Puerto Rican small red bean stew

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Soaking time: 8–12 hours
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

1 pound dried small red beans
2 quarts water
1 1/4 cups cubed, fresh calabaza or pumpkin (may substitute canned pumpkin)
1/4 cup tomato sauce, unsalted

Sofrito:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 ounces extra-lean cured ham, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
1 green pepper, chopped finely
3 sweet chilies, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

Rinse and drain dried red beans. Place in a pot, cover with water, and soak for 8–12 hours. Drain beans and place in a large, heavy pot with 2 quarts water. Add calabaza or pumpkin, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat for 1 hour. If using fresh pumpkin, slightly mash the pumpkin. To prepare sofrito, heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot. Add all sofrito ingredients and sauté for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sofrito and tomato sauce to cooked beans and pumpkin mixture. Cook for an additional 30 minutes to allow mixture to thicken, stirring occasionally. May need to add additional water, as mixture should be moist.

Yield: 9 cups
Serving Size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
Calories: 203
Carbohydrate: 36 g
Protein: 13 g
Fat: 1 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Sodium: 81 mg
Fiber: 9 g
Exchanges per serving: 2 starch, 1 nonstarchy vegetable, 1 very lean meat
Carbohydrate choices: 2 1/2

This recipe was developed by Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian and freelance writer in Southern California.

Source: http://diabetesselfmanagement.com