Roasted tomato and butternut squash curry

One of my favourite vegetables of all time is butternut squash. It’s what I would call a “meaty” vegetable as it has a carb like texture and is a great accompaniment to meat or as a meal on its own – but without feeling heavy or too full afterwards; it’s incredibly versatile too, I make soups, salads, stews and even puddings with it. It’s my go to food if I’m not sure  what I want to eat- oh, and you can eat the whole thing too! Roast the seeds and skins with a little coconut oil and sea salt and you have the perfect dipping tool for one of my Green Goddess dips!

I’m a massive fan of curry, it’s such a versatile wholesome delicious dish packed with tastebud attacking flavours. Since I was a little girl my father would make a weekly Saturday night curry that the whole family would look forward to. The smells of garlic, ginger and cardamom would permeate the whole house and my younger brother and I would regularly pop in to the kitchen for a tablespoon taster. He would cook for about 3 hrs and it would all be gobbled up in about 5 minutes. Unfortunately this isn’t his recipe as I’m still trying to work out how to replace a few of the “naughty” ingredients he uses, but this is my own, laden with herbs and spices, this is a comforting dish, packed with natural goodness – and hardly a carb in sight! I promise you, this is utterly delicious and so long as you have most of the spices already, it’s a very cheap dish to make.

What you will need
(to serve 4)

*large butternut squash
*1 large red onion
*6 large vine tomatoes (any kind will do so long as they are ripe, the more the merrier)
*1 tbsp paprika
*1 tbsp cumin
*6 cardamom pods
*1 pinch pepper
*1/4 tsp salt
*1 bay leaf
*4 garlic cloves
*1 small chilli
*1 tbsp curry powder
*1 tsp garam masala
*1 handful coriander
*1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

Curry:

• Pre heat oven to 180 degrees
• Chop tomatoes in half and put on a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil and salt, place in the oven for about 30 minutes until they are roasted, beginning to soften and caramelised ( I threw in some baby tomatoes too which were lying around in the fridge and needed eating)
• In to the blender add garlic, onion and chilli and blitz until finely chopped
• Chop up the butternut squash into equal sized cubes
• Place butternut squash skins on to a roasting tray with olive oil and salt and place in the oven for about 30 minutes (put the seeds in after about 15 minutes if you want them too)
• Paste: In saucepan on high heat allow your coconut oil to melt and add in your onion, chilli, garlic mixture. Sweat off for about 3 minutes
• Add in all your spices and mix continuously for a further 1 minute
• Add in the butternut squash with a little more coconut oil to stop mixture from burning and sautee for about 8 minutes (If the mixture starts to catch on the pan add 2/3 tbsps of water at a time)
• Take tomatoes out of the oven. Place 3/4 of the tomatoes into the blender and blitz until smooth.
• Pour tomato mixture in to the curry mix and stir. Add in the rest of the tomatoes and break down.
• Drop in the bay leaf
• Cook for about 20 minutes on a lower heat, stirring occasionally
• After 20 minutes, add half the coriander and serve immediately with cauliflower rice and butternut squash skins

Cauliflower rice:

• Roughly chop one large cauliflower
• Place in to blender and blitz until rice like
• Finely chop half a red onion and add to the cauliflower mixture
• Place a frying pan on high heat with coconut oil. Add in the cauliflower and onion mix and fry for 5 minutes until softened
• Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• Serve immediately

* Serve with a little side salad if you wish

Suitable for: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo

Benefits of butternut squash:

LOW FAT: Butternut squash is one of the healthiest vegetables for weight loss with its low calories and high levels of dietary fibre
DIETARY FIBRE: Butternut squash delivers a large dose of dietary fibre, making it an exceptionally heart friendly choice
HEALTHY BONES: It contains a significant amount of potassium which is important for bone health
VITAMIN B6: Butternut squash contains a great amount of vitamin B6 which is essential for the functioning of the nervous and immune system
VITAMIN C: With only a 1 cup serving you get nearly half the recommended daily dose of antioxidant-rich vitamin C
ANTIOXIDANTS: Loaded with antioxidants carotenoids to protect your bodies cells from free radicals. The tangerine colour signals an abundance of these powerhouse nutrients, shown to also protect against heart disease
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:Due to its high antioxidant content butternut squash can help reduce the risk of inflammation related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma