Moroccan Squash Bowls with Lemon Cashew Topping

These roasted butternut squash bowls, filled with Moroccan stew, are so visually appealing, easy to make and delightfully delicious, they make perfect dinner party fodder! Packed with nutritious chickpeas, iron-rich lentils and nourishing sweet potato, they’re also reassuringly healthy!

First of all, roast the squash:

Take six small butternut squash. Cut off the bulbous ends and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits

Brush a light layer of olive oil all over the inside and outside of the bowls

Place on a baking tray, open side facing upwards, and cook on gas mark 5 for 1 hour

(I save the chopped-off ends to use in curry, soup or in one of my quinoa salad dishes...you can find the recipe here)

Then make the filling. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the following ingredients:

1 large brown onion, diced

1 leek, finely sliced

1 bulb of garlic, minced

Fry over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the leak is nicely softened

Then add the following spices:

2 tsp of ground coriander

½ tsp chilli powder

1½ tsp of cumin powder

¼ tsp of ground cinnamon

Stir through and cook for a couple of minutes, before adding:

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 large sweet potato, cut into bite size chunks

1 red capsicum, diced

½ cup of dried red lentils, washed

1 can of chickpeas

The grated rind and juice of 1 large orange

1½ tsp of salt*

A liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper

Cover and allow to stew over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Then add:

½ cup of water

½ cup of almond slices

Cook for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender

Then make the topping. Thoroughly combine the following ingredients in your vitamix/food processor until they form a smooth paste:

1 cup of raw cashew nuts

½ tsp of salt*

1 tsp of nutritional yeast flakes

The juice of 2 lemons

2 tbsp of water

Then stuff your bowls:

Gently remove the squash bowls with a pair of tongs and place each one on a plate

Using a tablespoon, fill each bowl with the stew, pressing down as you go (they can hold more than you think!) and pile it on top to form an appetising mound!

Top it off with a heaped teaspoon of the lemon cashew mixture

Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and more sliced almonds

Serve alone or with brown basmati rice for a filling meal

Enjoy!

*I used to use sea salt but nowadays I use Himalayan pink salt because of its purity and superior nutritional benefits