Let's make Red Beans and Acorn Squash!

If you want a meal that's relatively quick and extremely delicious, i highly recommend the Red Beans and Squash! The recipe called for a Japanese squash which we can't find around these parts, but an Acorn Squash did just fine.

This is one of the simplest recipes i've made yet, and it paid off!

Let's put on "Chrorisitan Dior" by the Pascals-- it's like the Amelie soundtrack made by Japanese hippies.

We started our cooking at 6:00.










Now, you can soak the red beans and all that, or you can just use a can. The one i bought was a little pricey ($3) but still worth it. Plus, you can use it as leftovers for those nice rice balls!

Open up the can, mix it with some dashi and water...




...and then halve the squash. Scrape out the seeds.

I bought some Grapefruit spoons for my partner a few Christmases back, and they work wonderfully for this very purpose.

(I recommend those grapefruit spoons!)



What a nice looking squash! He's so cute...








Once the beans have cooked down a bit, you drain the juice into another pot (you'll save the bean broth. It's like pudding, seriously. Mmmm...)

I have our amazing little colander over a larger bowl. You can also see Cousin Blue on the floor.



While the beans are cooling (and the dashi is cooking, if you are a dork like me and forgot to make a fresh batch), you want to skin some of the outer skin off. This helps the squash to sit flat on the pan. Plus, it looks nice when it starts to cook.





Turn them into the pan, into a shallow lake of homemade dashi. I let them cook for a few minutes, then flip them over.

I've never NOT baked squash before, so this felt a little foreign (har har) to me. (I have microwaved squash before, but that doesn't count).



While you whistle a bit to the Pascals, you measure out some of the red bean sauce to mix in with your dashi. The recipe calls for 2 T, but you may be convinced to add more.

Feel free to add some soy sauce and sake, just in case the red bean doesn't sound sweet enough. Believe me, though; it will be.






Let it simmer, and then mix in some solid beans.

Then, scoop out the squash and serve directly in a bowl. Add a little broth to taste, and a bit more of the red bean broth if yo'd like.

You can spoon the drained beans directly onto the cooked squash and pour some sauce over the top for a really handsome dish.

See?

Mmm mmm is it good! We both ate this so hard. And then the best thing is that you feel like you've had dessert already.

Completely healthy, nearly vegan. It's moist, sweet, savory, salty, satisfying. Comfort food at its finest.

AND, under an hour! You can't even cook squash in that time! (well maybe you can, but why would you WANT to?)