So… Y’all know how I’ve posted in the past about how “simple” and “easy to make” a recipe is? Well, that is NOT this one. There are a lot of parts to it, a lot of different cooking times and events going on at the same time. A lot of balance. And that is because this recipe is like a mix-and-match of the food world.
The inspiration came from a recipe in the free handout at Fresh Thyme. The basic idea is that we can create a bunch of different combinations in the same dish. I decided to cook everything in one day and I will change up what I eat with what during the week of leftovers.
You can choose any base. I decided to go with lentils (three different colors!), wild rice, quinoa, and Eikhorn berries. I started by cooking all of those. Separate pots. Lotta steam in the kitchen on this one. So much so that I had to open a window on this chilly 20 degree day!
Next, select your veggies. I went with delicata squash, zucchini squash, bell peppers, a sweet onion, mushrooms, broccoli, and lima beans (frozen). I also used kale as part of the base.
Steam the squashes. While this is happening, you can warm up the lima beans and chickpeas in a small pot.
When the squashes are done steaming, add the broccoli to the steamer and cook that. Also, in a pan with some avocado oil spray cook the mushrooms and onions.
Once the mushrooms and onions are done cooking, use that same pan to cook the bell peppers. You can add the steamed squashes to brown them up a bit.
I kept everything in separate bowls so that I can do different combos during the week.
I dirtied a lot of pans and dishes making this recipe. I also made a huge mess on the stove. Cleanup for this dish was a total bish.
I decided to use a little bit of everything on my first go-round. So I added the quinoa, wheat berries, rice, lentils, and some kale to a bowl.
I topped that with the squashes, the onion/mushroom mix, the bell peppers, lima beans, broccoli, chickpeas, and some fresh cherries for some sweetness! I squeezed some lemon on top for even more flavor, but you could use a salad dressing or create your own tahini topping. I have enough leftovers to eat all week from this recipe!! And it was absolutely delicious. Totally worth the cleanup.