Butternut Squash & Chickpeas served on Mixed Grains
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
 
Ingredients
  • Butternut squash-chickpea mixture:
  • 2 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped1 red medium-large onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic, minced
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
  • 1-3 T good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • pinch of allspice
  • salt to taste
  • 2 15-oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in cold water (drain before cooking)
  • Garnishes:
  • Greek yogurt
  • lemon wedges and lemon juice
  • chopped cilantro (I was out)
  • Mixed Grains:
  • 1 cup red quinoa, cooked to package's directions (if it is a little soggy, drain it)
  • 1 cup pearl barley, simmered until tender and drained
  • 1 cup Israeli couscous (or any other pasta grain of your choice), cooked to package's directions
Instructions
  1. Begin by prepping all of the vegetables and then cooking the grains that take the longest to cook (i.e., the barley). Basically you want to be multi-tasking with this dish, starting grains cooking while your veggies are cooking, etc. Read through the directions before beginning.
  2. While the barley cooks, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion to it with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5-8 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin and allspice. You chould be starting the other grains around now. Add the butternut squash and sweet bell peppers and toss. Add a pinch of salt and the drained chickpeas. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the butternut squash is tender. Add the drained sliced onion and toss to your desired doneness (many people, myself included, have trouble with raw onions, so I like to take that edge off of them).
  3. While you are working on the above dish, you will want to also be working on the quinoa and Israeli couscous. When all 3 grains are cooked and drained of excess water, toss them together in a large bowl. Serve this meal family style, with the butternut squash-chickpea mixture poured over the grains. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or 2 of fresh lemon juice and serve additional wedges on the side for people who like things extra lemony, like me. Garnish with Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro.
Recipe by The Spiced Life at https://www.thespicedlife.com/butternut-squash-chickpeas-served-on-mixed-grains/