Ingredient List: Shifting Our Behaviors and Cooking Our Way Towards A

Three Sisters Stew

A note from the chef: This recipe is one of my favorite recipes and was originally made for the Begay/Whitewater family in Piñon, Arizona for their family gatherings and ceremonies. I usually cook it in a large cast iron soup pot that was passed down to me by my mother. The taste from the cast iron makes this chile bean stew even more delicious. This recipe is great because you can make one recipe to feed 6 to 8 people or you can add to it and make enough to feed 60 to 600 people. It is a favorite at all family and ceremonial gatherings. This recipe goes great with tortillas or homemade no fry frybread. It makes a hearty meal by itself or a side to any feast.

Ingredients 2 teaspoons sunfower oil 1 large yellow onion, chopped (approximately 2 cups) 6 to 8 cloves blackened garlic (approximately 1 Tablespoon) 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (approximately 1 cup) 3 cups green zucchini squash, cut into small cubes (about 3 zucchini) (1)-28-ounce can whole peeled or diced tomatoes 3 cups cooked organic dark red kidney beans (or (2) 15oz. cans) 3 cups cooked organic pinto beans (or (2) 15oz. cans) 1 ½ cups corn kernels (frozen) 3 Tablespoons dried red chile powder (mild) 2 teaspoons dried red chile powder (medium heat) optional for a slightly hotter stew 2-teaspoons kosher salt, sea salt or earth salt (or to taste) 1/8 teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon wild Sonoran oregano or Mexican Oregano 3 cups water or bean juice

Directions To make the blackened garlic, heat a seasoned small cast iron skillet until hot. Add the garlic cloves. Stir until the cloves begin to blacken. Remove from heat, let cool, then fnely chop.

Heat the cast iron or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, sauté for 2 to 4 minutes until translucent, stirring to prevent burning then add the blackened garlic and

1 sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the green bell peppers and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add the zucchini squash and sauté for another several minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Cut each of the whole tomatoes from the can into 8 to 10 pieces (a large dice) or the can of diced tomatoes and add them to the onions, garlic, green bell peppers, and zucchini. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cooked kidney beans, cooked pinto beans and the corn kernels and stir well. Add the bean juice or water. Bring the chile beans to a boil, and then reduce heat to low.

Stir in the dried red chile powder (mild and medium), black pepper, dried thyme, oregano, and salt. Let simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Serve hot with No fry bread, or homemade corn or four tortillas. Serves approximately 8 to 12.

Chefs Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. and Walter Whitewater, Red Mesa Cuisine

Chefs Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. and Walter Whitewater are Santa Fe, New Mexico based chefs at Red Mesa Cuisine, a Native American catering company specializing in the revitalization of ancestral Native American cuisine with a modern twist using ingredients and preparing foods focused on health and wellness. Together, they have worked with communities in Southwest for over 25 years. This work culminated in the James Beard Award winning cookbook, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations.

Dr. Frank was the recipient of the Local Hero Olla Award, which recognizes an exceptional individual for the work they do to create healthy, innovative, vibrant, and resilient local sustainable food systems in New Mexico. Chef Whitewater was one of the frst Native American chefs to cook at the James Beard House in New York City and the recipient of the James Lewis Award from BCA Global for his work as a Native chef.

Together as part of the U.S. State Department and Consulate General’s Culinary Diplomacy Program they traveled to Ukraine (2013), the United Kingdom (2105) and Russia (2016) to teach about the history of Native American foodways, work with food as a form of diplomacy to create dialogue, and educate people on the Native American food contribution shared with the world and how these native foods have infuenced many of the foods we now eat every day. They also traveled to Guam (2011) to work with the Humanities Guåhan on the revitalization of Indigenous foods and foodways in Guam.

Dr. Chef Frank and Chef Whitewater work with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) on a program entitled The Power to Heal Diabetes: Food For Life in Indian Country www.nativepowerplate.org that uses the Ancestral Native American diet for health and wellness in Native Communities throughout the United States. They work with communities all over the world educating on the importance of indigenous foods and foods that Native people shared with the world.