This simple dinner ticks all the boxes: delicious, wholesome, and satisfying. Plus, it’s vegetarian. Sweet squash combines with crunchy-earthy barley, kale, and peas to make a delicious meal for a weekday evening. Serve with brown basmati rice on the side, if desired.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Barley, Kale, and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) hulled, pot, or pearl barley, washed and rinsed, or short grain brown rice
- 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 small bunch curly leaf kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 - 19 oz (540 mL) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) gluten-free low-sodium tamari
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) orange juice
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- Pinch crushed red peppers
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted pumpkin seeds
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories284
- protein12g
- fat11g
- saturated fat2g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates39g
- sugars4g
- fibre8g
- sodium368mg
Directions
01
In small saucepan, bring barley and 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook barley covered, until tender but still chewy and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes. If kernels taste starchy and hard in centre, simmer for another 10 minutes. Add extra splash of boiling water, if necessary. When done, let rest for 5 minutes. Stir with fork to separate kernels. (Barley can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.)
02
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Dice squash into small 1/2 in (1.25 cm) cubes. You should have about 2 cups (500 mL). Refrigerate remaining squash for other use. Place diced squash in bowl and lightly coat with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil. Spread on parchment-lined baking sheet in single layer. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender but slightly firm when tested with fork.
03
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in large, heavy saucepan. Add onion, and sauteu0301 over medium-low heat, stirring often, until softened. Fold in kale, chickpeas, and cooked barley, and gently stir-fry over medium heat to wilt kale slightly and warm chickpeas. Gently fold in baked squash and heat through. Remove from heat. Combine tamari, juices, and crushed peppers. Whisk to combine and drizzle over vegetables. Fold in to coat evenly.
04
Serve immediately with sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds.
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Fruity Tofu with Sweet Potato Wedges
Make no mistake, meaty grilled tofu, sweet flame-licked salsa, and chunks of crispy sweet potato make for a meal prepared in the great outdoors that puts the yum in plant-based eating. A master’s touch Perfect spuds: Crispy potatoes on the grill are a revelation. But it’s best to give them a head start on the stovetop, so the potatoes heat through before the exteriors grill to a burnt crisp. Flavourful tofu: Giving tofu a 90-degree turn on the grill halfway through cooking each side will produce a nice crosshatch pattern that makes you look like a grill master. Plus, those overlapping grill marks give tofu even better flavour.
Tex-Mex Taco Pizza
Combine pizza and taco night by firing up the grill. Sweet flame-licked onions, melty cheese, fiery salsa, hearty beans, and crispy flatbread crust all marry well in a no-fuss pizza that comes together fast enough to work within the confines of the weekday time crunch. Set up a work area near the grill so you have all your toppings within easy reach and ready to go. You can also use large Middle Eastern-style pitas for your base. Using store-bought pizza dough? If you want to go more traditional and use pizza dough, you can certainly stick with the grill. Stretch or roll pizza dough (about 1 lb/450 g) to roughly 1/2 in (1.25 cm) thick. It need not be perfectly round or square; it just has to be even thickness. Preheat grill to medium using indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one burner off; for a charcoal grill, shovel coals onto one side of the grill) and lightly oil grill grates. Brush one side of dough with oil, then place on grill in an area not directly over the heat, oil side down. Once dough is lightly charred and just barely set, about 1 to 2 minutes, use pizza peel or big, flat spatula to transfer it to a work surface, grilled side up. Apply toppings and return pizza to indirect heat. Close grill lid, and heat until edges of crust are crispy and cheese has melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
Beet Falafel Burgers with Dilly Tahini Sauce
If a falafel and burger had a love child, this would be it. The result of this hybrid is a vibrantly coloured, complex-flavoured veggie burger you’ll flip over. You can also serve them between toasted hamburger buns with toppings such as sliced cucumber, sliced tomato, and arugula. Holding it together Many plant-based burgers are crumbly and weak, risking a patty that ends up between the grill grates instead of intact on your plate. Keep your burgers together by forming patties no larger than 1 in (2.5 cm) thick, which ensures a nice, even crust on the outside and a thoroughly warmed-through centre, then chilling the patties before grilling. You can also consider using a burger mould, which gives you denser, equally sized patties that cook evenly. Be sure your grill grates are well greased. Deep freeze You can freeze uncooked falafel burgers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or plate and then transfer frozen patties to an airtight container. When ready, just thaw and cook as instructed. Falafel cooking options To bake: Arrange falafel on parchment-lined baking sheet and brush lightly with oil; bake at 375 F (190 C) for 25 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and heated through. To pan fry: Heat large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil (15 mL) for each 2 burgers in the pan, swirl to coat pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until underside is browned. Then flip carefully and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Grilled French Toast with Vanilla Scented Yogurt
Bet you’ve never considered making breakfast or Sunday brunch on the grill. Consider cooking your egg-soaked bread over flames as a way to coax even more flavour out of brag-worthy French toast. You can also use slices of brioche bread and whatever fruit happens to be in season. Of course, nobody could fault you for topping it all off with a drizzle of maple syrup. If you want it dairy free, you can use dairy alternatives such as oat milk and coconut yogurt. Not so fresh Somewhat stale bread is key to great French toast. You want it to be 2 to 3 days old. What if your bread isn’t aged enough? You can speed up the process by slicing bread and then placing it on a pan in 350 F (180 C) oven for about 10 minutes, or until it firms up. Make sure it’s sliced nice and thick to prevent the egg mixture-to-bread ratio being too heavy in favour of egg, resulting in soggy French toast.