Pumpkin & Pomegranate

I was feeling a little overwhelmed this evening. I have a lot of produce and ingredients in my kitchen, and I was feeling a little pressed to cook them all before they went to the dark side. Luckily I had some really interesting things to combine and came up with this Latin inspired dish that I think will be a go to in the future. It is fairly easy to do, even though the list of ingredients seems a little long. Basically you could switch up the vegetables to keep this seasonal. If I had had a sweet potato I might have done that instead of the quinoa.

I have also been feeling quite stressed, and my patience these past few weeks has been really thin. So I popped this into the oven, and started a yoga download from yogadownload.com and while I probably should have done a beginner session, I did an intermediate. I was a bit lost, but I still got a decent workout from it!
When I was finished, so was my dinner. I took a quick shower and the pot was still hot when I got out. Perfect for a cool night here in Seattle.

Spicy Black Beans and Squash w/ Collards & Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. Virgin Coconut Oil
• 15 Oz. Can of Black Beans
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Jalapeño Peppers, sliced
• 2 Serrano Peppers, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 Bunch Collard Greens, sliced into strips
• 1 Lb. Summer Squash, sliced
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• Juice of Half a Lime
• 1/2 C. Quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 C. Water

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed oven safe pan sautee the onion and garlic in the virgin coconut oil until tender. Lower the heat and add the peppers, cumin, and bay leaf. Sautee for about 2 minutes longer.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cilantro, and stir to combine. Cover and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve.