Curried Squash, Kale, and Lentil Casserole

A variation on one of the squash recipes Lisa posted last fall. Serve this with quinoa (or couscous) and you've got a hearty dish that makes for a truly delicious November meal!



1 medium butternut squash
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
2/3 C lentils
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 C feta, crumbled
4 C kale, chopped
1 C peanuts (or other nuts), coarsly chopped
juice from one lime
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Quarter and de-seed the squash and bake in a shallow pan for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. (If your oven heats from the bottom, like mine, it's a good idea to fill the pan with a 1/2 inch of water to prevent burning!)

Meanwhile, mix lentils and garlic together in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Cook over medium heat continuing to add water as necessary until lentils are tender and water is all absorbed, about 30 minutes. When lentils are cooked, stir in crumbled feta, salt, and pepper.

In a skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil and gently saute kale for a minute or two. Add about 1/2 C water, cover and let steam about 5 minutes until bright green and tender. Remove from heat and strain kale, shaking out excess water to stop cooking.

When squash is tender, remove from oven. Carefully peel away skin and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. In a large baking dish, mix together squash, onion, curry, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, pepper, and 2 TBSP olive oil. Sprinkle peanuts over squash and bake mixture for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven and layer kale evenly over squash. Squeeze juice from 1/2 of the lime over the kale. Spread the lentil mixture evenly over the kale and place casserole back into the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and squeeze second 1/2 of the lime over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the entire dish. Serve over quinoa or couscous, topped with a big dollop of yogurt.

Spicy Moroccan Kale and Chickpea Stew

A lovely, spicy autumnal stew! We served it at our debate watching party this past week and it was certainly a hit. This makes one ENORMOUS pot of chickpeas. Seriously, you'll be eating it all week. Or you can just do what we did: gather all your friends and force them to eat seconds, thirds, etc... Enjoy!

1 lb dry chickpeas
10 C water and/or vegetable broth
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 potatoes, chopped
2-3 carrots, diced
28 oz can whole tomatoes in sauce, chopped
1 large bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
2-3 bay leaves
5 or more shakes hot sauce
salt and pepper

Overnight, soak dry chickpeas in enough water to cover by several inches. Drain and rinse well. In a large pot, combine soaked beans with 10 cups water and or vegetable broth (I used half water, half broth left over from boiling veggies the previous day!). Salt well and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer partially covered for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, in a skillet saute heat the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent and fragrant. Add garlic and saute one minute more. Add potatoes and carrots and continue cooking another five minutes. When beans are ready, stir vegetables into the beans along with chopped tomatoes and sauce, kale, all spices, bay leaves, as many shakes of hot sauce as you can like, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well. Taste and adjust spices as needed. Allow all to simmer at least 30 minutes so flavors can meld.

Serve over brown rice or couscous. Perhaps with a side of roasted root veggies. Mmmmmm!

Couscous with Apricot Vinaigrette

My mom discovered this recipe . . . soooo tasty!

1 10-ounce box couscous
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (though I think she actually uses cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoons black pepper
3 scallions (white and green parts), chopped
1/4 cup (1 ounce) roasted almonds, chopped

Place couscous in serving bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and stir. Cover tightly and let stand for 10 minutes. Heat jam in small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat. Immediately add vinegar, then oil, and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Fluff couscous with fork; stir in scallions and almonds. Add vinaigrette and toss.

Tofu-Veggie Saute with Tahini

You should just use whatever combination of veggies you have on hand. Mushrooms, asparagus, chard, carrots...really anything you have in your fridge would be great in this stir fry. Personally, I loved the broccoli, kale, avocado combination. And it's oh-so green and cancer-fighting!

Ingredients:
plenty olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced or sliced
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 medium head broccoli, chopped
2-3 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 pound kale, washed well and chopped
3-4 scallions, sliced (white AND green parts)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 C tahini
splash of cider vinegar
pepper to taste

In a very large pan, saute garlic, tofu, and broccoli in enough olive oil for about 3 or 4 minutes on medium heat. Add soy sauce, stir well. Add kale and 3/4 of the scallions, cover pan and steam for 3 more minutes, or until kale is wilted and broccoli is bright green. Uncover, stir in avocado, tahini, a capful of cider vinegar, and pepper. Mix well. Serve over cous cous or brown rice with the remaining scallions sprinkled on top for eye appeal!

the best squash recipe ever. for serious.

We've been eating this for the past three nights . . . and I just made more because Priya told her lab partners that they HAD to come over to try it. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, skip the yogurt, the lime, or the fresh cilantro.

1 butternut squash
1 large shallot (or 1/4 large red onion)
2 tbs olive oil
about a tablespoon of curry powder, preferably the sweeter kind with more cinnamon in it -- adjust to taste
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup lentils
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
fresh lime juice to taste

Halve, peel, and seed squash (much easier if you stab it a few times and then stick it in the microwave for 2 minutes before attempting to peel) and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop shallot/onion and in baking pan toss with squash, oil, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. Bake squash mixture until almost tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Cook lentils.

Chop walnuts and sprinkle over squash. Return to oven and bake until squash is tender and walnuts are toasted.

Combine squash mixture with lentils and squeeze lime juice over the whole thing. Serve hot with yogurt and cilantro on top.

Priya made roti to go with this, which was soooo good . . . but would also be tasty in pita bread or over couscous.

Yuuuuuumy!!!