Lentil Squash Sweet Potato stew

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 cups diced fennel bulb
• 0.5 cup diced green onion green parts ONLY
• 5 cups cubed buttercup squash OR kabocha/Japanese pumpkin OR acorn
• 3 cups cubed sweet potato approx. 1 large or 2 small
• 3 cups low FODMAP broth
• 400 ml canned diced tomatoes
• 400 ml canned coconut milk
• 2 cups canned lentils rinsed well
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups destemmed and chopped spinach packed down (can also use kale or chard)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley optional

Lentil Squash Sweet Potato stew

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse all of your fresh vegetables (including the squash). Small dice the fennel bulb and green onion. Chop the squash in half, remove the seeds and peel. Cut into small cubes. Peel the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Make the cubes no bigger than 2 cm (3/4 inch)(try to make the cubes approximately the same size; the smaller the cubes the faster the stew will cook).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the green onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the squash and sweet potato and cook for 2 minutes longer.
3. Pour in the broth, diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir in the lentils, tomato paste, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high. Once the stew starts to boil decrease the heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered until the cubes of vegetables are soft (approximately 30 minutes but will vary based on cube size). Stir occasionally.
4. Turn off the heat and add the apple cider vinegar. Option to use an immersion blender to thicken the stew. Use the blender in 1 second increments until desired thickness is achieved; avoid over-blending.
5. Stir in the spinach. It will wilt down after one minute. Option to also stir in the parsley. Taste the stew and add more seasoning as necessary (salt, pepper, vinegar, cumin, chili powder and/or turmeric.
6. Serve hot and top with extra parsley. Cool off extra stew and store in fridge (up to 5 days) or freezer (up to 3 months).

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