In this recipe you're going to add a small piece to the stew but then pull it out at the end before eating...

although my husband likes to eat it.

To me it's very bland and flavorless though not all seaweeds are.  For instance I loathe the taste of hajiki.  To me it tastes like I just scraped the barnacles right off the boat and plated it up!  Yuck!
I'm open minded though.  There may be a way to fix it that I haven't tried and would like but thus far the recipes I've tried have been epic failures in flavor.

Sea vegetables are supposed to be very nutritious and the idea is to get some of that in the stew.

Lastly I want to introduce Mirin.  This is a sweet, low alcohol rice wine.

I purchased all of the aforementioned items at my local Asian store.  At least around where I live many Asian foods are much cheaper bought at the local Asian store rather than buying them in health food stores or regular grocery stores.  It's amazing what you can find in these fun-to-shop places!

Again the full recipe can be found on this link.

Here's a peek at my stew~

That's the kombu rehydrated in the stew

I usually place the miso in a separate small bowl and add just a bit of the liquid from the stew to mix it before adding it to the rest of the pot.

I had to show you a picture of this beautiful serving bowl my mom bought for me a few years ago.  It was made by a local potter.  I love the idea of supporting local artisans.  After taking pottery classes I really appreciate how talented the woman was who crafted this.  They make it look easy but it's not!

And the finished product...

It's been so long since I've made this I forgot just how much I love it!  

This also tastes fantastic leftover.

Low in points- check!

Filling- check!

Comfort Food- check!

That fits my requirements.  :)

Happy Cooking!