Buttercup Squash Dippers in Indian-Spiced Stew
[Vegan]

Buttercup Squash Dippers in Indian-Spiced Stew [Vegan]

I'm not a big fan of change, especially when it involves chilly winds and less sunlight. But one thing I always look forward to when the weather starts getting gloomier is Halloween. Not because, growing up, it was acceptable to dress up as a princess and run around begging for... I'm not a big fan of change, especially when it involves chilly winds and less sunlight. But one thing I always look forward to when the weather starts getting gloomier is Halloween. Not because, growing up, it was acceptable to dress up as a princess and run around begging for candy and not even because I was allowed to eat that candy afterwards. It's actually because of the story underlying this now overly-commercialized holiday. According to Celtic lore, Samhain is a night when the when the lines between worlds thin and inclined spirits can pass into the world of the living. Although many spirits were believed to be well-intentioned, there was also a notion that the blurry borders left one especially vulnerable to spiritual attack on the night of October 31st. To avoid this, the townspeople would wear masks that were intended to scare away the evil ghosts. And--so--Halloween, in essence, has always been a holiday of masks. And that's what makes this dish so perfect for my favorite holiday: each part wears a mask of the other. The dark brown beans have donned a pepper-studded, reddish-orange costume while the orange squash has chosen a dark brown disguise. Both exist in harmony, one inside the bowl and one out, but tonight, the border's thinned and they join, forming a most perfect of combinations. Read More