Butternut squash, chickpea & spinach curry

By Linda Cornelius
ecogal Author and Designer

A colourful vegan curry, rich, wholesome and full of tasty goodness, this is an easy and healthy dish.

Free-runner extraordinaire Tim Shieff shares his favourite curry recipe based on traditional Indian spices, whole roasted butternut squash, chickpeas and spinach served on a bed of tumeric infused rice. If you’ve never tried a vegan curry before this is the one to make.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions at JamieOliver.com

My special optional tips for the more adventurous:

Since I do not use canned beans ever, instead I soak them and sometimes even sprout them.

SOAKING:

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water. The chickpeas will expand to over double their size, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for expansion. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let them soak overnight. Drain the water and rinse the beans before cooking The soaking enhances the nutritional value of beans, as well as makes them more digestible.

You can also just immediately start cooking the chickpeas in boiling water while you prepare the rest of the recipe, adding them later on as instructed. This way they will cook longer than the canned equivalent and be fine. Timing: between 45 to 60 minutes, check them: if they are tender and soft inside, that’s it.

YOU CAN ALSO SOAK THE RICE

I usually eat whole, organic rice and the cooking time for that is quite long, 45 minutes. But if I soak the rice the cooking time is much less AND the nutrition values are increased.

Read more about soaking grains at The Nourishing Home.com

SPROUTING:

You can try, if you wish. They taste fantastic when sprouted and the cooking time is minimal. However: you have to do this 3-4 days before, so it’s a matter of planning ahead…

Learn more about sprouting at The Sprout People

Watch a video with the sprouting how-to:

REUSE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEEDS:

When you clean the squash, keep the seeds! They are the same seeds you buy in groceries. Just wash them clean, let then dry, and use them on salads, they taste just great, a bit on the nutty side.

Detailed instructions at Jamie Oliver.com