Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

Our family has been eating less meat lately, so I've been adding quinoa to our chili instead.

First, I cook a cup of quinoa in a flavorful chicken stock.  Then, in a deep cast iron skillet, I pour 30 ounces of tomato sauce and add 30 ounces of beans (I like 15 ounces of black beans and 15 ounces of kidney beans.)  I season generously with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika.  Then I add the cooked quinoa.  I let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  We like ours topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, and my favorite cornbread on the side.

Black Bean, Rice, and Mango-Stuffed Squash

This is a kabocha squash; it is an Asian variety of winter squash.  Some people call it a "Japanese pumpkin."  I had never heard of it before, not until I was browsing through a cookbook that happened to mention how delicious it was.  The very next day I was at a local produce market and happened to notice the kabocha squash!  So I decided to buy it and try it out.

I cut them in half, removed the seeds, and laid them face down in a shallow bit of water.  Then put them in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I mixed cooked rice, black beans, lemon juice, and parsley in a bowl.  After the squash had been in the oven for 20 minutes, I stuffed the rice mixture into each half and placed it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

When they came out of the oven, I added fresh, sliced mango.

For the kids, I removed the rice and bean mixture from the squash and put it in a bowl, mixing chunks of squash in with it, so it would be less intimidating.

The kids were skeptical of a new food, (both the mango and the squash), but they liked it okay.  All three ate the squash without problem, but they did not like the mango.  I'm okay with that, because they at least tried it before saying they didn't like it.  After I removed the mango, they were able to clear their bowls.