I'm in the process of making Roasted Kabocha Squash and have to also make something to actually eat today. As the weather starts to get chilly, I tend to switch from quinoa in the summer to lentils in the winter. There's nothing seasonal about the availability of these seeds and legumes. Although I tend to associate quinoa with the bright, floral summer months and lentils with the huddled up for warmth winter months. Fall is kind of in between the summer and winter dishes that I tend to gravitate towards. So, today I'm endeavoring to combine them together with these Squash Lentils.
I've added the lentils, potatoes, and squash that I ordinarily associate with the colder months with carrots, tamari, and rice vinegar that I gravitate more towards in the summer months. The combination is a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and a little bit spicy. I'm particularly fond of balancing all of these flavor combinations together. Although you can easily mix and match in your own favorite produce or the fruits and vegetables that you have on hand. For me, I'm going to try and make the rapidly oscillating 27 to 77 degree weather that we've been having with something absolutely delicious.
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Variations of Squash Lentils
Every fall I put squash in absolutely anything and everything that I can. You can only get certain gourd varieties once a year. So, I make as much of it as I can! There are plenty of ways to do this. I tend to purée the squash most of the time and just toss it in. Although you can also cut the squash into cubes and cook it with the lentils, rice, or quinoa. As well as roast the squash cubes separately and toss them in afterwards.
These Squash Lentils consist of kabocha squash, miniature potatoes, carrots, ginger, carolina reapers, green lentils, tamari, and rice vinegar. Although you can easily mix and match in your own favorite produce or what you have on hand. Rice cooker lentils are a great dish to make your own. It's incredibly simple to toss everything that you want into the pot, press cook, and have a delicious meal ready in no time at all. Just make sure not to overfill your rice cooker and to add slightly more than double the water needed for the lentils. Either way, it's an absolutely delectable pairing of sweet, savory, and subtle spice.
1carolina reaper pepperminced (or pepper of choice)
1¾c.green lentils
dashcumin
dashcoriander
dashnutmeg
dashsalt
dashpepper
3½c.water
1/4c.tamari(or soy sauce)
1/4c.rice vinegar
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
I used Roasted Kabocha Squash in this recipe. This takes a couple of hours and requires aluminum foil and a baking dish. I am a big fan of ambercup squash. It's a medium-sized variety with dense flesh and a lot of flavor. You can easily substitute butternut squash, pie pumpkin, or other gourd of choice.
Cook Lentils
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices and vinegar. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!You can also add the rice vinegar and tamari after it cooks. If you add it before, it will be a more subtle flavor that permeates through the quinoa. Otherwise, add it afterwards for a brighter pop of flavor. I go back and forth on which one I prefer and routinely do both.
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. For more tips and tricks to rice cooker quinoa, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Quinoa, including a stovetop version if you don't have or don't want to use a rice cooker.
I also tend to prefer tamari over soy sauce. They're both made from fermented soy and a lot of recipes use them interchangeably. Tamari tends to have a richer flavor and less salt content. It also tends to be gluten free.
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