Today I moved the van over to my RV space. Usually, it sits in the overflow parking because the car sits in my space. However, I needed to empty out the van and check for any water leakage. The van hs never really leaked but it had two feet of snow on top last week that took 4 or more days to disappear. I was worried some may have seeped in through the roof vent or rear doors. I also wanted to make sure the van was organized for upcoming camping trips. I will take several short trips in the next few months. May 1, I will take off in the van for two months! Stuff for van life and camping was spread out between my car and the van.

I emptied everything out and found just a bit of dampness from condensation. I put all the bedding in the dryer just to be sure everything was bone dry. Then, I organized the gear that I will need for summer fun. Finally, I layered the inside tarps back in place and voila! Done.

I had to leave for water aerobics class halfway through the job so it ended up taking me to dinner time to finish. After a good workout in the water and all the effort with the van, I was starving. I did not want to spend too much time cooking, so I thought about what I had in the fridge and freezer. In the fridge, I had leftover pinto beans, brown rice, grated cheese, and. green salsa.  Hmmmm. Something southwestern? In the freezer, I had corn, spinach, and cooked hubbard squash. In the pantry, I had diced tomatoes and canned chicken. The chicken is not my favorite but I keep it on for times like this. I used it also because the stew needed more protein in addition to what the beans provided. The cheese garnish added more protein as well.  I wanted more than a bowl of low-glycemic carbs! If you need to make this with even more protein, you can stir in some small chunks of tofu towards the end of the cooking time.

By the way, the corn, beans, and squash are called the Three Sisters by some Native Americans, hence the name of this recipe. They not only taste great together, but they also grow well around each other.

Three Sisters Chicken Stew

serve 4

Stovetop

Note: I used a mixture of canned, frozen, and leftover stuff, which took minutes to throw together. You may have to cook some things in advance, like brown rice. This is an eco-friendly recipe because it cooks quickly on the stove and is mostly made from plant-based ingredients. It can also make use of leftovers.

Serve with a side dish of Greek yogurt and fruit.

Ingredients

1.

1 cup each of the following, frozen or fresh

corn kernels

spinach

cubbed hubbard squash

1 cup cooked  pinto or black beans

1 can  diced, seasoned tomatoes

1 bottle green salsa

small amounts of water until the consistency you like.

2.

1 large can cooked chicken

1 cup cooked brown rice

salt, lemon pepper, 1 TBSP dried parsley

more water if needed

3.

2 TBS lime juice

Garnish: grated cheese

Optional garnish: fresh cilantro

        Optional protein enhancement: small chunks of extra firm tofu

Directions

• In a medium pot, mix all the #1 ingredients. Cook on high for 2 minutes then turn down to low for another 5 minutes.
• Add all the #2 ingredients and cooked a few more minutes. This would be the time to add small tofu chunks if you want a higher protein version
• Stir in lime juice and then serve
• Garnish with cheese and cilantro if you wish!