Slow Cooker Moroccan Butternut Squash & Chickpea Stew

I haven’t used my slow cooker in a while so I’m super happy to have another crockpot recipe on my blog! The reason for this one is that I’m staying at my mum’s at the moment; and we had some butternut squash lying around but didn’t know what to do with it. Neither of us have really used it much before, in fact she doesn’t think she ever has, and I have only used it a couple of times before in a root veg mash, or had shop-bought ‘boodles’. Anyway, it’s a great ingredient for adding substance to a meal without making it too starchy. It’s lighter than sweet potato but kind of similar.

This recipe is sooooo easy it’s ridiculous. A ‘method’ section isn’t even required, as it’s basically just “put everything in a slow cooker and turn it on.” The garnishes of greek yogurt and rocket  respectively add a freshness and zing to this warm and comforting meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• 1 x 400g drained and rinsed
• 400g passata
• 1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric
• 1 heaped tsp cumin
• 2 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• Brown rice

Garnish:

• Greek yogurt
• Rocket

Method:

Literally add everything except the rice to a slow cooker (no need to brown anything first), stir, turn on to high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Remove the lid for the last hour to thicken the sauce.

Sever with brown rice and garnishes.

Vegetarian Garlic Paneer Curry

I think this has to be my favourite curry I’ve made to date. I’ve cooked up quite a few different types of these spicy, saucy dishes including from Indian, Sri Lankan, West Indian and Thai cuisines; using coconut milk, tomato, cream and yogurt based sauces, and this perfectly balanced combination of tomato and coconut milk is something really special.

Another thing that makes this super delicious is the simplicity of ingredients used. I think often you can end up chucking in a such a multitude of spices and vegetables that the whole dish ends up becoming a bit confused, but this recipe uses just two spices (plus garlic) to create a balanced flavour, one main vegetable (aubergine) for the softness in texture and then the paneer adds a bit of bite.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 16 large cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1.5 cups paneer cubes (or tofu for a vegan version)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 aubergine, cubed
• 3/4 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g can reduced fat coconut milk (again, sauce preference dependent)
• 2-3 hot chillies, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Method:

Heat a tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Place the paneer cubes and brown them until golden (about 2-3 mins). Once done, set them aside.

Add another tbsp of oil in the pan. Add about 9/10 of the garlic and the onions. Sauté them until they soften and turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, chillies and turmeric and cook for another minute.

Transfer the sautéed mixture to a bowl and blend.

Add 2 tbsp oil into the pan and cook the aubergine until softened. Add the garam masala and cook with the aubergine for a minute, then add back the blended mixture and salt. Cook for another minute.

Pour in the coconut milk and mix well. Add the golden cheese cubes and let them simmer in the curry for a couple of minutes.

Sauté the remaining two cloves of garlic in a tbsp of butter and drizzle over the curry to finish.

Serve with rice or chapatis.