Roasted Banana Squash and Beans

I know Bob gave you a teaser about tonight's dinner.  I invented this a few weeks ago when Bob wanted more beans in his meals.  I had never tasted banana squash until about a year ago and ever since then I've been a big fan of it.  This is my favorite way to enjoy it.  The aroma of the herbs (it's cooking right now...heavenly aroma from the kitchen) will keep you drooling while it cooks for 1 1/2 hours.  I use wine to roast it in rather than of course oil.  The wine caramelizes the vegetables giving them a delicious texture. This recipe is about as "gourmet" as I get.

One note about the squash, most of the time I can only get it already cut into quarters (banana squash is huge) with the seeds cleaned out, which is just fine by me.  (My idea of fast food)  I've bought it whole and it's a chore to clean, much like a pumpkin.  But when you can get it whole, it will last in the fridge for a good week if you have cut into it.  Uncut it lasts for several weeks.

Roasted Banana Squash, Beans and Veggies

Ingredients:
All vegetables to be chopped bite size
1/4 banana squash, washed, peeled and seeded
8 oz Portobello Mushrooms
3 large to medium heirloom tomatoes...but any kind of tomato works
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper
1 14 oz can of No Salt Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of red wine (Zin or Cab, but an oil and salt free veggie broth works also, though different flavor)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme

Toss it all together in a large bowl then pour into a large roasting dish.  It will mound up pretty high, but as it cooks it will shrink some.

Bake/roast at 375 for 1 1/2 hours.


We'll serve this over a pile of fresh raw greens, usually spinach and steamed rice.  The heat of the veggies wilts the spinach just right.

Just before going into the oven.

A cleaned quarter of banana squash.

Squash chopped to bite sized.

Just out of the oven.  The beans are crunchy-chewy and everything else just melts in your mouth.

Bob's bowl with the steamed asparagus added and his walnuts.

You have got to try this.  It was fantastic if I do say so myself!

Bob says:
I have to take a demerit for the wine, even if cooked off.  But it's worth it.  This is a delicious dish, and would easily satisfy and impress guests.  I had mine over a large bed of greens, a scoop of brown rice, topped with fresh steamed asparagus and a few crushed walnuts on top.  With food like this, there is just no excuse to remain sick and fat on a SAD or VAD diet.