Curried Potatoes & Squash

I think I have this thing for butternut squash.  It's been in a lot of the recipes I've made so far this year, and I'm loving it.  What makes this so strange to me is that I never had it growing up, actually, never had it before this year.  Weird eh?  But I'm willing to try anything once...and in this case, more than once.

Thanks to Cooking Light November 2010, here's the first of many recipes with butternut squash.

INGREDIENTS

2 T butter
1 c chopped onion
1 1/2  T grated peeled fresh ginger
4  garlic cloves, minced
3 c (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 c (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/2  tsp  salt
1/2  tsp  ground cumin
1/2  tsp  ground red pepper
1  (14.5-oz.) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1  (14-oz.) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3/4 c  light coconut milk
1 c  frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 c  thinly diagonally sliced green onions (about 4 medium)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add potato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in coconut milk and peas; bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 12 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with green onions.

SERVINGS & WW INFO

Serves 4-6

10 WW points (all those starchy veggies!)

Kneekole's Notes & Comments

Look at those colors!

* Great dish, even though we forgot the green onions!  The starchy potatoes and squash made for a thick stew.  And the colors involved were awesome.  Throw those tomatoes and peas in with the yellow squash - it's a beaut!

* Serve with warm flat bread (found near the deli section in the grocery store).  As the dish is in its last stages, throw the flat bread in the oven under the broiler (and your watchful eye) for a couple of minutes.

* Butternut squash does not freeze well.  We had purchased some pre-cut squash earlier this year, didn't get to using it like we intended to, and threw it in the freezer.  I've found that when it thaws, the squash is mushy, like it's already cooked.  The texture of the formerly-frozen squash left much  to be desired, but thankfully, the fresh squash I bought made up for it's lack in texture and taste!

* A shout out to my friend and fellow cooking-lover, Roxannah who helped make this dish the delicious meal that it was! Thanks for sharing your night, your life, your laughs and your heart with me.  You're a gem!

For additional nutrition information and the original recipe, visit My Recipes.com