Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

Butternut Squash and Chickpea curry is a hearty filling vegetarian meal. The butternut squash gives the curry a slight sweetness which pairs well against the spicy flavor profile. Serve over lemon infused rice and the citrus notes of the lemon brighten the entire dish.

Ingredients:
1 small (~ 2 lbs) - butternut squash peeled and diced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can (1 3/4 cups) - chickpeas rinsed well (you can used dry chickpeas just make sure you soak overnight)
1 can (14.5 oz) - diced tomatoes and their juice
1 - medium sized yellow onion diced
3 - cloves of garlic (grated) 
1 tsp - grated fresh ginger 
1 cup - water
1 TBS - garam masala
2 tsp - cumin seeds
1 tsp - coriander seeds
1/2 tsp - fennel seeds
1 tsp - turmeric powder
1 tsp - salt
1/2 tsp - chili powder
1/4 tsp - black pepper
1 TBS - oil (Canola or Olive)
2 TBS - fresh chopped cilantro

Heat your cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat just until you start to smell them. This helps release the flavors. Once warm crush them using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. If you don't have seed just substitute powder.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or braising pan. When the oil is hot add the onion, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add the grated ginger and garlic. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and add the butternut squash, tomatoes, and water. Cover the pan and allow to cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes uncover the pan and add the chickpeas. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the squash is cooked through. When the squash is done add the garam masala and cilantro.

If you want to thicken up your curry use your spoon to mash up some of the squash and chickpeas in the pan. Stir it in to combine. Serve over rice with some naan bread on the side.

Quick and simple lemon rice
Make your favorite rice recipe. Once done while still hot stir in the zest of one lemon and 1/2 its juice. You can also add a handful of cilantro to add more flavor. Let sit for about 5 minutes covered.

Stuffed Peppers

Bell Peppers are a versatile and tasty vegetable eaten raw or cooked no matter what color you choose. The green pepper has a little bite to it while the red, yellow, and orange pepper tend to be more on the sweet side. You can stuff them with all sorts of different things. Mine are stuffed with a combination of turkey, brown rice, corn, and herbs.

Ingredients:
6 - medium bell peppers or 4 large (color up to you)
1 lb - ground turkey
2 cups - cooked brown rice
1 cup - frozen corn
1 - medium onion, diced
3 - cloves garlic, diced
3/4 cup - shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup - chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup - chopped fresh oregano
3/4 cup - tomato sauce (pick your favorite canned or homemade)
3 tsp - salt
3 tsp - black pepper
1 TBS - oil (canola, veg, olive, etc)
pinch of salt and pepper to season the inside of the peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan heat 1-TBS of oil (I use a 50/50 blend of canola and olive) over medium heat. When hot, brown the turkey with a tsp each of salt and pepper. When done set aside.

Cut off and save the top of the bell peppers. Lightly oil the inside. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set a side. Remove the stem from the top.

In a separate bowl combine the cooled turkey, rice, corn, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, tomato sauce, cheese, 2 tsp salt and  2 tsp pepper.

Firmly pack the stuffing into each pepper and place in shallow baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the pepper is tender and browned.