Recipe: Kabocha Squash Curry

Have you ever seen a kabocha squash?  They are pretty cool.  They are a Japanese pumpkin, and if you cook them right, you can eat the skin.  It's nice and healthy, rich in vitamins and even some iron.  I tend toward the anemic, so anything with iron is good in my book.

I had some leftover Yellow Curry Sauce from Trader Joe's, so I wanted to make a curry with my squash.  Kabocha Curry is fun to say.  That's a good enough reason, right?

I served it with some Harvest Grains blend, cooked with a little Penzey's Bangkok Blend, which I love.  It has ancho chili peppers, garlic, ginger, tellicherry black pepper, galangal, crushed red pepper, lemon grass, cayenne pepper, paprika, cilantro and basil.  You could use a mixture of whatever you have on hand of the above, but it is certainly a lovely blend.

Kabocha Squash Curry

1 small kabocha squash
1 tsp Penzey's Bangkok Blend (or your favorite Thai seasoning blend)
1 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 c frozen roasted potatoes (I used Trader Joe's Roasted Potatoes with peppers and onions - the peppers and onions come in a separate package.  If you do not have these, you can roast cubed potatoes along with the squash)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c Yellow curry sauce
2 c water

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Cut the squash in half and de-seed, then slice into thin crescents.

Lay out onto a parchment lined baking sheet, coat lightly with oil, then sprinkle with spices.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until tender and cooked through.

Melt coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Saute the onion until lightly browned.  Stir in the potatoes and cook until thawed and softened (about 6 minutes).

Chop up the roasted squash into cubes, and add the chickpeas along with the curry sauce and water.

Stir to coat and stew for about 20 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Serve on top of rice, lentils, or your favorite grain blend.

Disclaimer: Though I used Trader Joe's products, this blog is not sponsored by Trader Joe's. All opinions are my own (or the kids')