combustication

Lest you think there has been no cooking or baking in the place, I present you with this delicious photo and recipe (below). There has been bread baking, red velvet cake and cookie baking and some bi bim bop making. All delicious.

Indian Spiced Butternut Squash with Quinoa & Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash
2.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (sliced into crescents)
1 tsp. cardomom powder
2 tsp. red curry powder
1 tsp. coriander
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
bits of dried mango (optional)
1 can chickpeas
garam masala powder
salt
pepper

To Do

Preheat overn to 400F. Rinse and let chickpeas drain while you cook the other stuff. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and sautee the onions for a few minutes. Add all of the spices and a bit of salt and pepper and let simmer while you tackle the squash.

I find that the best way to cut and cube a squash is to use a heavy duty Y-vegetable peeler and peel all of the skin off. Then, cut slices into the neck and cube those slices. Chop the bulb part in half, scoop out the seeds and string with a spoon. Slice and cube. Nice and easy.

Place the prepped squash in the frying pan and cover it with the onion and spice mixture. Place in an baking dish and cover with a lid (or tight fitting foil) and bake until squash is tender - about 30 to 40 minutes.

Remember the chickpeas? Pat them dry with a paper towel if they are still a bit moist. Place in a bowl and add the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the garam masala powder and mix well. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake with the squash for about 30-40 minutes - bake longer if you want them crunchy.

The last bit is the quinoa. Rinse it under cold water and strain and then toast it in a dry skillet. Boil two cups of water, add a pinch of salt (the mango too!) and quinoa. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Everything should be finished around the same time! Place quinoa in a bowl, top with butternut squash and chickpeas. Enjoy!