Butternut Squash Black Bean Stew (with leftover millet)

 Because I had so much leftover millet from the previous recipe, I've been incorporating it into at least one meal a day. It curbs my hunger, gives me energy for the day, and satisfies any sort of carb-like craving. Last night I grabbed all the vegetable stragglers in my fridge and decided to use them up in a stew; a kitchen sink soup of sorts. Lately I've been adding cinnamon to everything; even when it doesn't make sense. Last night that meant adding it to this salty-miso brothy stew. It was incredible! I had to share. You can do a lot of substitutions here to incorporate whatever leftovers you personally have. Add the vegetables at different times, depending how long their cooking time is (squash, carrots, etc should be added first, and greens last) I would stick with the butternut squash/ black bean/ cinnamon/ miso combination though. It might sound strange, but it really hits the spot on a cool fall night.

Ingredients:

• 2 T virgin coconut oil
• 32 oz. organic chicken broth
• 15 oz. can black beans
• 2 cups diced butternut squash
• 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 medium sized yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch tuscan kale, roughly chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 T mild white miso
• 1 1/2 cups cooked millet

1. Add 2 knobs of coconut oil to a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, 1 T miso paste, and stir until golden and translucent.

2. Add diced squash and stir around a bit before adding the chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium and let boil lightly for about 15 minutes. Add another 1 T miso, cooked millet, shiitake mushrooms, black beans, and cinnamon.

3. Once the mushrooms have cooked and you're satisfied with the flavor of the broth (another 15 minutes or so), add the kale. Put a lid on the pot and let the flavors meld together for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot with buttery toast or sliced avocado.