I love bowls! They are my favorite dinners. This particular bowl recipe came about during the quarantine for coronavirus, which gave me a lot of time to cook. I wanted to make a lentil dish because it had been awhile since we ate lentils, and my mom wanted to use up a butternut squash that had been sitting around the house for like 3 months (I’m not joking). So I decided to puree the butternut squash, mix it with diced apples, and season it with my favorite classic fall spices, then make a simple lentil curry, and link the flavors from the two dishes with an apple chutney. I know, it sounds weird. I mean, you don’t usually see pumpkin pie spice and curry powder next to each other. But my family and I promise it’s good. 

Prep Time: 35 min. Cook Time: 40 min. (not including baking the squash). Makes at least 4 generous servings.

Apple Chutney

½ medium onion

2 ½ cups apples (chopped)

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

⅓ cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced or pressed ginger (or ginger paste)

2 teaspoons garlic 

½ teaspoon red chili flakes

¼ cup dried fruit (I used golden raisins and sliced apricots)

1. Dice the onion and then saute it in water or oil (if you are making the curried lentils as well, go ahead and saute the whole onion. You will use the other half in the lentils.)
2. Cook the apples, sauteed onion, apple cider vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes together over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
3. Add the dried fruit and continue to cook until the apples are soft.
4. Mash with a potato masher so that the apple pieces break up, but leave some chunks
5. Let cool and serve as a topping for the squash and lentils

Fall Spiced Butternut Squash

1 apple diced

2 cups baked, pureed butternut squash

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ – ⅜ teaspoon powdered ginger (double if using fresh pressed ginger)

⅛ – ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup plain, unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I used soy milk)

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup

Pinch allspice

Dash black pepper

⅛ – ¼ teaspoon ground clove

1. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with a thin layer of water. Add the apples and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. 
2. Add in all other ingredients and cook on low until heated through. You can taste it and then adjust the flavors as desired

Curried Lentils

4 cups water

1 ½ cups dry orange lentils

½ can coconut milk (1 can = about 14 oz.)

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt 

½ medium onion 

1. Saute the onion in a non stick pan or in a pan coated with water or oil
2. Meanwhile, combine the lentils and water in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the onion, to the lentils. Cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Assemble your bowls: Rice or riced cauliflower goes well with this. Build your bowl with squash and lentils and top with chutney.