Three Sisters Harvest Soup (Stew)

For some reason, all my healthy soups turn out split pea dark greenish brown.  Not a very photogenic color, but apparently a sign of a soup with lots of healthy foods blended together. 

This one started out as soup but the family wanted it more like a stew, so we've included both recipes here. 


Ingredients List


The three "sisters" :

• 2 cups Butternut squash (or pumpkin or sweet potato**)
• 2 cups beans, any 
• 1 bag frozen corn

Other ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 5 extra large cloves garlic
• 5 large carrots
• 2 large fresh tomatoes
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 1/2 pound spinach, chopped (or any greens, fresh or frozen) 
• Pepper, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, cilantro or parsley
• 1/4 cup cashew cream (raw cashew butter), optional

For stew: 

• 2-3 cups of other beans or lentils, we used black beans since we had them made
• Additional vegetables such as green peas, diced carrots, more corn. 
• Reduce water slightly

Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, put in pan with 1 cup water, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.    Scoop out flesh, using 2 cups for soup and freeze or use the rest for other recipes. 



Put garlic cloves in a pan, rub with a scant amount of olive oil if desired but is not necessary, and bake the first 15 minutes of the squash's baking time to roast the garlic (if desired).   When cool, squeeze out the roasted garlic, dice, and add to medium low heated soup pot with 1 tsp olive oil or just a bit of water.   Let cook while you prep the veggies. 



While the squash and garlic are baking, chop remaining veggies (carrots, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach).  I sent the carrots and onion through the food processor (s-blade) to mince them very fine. 



Gather all the chopped veggies and add to soup pot with about 12 cups of water (or some veggie broth and water, but this kind of makes its own veggie broth with the onions, garlic and carrots diced so fine and simmered for so long).   Use slightly less water for stew, about 8-9 cups. 
 



When the squash is ready, add to soup, then add cooked beans and frozen corn.   Simmer about 15 minutes more and serve. 

A personal step that is unnecessary but that I like to do to make the soup creamier is to take out 1/3 of the soup, let it cool a bit, and send it through the blender.   You can also add in 1/4 cup or so of cashew cream (raw cashew butter) for a bit of fat to allow for better (more) nutrient absorption.