There’s no way in a million years you’d ever make a dish with avocados, butternut squash, tomatoes and lentils in it and eat it let alone call it a ‘meal’, right?! I thought the same thing at one point too; yet right now, I’m about to go further than my wildest expectations and actually RECOMMEND this combination of foods as one of the yummiest meals ever!
How did we get to this point, foodies? For a start, I had never even tasted butternut squash until this week… The girl who used to hate anything vegetable-related is now surviving on a diet of veg, beans and lentils! WHAT!?
Do you want to add more veg to your diet, and actually enjoy what you’re eating? Here’s one way I did it, beginning just over a year ago when I embarked upon my first Daniel Fast experience (read here). It’s never too late to join the challenge!
I’ve been a major fan of lentils, greens and experimenting with healthy foods ever since. And you can too! For healthy vegan recipes, grab yourself the Daniel Fast cookbook for free.
And if you’ve been doing this longer than I have, what’s your favorite vegan dish? Please share!
Ingredients & Method:
Red lentil stew (serves 5)- 400g red lentils, chopped tomatoes 400g (1 tin), chopped garlic x3 cloves, 1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil, 300ml veg stock (cumin, veg stock cubes x2, ground black pepper, 2 tbsp hot red chili, parsley, boiled water)
- Cook lentils for 10 minutes until part-cooked.
- Rinse lentils, return to boil using the veg stock and allow to simmer until the liquid has dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pan/wok on medium heat. Add chopped garlic and chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Slowly added cooked lentils to the large pan, continually mixing the ingredients together until the mixture becomes one.
- Finished!
Per serving: Carbs 16g // Fat 6g // Protein 7.5g // Calories 158 kcal
Butternut squash (serves 2.5-3)- 1 whole squash, sliced down the middle, drizzled in oil and placed face-down on a baking tray for 20 minutes in an oven at 200°C.
- Remove squash from oven and scrape out the inside with a fork. It should have a mashed texture. Remove the pips as you go along.
You can also simply chop each piece of the squash in two so you have four pieces, remove the pips and place the red lentils and avocado on top. The squash can act as a dish like a baked potato would, for example. But I only thought of this after I’d messed up the squash!
Per serving: Carbs 15g // Fat 2g // Protein 1g // Calories 80 kcal
Ripe avocado (serves 2-3)-
- slice the avocado down the middle into two parts as shown in the picture above.
- Set aside the side of the avocado that still has the large seed (keeping this in keeps it fresh and stops the avocado from turning brown so you can use it again the following day).
- Use a table spoon to scoop out the inside of one side of the avocado.
- Slice the scooped-out avocado into chunky pieces. Garnish the dish with the chunky pieces of avocado.
Per serving: Carbs 6g // Fat 12g // Protein 1.5g // Calories 120 kcal
Bon Apetit!
Nutritional Information: (Approx)
Protein – 10g // Carbs – 36g // Fat – 20g // Calories – 358kcal
P.s. Because I always throw meals together without really truly measuring out ingredients, I’ve tried as best as I can to provide you with a round-about recipe, but adjust quantities and seasoning to your own taste and preference.
Happy Dining!
Read more Fabulous Foodie Recipes here.
