When Forbes asked me for tips on eating well, I immediately offered this recipe, which is a stew filled with vegetables and dal. My version of a one-pot vegetable dal—an easy weeknight meal—is a play on a traditional recipe to incorporate more vegetables and greens. This stew is packed with protein and fiber. I love adding stewed tomatoes for a pop of color on top, versus cooking them down in the recipe.
I love cooking with coconut milk. It has the perfect consistency for making vegetable dishes filling and rich and can be either sweet or savory. It’s also good for our immune, cardiac, and digestive systems. This recipe uses coconut milk as a base for cooking collard greens, a popular leafy green in West Africa, the American South, and many other parts of the African diaspora. Add in the butternut squash and you have an elegant, unforgettable dish that just might change the way you think about vegan food forever.
These baked eggs are such a fun way to use squash. I’m partial to butternut, but acorn or spaghetti squash would work equally well. Roasting the squash before adding the egg ensures that the squash will be tender and slightly caramelized, while the eggs will be cooked to perfection in the center.
This squash is cooked whole, with slits cut into it so all the flavor can permeate through. It’s served with a simple burned garlic rice. Sometimes all we want is something hearty with veg, and that is exactly what this is
Butternut squash and lentils are a perfect combo for a cool fall day. This recipe is comfort food all the way - it’s full of flavor and has a satisfying crunch. Lentils, pumpkin seeds, and butternut squash are great for the gut. All the spices in this dish boost our immunity, too.
I’ve heard that when we’re taking good care of ourselves, our bodies crave what they need. Well mine must need whatever is in this salad, because I find myself dreaming about it weekly! I’m also in a phase where I like to combine sweeter, richer foods like sweet potatoes and squash with a tart punch of citrus to balance things. This salad hits all of the right notes, and because it’s served at room temperature, you can make it the morning of and enjoy it all day long!
Dukkah—a condiment of nuts, seeds, and spices—has its origin in ancient Egypt, but this innovative recipe from chef Chris Feldmeier redefines dukkah in the modern spirit of vegetable-based cooking. Chris, who ran the kitchen at Bar Moruno, now closed, transforms butternut squash into a spectacular vegetable main dish with heaps of toasty, crunchy spiced nuts. It could even be the centerpiece for Thanksgiving if you celebrate sans turkey.
A Bharta is a roasted vegetable mash traditionally made with eggplant (baingan bharta). We thought of using butternut squash in the fall and winter seasons because that vegetable is so popular and prevalent in the States. This makes a terrific Thanksgiving side dish— in fact, we introduced this dish on the Thanksgiving menu at Rasika. The tenderness of butternut squash can vary, so start checking your roasting time at the 20-minute mark. That may be enough time for the cubes to soften. Or it may take up to 30 minutes. The same holds true for the cooking time in Step 4, when you want the finished squash to be dry rather than loose. Some squash have more moisture in them than others, so this step could perhaps take an extra minute or two.
The sweet, nutty flavor of roasted butternut squash pairs best with flavors that are bold enough to balance that sweetness. We chose the traditional Middle Eastern spice blend za'atar (a pungent combination of toasted sesame seeds, thyme, marjoram, and sumac).
To elevate our tart to entrée status, we wanted a crust that was delicate, sturdy, and flavorful, with a filling to match. To increase the flavor of the crust and keep it tender, we swapped out part of the white flour for nutty whole wheat, and we used butter rather than shortening. To punch up its flaky texture and introduce more structure, we gave the crust a series of folds to create numerous interlocking layers.