(Almost) All Things Orange Sweet Stew
Backstory
Some things just don’t seem natural. In the spirit of not just making savory my staple, and in line with my idea that things can be put together oddly (like my cinnamon stew). So this one’s a weirdie I put together for fun. It’s oddly good, vegan and very healthy (especially if you keep the sweetener down to 1T/bowl).
This refrigerates and freezes pretty well, so feel free to make in advance and use on cold nights where a lighter fare sounds right for dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 medium carrots. cut into 2-3″ sections
- 2 sweet potatoes in large chunks
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and in chunks as well
- 2 cans pumpkin (more leftovers from Thanksgiving!) I tried using a real medium pumpkin and boiling it down and then mashing it and came to the exact same taste and texture — without tedium and cheaper)
- 1-1/2 C raw oatmeal
- 1T allspice
- 1-1/2T ground cloves
- 2T cinnamon
- Sweetener of your choice (sugar, Splenda, honey, maple syrup)
- Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Preparation
- Fill a 5-quart pot 1/2-way with water and set to boil. Toss in the squash, sweet potatoes and carrots and then add spices. Bring it to a boil, then set it down to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Bring back to a boil and add the canned pumpkin. From here on out you’ll need to stir the pot so the bottom doesn’t burn. Once it boils bring it back down to a simmer. Wait 20 minutes.
- Add the oatmeal, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks on the bottom. Simmer another 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve in a bowl. Have sweeteners on the table, with cinnamon sticks as stirrers.