Sunday Stew Special #1 - MoROCKcan Butternut Squash Stew

Sunday is Stew Day around here.  We don't get home from church till usually around 1:30 PM and by then we are all starving.  To avoid the trap of, "We'll just stop at McRaunchy's" on the way home, I make a stew in the slow cooker on Saturday evening, and then plug it in Sunday morning before we head out the door.  It becomes our main meal of the day and keeps me from having to prepare another meal a few hours later.  We usually have popcorn for supper Sunday nights.  Mom's should get a day of rest from the kitchen too, right?

But I've been making pretty much the same version of a beef stew every week, and as much as my family appreciates it, the time has come to branch out.  So to give me a little nudge out of my stew rut, I decided I'll be trying out a different recipe every week and posting the new Sunday Stew recipe here, along with the my family's reactions. 

Of course, I didn't think this all through ahead of time, so at 9:30 PM Saturday night when I thought, "Oh, I need to make the stew!"; I looked in the fridge and saw that I had a Butternut Squash.  A quick google search bought up this one from Epicurious.  I had to make a few changes, especially since I used dried chick peas instead of canned, so here's what I ended up with.

 MoROCKcan Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Carrot Stew

1 spray(s) cooking spray
half a small onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
1 cup sliced carrot coins
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chickpeas, soaked in 4 cups water overnight, drained & rinsed.

Preparation

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray.
Add onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes.
Place squash in a 3-quart or larger slow cooker (crockpot).
Add sauteed onion and garlic, carrots, broth, cinnamon, cumin and red pepper flakes.
Cover and turn on low heat 6-8 hours.
Serve with cooked Couscous

Scroll down for the family's reviews!

Not my MoROCKcan Stew, but isn't that a lovely plate?

 Brownlee Test Kitchen Reviews:
4 yr old daughter - I don't like the crust on the bread.  (She never gave any opinion on the stew - the bread was her main concern.)
10 yr old daughter - It's too spicy.
12 yr old daughter - It's too plain.
Husband - It MoROCKS!
Homestay Student - It could use more veggies, like peppers or something.
The Cook - The chick peas aren't quite as tender as I'd like.  I've got to learn how to cook with dried beans.

Overall, we gave it 3 thumbs up (from the adults) and 2 thumbs down (from the big kids - the four yr old just ate more bread.)  Let me know if you tried it and how you like it.  Or if you've got some great recipes to suggest for the Sunday Stew Special, please pass them along to the Brownlee Test Kitchen!

P.S.  Turned the leftovers into a soup for Monday's lunch:  Added some onion soup mix, water, pureed with a hand blender, heated, and served with pepper & parmesan cheese on top.  Thumbs up!