cherry: (seasonal)
Cherry ([personal profile] cherry) wrote2008-12-12 11:10 am

Chickpea and butternut squash stew

This is a simple (and delicious) chickpea and butternut squash stew that I made a little while back. I'm not a huge fan of squash, but this is one of the best things I've ever made for myself. ~30 minutes cook time, maybe 15-20 minutes prep, so it's quick, easy, and healthy. Vegetarian/vegan, but with a balanced protein profile, high in fibre, beta carotene, and what fat there is is of the healthy sort.



Note: I tend to approximate, rather than strictly follow a recipe, so all of the spices were adjusted to taste.

1 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks (To simplify, you can buy a bag of frozen, chopped, steamer squash)
1 1/2 tsp curry (I used substantially more)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin (optional)
1 can (398ml) canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 can (540ml) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (rinsing well removes most of the sodium from canned legumes, and I find them extremely convenient to keep on hand)
1/4 cup raisins (or more)
1/4 cup chopped fresh corriander (optional)
1-2 Macintosh apples, cored and chopped (my addition, apples pick up curry nicely)
honey to sweeten (optional, or replace with orange juice for vegan)

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until onion golden brown (~7 minutes)

2. Add squash, curry, ground coriander, cumin, tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins, apples, optional honey, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil.

3. Transfer to a casserole dish with lid, transfer to an oven preheated to 350F, and bake ~20 minutes, until squash is tender. If you're using the bagged steamer squash, it might actually dissolve, so use the tenderness of the apples as a guide.

4. Stir in (optional) fresh coriander, and serve with a grain. Quinoa has a texture and bite that are lovely with this, as well as a complete a.a. profile. Rice could work well, too.
ext_3673: Manny, from black books (Default)

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/ 2008-12-12 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
That looks pretty tasty. I'd probably leave the apples, raisins and honey out, since I see pumpkin as a savory thing but it looks good.

[identity profile] cherryice.livejournal.com 2008-12-18 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
The raisins were part of the recipe I got, but I added the apples because I've always found they pick up curry nicely.

Hopefully you enjoy!

[identity profile] darkmark.livejournal.com 2008-12-13 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
Looks good. No squash fan here, but you're bound to be a good cook. Spa fon.

[identity profile] cherryice.livejournal.com 2008-12-18 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
I'm coming around to it. I am generally not a huge fan of starchy foods, but squash is so good for you that I'm fighting it. It's not something that I'm willing to do for a potato, however. *g*