PUBLISHED 09/10/2007
"For such a homey, healthy dish, this dinner has a lot of pizzazz, thanks to the fresh ginger, curry, and chili powder," says Cora. In Cora's new cookbook, Cooking from the Hip, she focuses on fast, healthy recipes that are easy to prepare. Since you can cook the lentils and chunks of squash beforehand and keep them in the fridge overnight, the final prep time for this recipe is minimal. And Cora says you can peel the fresh gingerroot quickly by scraping it with a spoon.
Cora likes to serve this dinner with fresh mango chutney, a big bowl of brown rice, and an ice-cold beer. If you're treating yourself to this dish the night before a race, you might want to make that a small glass of beer.
1 cup dry lentils
1 small butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Spray a two-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Pour the lentils into a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and add raw chunks of the squash (go ahead and leave the skin on to add nutrients and texture to the dish). Simmer until the squash is soft (about one hour). Remove the pot from the heat, drain, and set aside. With tongs, pull out the chunks of squash and mash them roughly, skins and all, with a fork, ricer, or potato masher.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the drained cooked lentils and mashed squash with the olive oil and all the spices (including the salt and pepper). Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight. When you're ready, bake until piping hot, which will be about 20 minutes if you're putting it into the oven right after mixing it or 25 to 30 minutes if it's been refrigerated. Serve warm, garnished with shredded coconut if you like and with a serving of wild greens, such as blanched chard. Serves two as a hearty main dish or four as a side dish.
Calories: 530
Protein: 32 g
Carbs: 94 g
Fat: 8 g
