Lunch: Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Stew

Recipe by Woman's Day Kitchen Butternut squash edges into new territory with this Moroccan-inspired dish, which is filled with aromatic cumin, ginger and cinnamon. If you're not a fan of raisins, try dried apricots instead.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Stew

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

1 can whole tomatoes
1/2 c. raisins
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Kosher salt and pepper
1 red onion
1/2 medium butternut squash
1 c. couscous
1/4 c. fresh cilantro
1 can chickpeas

Instructions

Place the tomatoes (and their juices) in a 5- to 6-qt slow cooker and break them up slightly. Add the raisins, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and mix to combine.
Add the onion and squash and cook, covered, until squash is tender, 5 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.
Ten minutes before serving, cook the couscous according to package directions; fold in the cilantro. Gently fold the chickpeas into the stew and cook, covered, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve over the couscous.

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