Stuffed Acorn Squash

½ cup dried garbanzo beans—or—1 15oz. can garbanzo beans*
2/3 cup dried red beans—or—1 15oz. can red beans*
2/3 cup dried red kidney beans—or—1 15oz. can red kidney beans *
2/3 cup baby lima beans—or—(1 15oz. can black beans)*
1 piece kombu (a sea vegetable), about 2 inches
2 whole bay leaves
6 acorn squash , about 1 pound
3 tbsp. water
1 cup diced onion
Sea salt
1 cup diced red pepper
½ cup diced carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ cup finely sliced fresh cilantro stems
½ cup water
½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp. Kyolic aged garlic extract
1 tsp. lemon juice

Combine all the beans in a large bowl. Cover with water by 3 inches and soak overnight.

Drain and rinse beans; discard soaking water. Place beans in a saucepan; add water to cover by 1 inch, kombu, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; skim off any surface foam. Cover, reduce heat, and gently boil for a least 1 hour, or until beans and kombu are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. *If using canned beans drain and rinse beans, place in pot with 1 cup of water, Kombu, and bay leaves, simmer until kombu is soft.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1 ½ inches off the top (stem end) of each squash. Scoop out squash seed and threads. Turn squash upside down on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan add water and onions and sauté several minutes until translucent. Add a pinch of salt, peppers, carrots, and cherry tomatoes; sauté 8 minutes more. Stir in garlic, oregano, and cilantro stems. Add the ½ cup water, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and kombu from the beans. Add the beans to the vegetables. Add reserved cooking liquid from beans, ½ cup at a time, until mixture is creamy. (If using canned beans, add water ½ cup at a time.) Raise heat and

simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro leaves, kyolic, and lemon juice.

Season with salt to taste. To serve, place squash on individual plates or a serving platter; fill generously with bean mixture.

Marinated Kale makes a lovely bed for the Stuffed Acorn Squash to sit on.