Lentil and Squash Curry

Squash are such a wonderfully rich and hearty vegetable. I think I’ve had a buttercup squash sitting on my counter for at least a month now. I prefer buttercup because the skin is edible, whereas with most other squashes you need to peel the skin off – such a hassle! I found a recipe from Oh She Glows and modified it a little. This is honestly one of the best main dishes I have made yet. I’m pretty sure I said, “wow!” after tasting it…

Ingredients

• 1 buttercup squash, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbls ginger, minced
• oil
• Martha’s curry mixture (2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2-1 tsp cayenne)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable stock + 3 cups water (do all vegetable stock if you want, this was all I had left)
• 12 oz dried lentils
• 1 bunch of kale

1. Prep your veggies. Then heat up the curry and salt mixture in some oil. After about a minute, when the spices are fragrant, add the onion, garlic and ginger
2. Saute until the onion is soft, then add in the squash. When the squash starts to get tender, add the remaining ingredients
3. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until everything is nice and soft

A Fall Feast

Sautéed kale with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, pumpkin cornbread and a chickpea loaf. If that isn’t the perfect fall menu, I don’t know what is! The sautéed kale is so simple, it does not even need a huge write-up. De-stem the kale, boil for 20 minutes (until very tender), drain and add to a pan with oil and garlic. Saute until fragrant, add more oil/kale stock as needed. Re-hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes for a few minutes in the kale water. Add to the pan. The kale should be super tender when it’s done.

Here are the rest!

Pumpkin Cornbread (modified from SwellVegan)

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 c cornmeal
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 c non-dairy milk
• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 c pumpkin puree
• 1/3 c safflower oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus extra to brush the top of the bread

1. Mix dry

2. Combine milk and vinegar, let curdle

3. Whisk together wet, add in milk mixture

4. Add wet to dry

5. Bake at 350F for 35 min in an 8×8 pan

6. Brush with maple syrup and broil for a minute or two (not five like me, unless you like burnt crust!)

Chickpea Loaf (modified from Growing Up Veg)

• 2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 3/4 c bread crumbs
• 1/3 c canola oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp sage
• 1 tbls parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbls tamari
• 1/2 jar pasta sauce

1. Blend all ingredients (minus the sauce) in a food processor until smooth

2. Form into a patty and bake at 325 F for 30 minutes

3. Pour sauce over loaf, bake for another 10-15 minutes