This is the cozy wintertime lunch of my dreams, which really ends up being the easy weeknight dinner on rotation this time of year because I’ve accepted the fact that I don’t usually like making lunch. Breakfast, brunch, dinner, dessert, snacks… literally anything else I will make. When it comes to lunch, I usually find myself taking a break from work to eat some leftovers or loads of snacks. I was spoiled working with Diana at Jewels of NY because as the weather started to get cold and grey, she would often have squash or fall vegetables roasting away in the oven before I even showed up for an early lunch of soup or a comforting warm bowl for lunch. She made a spiced squash bowl once with gorgeous red pepper threads for us one rainy day and now I crave a warm squash bowl every time it rains or snows here in the city.
This recipe is really versatile and flexible. For instance, the squash or chickpeas could be subbed for cauliflower or the quick pickled raisins could be thrown in without pickling or left out all together. I love this combo with brown rice, quinoa, or scrambled eggs. Basically I hope you have some fun with this and make it your own!
- 1-1½ lb acorn/kabocha/butternut squash, chopped into 1 inch cubes
- Seeds from the squash or pumpkin seeds
- 1 8 oz can chickpeas, washed and strained
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 Tbs + 1 tsp curry powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 Tbs sugar
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Brown rice or quinoa, for serving
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Toss together squash, chickpeas, olive oil, maple syrup, cayenne, and curry powder in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.
- Spread squash and chickpea mix on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. If browning too quickly, toss again after 15 minutes.
- During the last 5-8 minutes of roasting, add the squash seeds to the pan if you are using the seeds from the center of your squash.
- Meanwhile, quick pickle the raisins by adding the golden raisins, sugar, vinegar, and crush red pepper to a small saucepan and bringing it a boil. Pour into a heatproof, airtight container and use any leftover raisins within a month.
- Mix together yogurt and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
- Assemble bowls but layering all the components starting with the brown rice or quinoa on the bottom, the squash and chickpeas, seeds, a spoonful of pickled golden raisins, and a spoonful of lemon yogurt. Garnish with cilantro.
