VEGETARIAN CASSEROLE

Thanksgiving

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This quinoa with kabocha squash and chickpeas is full of plump legumes & drizzled with a herbaceous green tahini sauce. A great vegetarian course for your Thanksgiving

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Gather the Ingredients

– 1 medium-sized kabocha squash – Grapeseed or olive oil for drizzling (about 4 TBs) – 2 TBs sea salt – 2 TBs sweet paprika – 1.5 cups quinoa – 1 can of chickpeas or 1 cups dry chickpeas, cooked (this should produce about 2 cups of cooked chickpeas

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Gather the Ingredients

– ½ large red onion – 3 TBs raw tahini – 4 cloves garlic – juice of ½ lemon – a cup of parsley – 1 teaspoon salt – ¼ cup water – ¼ cup toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds for serving

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Preheat oven to 400F, and cover a large baking sheet with tinfoil (if using half-trays, you may need two.

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Slice kabocha squash into 1-inch thick slices, choosing to keep or remove the peel, and arrange on a baking sheet

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I will always opt to keep the peel on and remove it after baking, by hand, despite whatever burns the heat may cause me. I also delude myself into thinking this helps seal in moisture, which may or may not be true. Feel free to peel the kabocha squash before, if you're adept with a knife and a roundish squash

Tips to cut a squash

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Drizzle squash with grape seed and olive oil, sprinkle with 2 TBs salt and paprika. Bake for 20 minutes, then switch to broil setting, and grill from the top for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, and remove the peel. Chop squash into chunks.

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Meanwhile, cook quinoa. Fluff with a fork and let rest. Pour into a deep casserole dish, salad serving dish, or onto a platter.

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Wash chickpeas if using canned. Chop onion coarsely, but still bite-size. Add chickpeas and onion to quinoa. Arrange squash on top.

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Prepare sauce by blending tahini, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and salt in a blender. Gradually add in water while blending. The sauce should be pourable, bright, and a little salty (this will add all the flavour to the quinoa and chickpeas)

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Pour sauce onto quinoa, kabocha squash and chickpeas. Right before serving, toast pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and sprinkle on top.

Enjoy!