Healthy Butternut Squash Risotto

This is a delicious but healthy risotto, using brown rice makes the cooking time slightly longer. But this means you get all the goodness from the unrefined  rice and plenty of fibre to keep you full for longer. I have adapted this recipe from Deliciously Ella, however this version is slightly more student friendly; my student cupboard didn't stretch to providing nutritional yeast, cumin or tahini so I gave these a miss; I also added a dollop of crème friache which I found enhanced the creamy butternut squash. The original recipe also has uses a food processor to whizz up the cooked butternut squash however in the student kitchen using a potato masher will suffice!

 

 

 

To Serve Four You Will need...

 

- 1 Butternut squash

 

-300g Brown rice

 

-Juice of 1/2 a lemon

 

- A splash of cider vinegar

 

-A dollop of Crème Friache

 

-Salt and Pepper to taste

 

 

 

You will need to...

 

-Pre-heat the oven to 200C

 

- Peel the butternut squash and cut into cubes

 

- Place in a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season, roast for 35mins or until soft while the rice is cooking

 

-Put the brown rice in a sieve and rinse with cold water

 

-Add the rice to a pan of boiling water, boil for 35-40 minutes or until the rice is soft adding more water when necessary and a splash of cider vinegar to add flavour.

 

- Remove the butternut squash from the oven and mash three quarters of the squash leaving a few cubes to add texture.

 

- Add the lemon juice, seasoning and crème friache to the smooth butternut squash and then stir into the drained rice.

 

- Finally place the remaining butternut squash cubes on top and parsley or coriander.

 

 

Enjoy

Z x

Butternut Squash, Kale and Chickpea Summer Salad

Last week Catie and I undertook a week of 'clean eating', and this recipe was definitely one of our favourite evening meals. Despite being a fairly simple salad, the roasted butternut squash and chickpeas make this dish suprisingly filling, whilst the pomegranate, lemon and lime add a sharp tanginess. I also think that serving it hot makes it seem like a heartier meal rather than just a lunchtime salad, so despite being extremely good for you, you still feel satisfied and full at the end of a long day. Kale is a well established 'superfood', being rich in Vitamins A, B, C and K as well as being low in calories and virtually fat free - perfect for those getting into shape for summer. You could also add some chicken to the salad if you fancy a non-vegetarian version. A good student trick when using root ginger is to store it in the freezer, and then you can use it whenever needed as it lasts for ages. A more detailed post on our clean eating week will be coming soon with more healthy recipes.

To serve two you will need...

1/2 a butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

200g curly kale

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated

1 tin of chickpeas, drained

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lime juice

Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
1/4 tsp salt

You will need to...

- Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

- Place the butternut squash cubes on a baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for approx 40 mins or until soft.

-Meanwhile in a large saucepan, soften the onion in a little olive oil over a medium heat. Once soft add the garlic and ginger contine to cook for a minute.

-Add the kale to the pan and stir for a minute until it begins to wilt then reduce the heat and cover for 10 mins.

- Add the drained chickpeas, stir and cover for another 5 minutes until they are warmed through.

-Remove from heat, add the roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, salt, lemon and lime juice stir and serve immediately. 

Enjoy, Z and C x