Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

This hearty one-pot is full of cancer-fighting vegetables and flavorful herbs and spices. Best of all each serving weighs in at only 300 calories and 6 grams of fat, making it a great dish to help you maintain a healthy weight. Butternut squash and carrots contain cancer-fighting carotenoids while onions and garlic pack quercetin and allixin — compounds that show the ability to slow tumor growth in the lab. Serve with hearty brown rice or whole-wheat couscous for the perfect New American Plate meal.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (low-sodium chicken broth may be substituted for a non-vegetarian dish)

1/2 tsp. chili powder, or to taste

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground paprika

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (or substitute 1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder for spices from chili powder through cardamom)

1 lb. (2 cups diced) small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/4 cup raisins

2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/4" slices

1 (15-oz) can garbanzos, drained

1/4 cup pitted black olives, halved

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. white or black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3 cups cooked brown rice (whole-wheat couscous may be substituted)

(As always, for the very healthiest versions of any recipe choose organic content as much as possible.)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

2. While broth is simmering, combine spices in a mixing bowl then stir them into pot. Add butternut squash, raisins, carrots and garlic. Cover and continue simmering until vegetables are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Add in zucchini, garbanzos, olives, salt and pepper. Re-cover and continue to simmer until zucchini is tender, an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and lemon juice.

4. Place warm rice uniformly on large serving platter (or individual plates). Spoon the stew over bed of rice. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.

Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup stew per serving).

Per serving: 300 calories, 6 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 54 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein, 9 g dietary fiber, 464 mg sodium.

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