Khichdi with Butternut Squash

 "Whew! Finally done! Sometimes dinner prep and cooking goes smooth and sometimes....not so much."

I found a vegetarian recipe online, Easy Mung Bean Sprout Khichdi with Butternut Squash, and decided to make a "quicker" version as we didn't have pre-sprouted mung bean sprouts on hand. 

The "mods" I used...
I used cayenne pepper instead of jalapeño , Thrive Life freeze dried butternut squash (because neither I or the boys were up for being in the kitchen and having to peel and chop a squash  ) and Thrive Life instant black beans instead of sprouted mung beans (which takes 2 days to sprout, but I DO love sprouted mung beans).

Here's the modified recipe, (with thanks to Vaishali at Holy Cow Vegan for the original recipe)

Khichdi with Butternut Squash

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

 

Servings: 6 servings

 

Ingredients 

• ▢1 cup Thirve Life Instant Black Beans or canned black beans
• ▢1 cup basmati or other long-grain rice Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, rinse, and drain before using.
• ▢2 teaspoon coconut oil
• ▢1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or 1 clove garlic and 1 inch of ginger crushed and mixed into a paste
• ▢1 1-inch stick cinnamon
• ▢3 green cardamom pods
• ▢3 cloves
• ▢2 dry bay leaves
• ▢½ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢Salt to taste
• ▢1 cup butternut squash cubes (½-inch pieces)

Instructions

• In a large saucepan or in a pressure cooker, heat the oil.
• Add the cumin, and as they begin to change color, add the cayenne pepper and ginger-garlic paste, stir to mix, and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, and bay leaves.
• Stir-fry the spices for a minute, then add the rice and the mung bean sprouts. Toss until the rice turns opaque, then add 3 cups of water, the butternut squash, and salt to taste. 
• If you are using a pressure cooker, at this point, put on the lid and pressure cook for two whistles. 

  If using a pressure cooker that doesn't whistle, cook for six minutes after building up pressure.

  If cooking in a saucepan, wait for the water to boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and lower heat to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes and let the saucepan stand, without taking the lid off, for an additional 10 minutes. Then fluff the rice and sprouts with a fork.
• If using a pressure cooker, after the pressure has dropped, open and fluff the khichdi using a fork.
• Serve hot.