Here’s a warm and comforting vegetable stew made easy with the help of your freezer. Keep the ingredients on hand, and you’ll have a hearty meal ready in minutes with almost no effort.

Use the vegetables called for in the recipe or substitute any others you have on hand using the recipe as a blueprint for quantities.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Any type of shredded cheese can be used.

The heat is up to you, add more hot pepper flakes if you like it hot.

COUNTDOWN:

Assemble ingredients.

Start stew.

While stew cooks, prepare avocado slices.

SHOPPING LIST?

To buy: 1 container frozen diced onion, 1 container frozen corn kernels, 1 container frozen lima beans, 1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, 1 bottle ground cumin, 1 bottle hot pepper flakes, 1 small avocado, 1 lemon, 1 bunch fresh cilantro and one package shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese.

Staples: olive oil, salt and black peppercorns.

Easy Colorful Vegetable Stew

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup frozen diced onion

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes with the juice

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup frozen lima beans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small avocado cut into wedges

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook 1 minute. Stir in cumin. Add tomatoes and their juice. Stir in the corn and lima beans. Cover with a lid and cook 5 minutes or until lima beans are tender. Add the cilantro, hot pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, toss the avocado wedges with the lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Divide the stew in half and serve in two bowls. Top with the avocado wedges and sprinkle cheese over the stew.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 425 calories (39 percent from fat), 18.6 g fat (3.2 g saturated, 9.7 g monounsaturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 14.6 g protein, 58.3 g carbohydrates, 17.2 g fiber, 124 mg sodium.

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