I’m a figure skater, and with no ice rinks open due to coronavirus I am instead doing off-ice training at home. Part of this training is organized as a bingo game. There is a different set of challenges everyday and when I complete the challenges I get to mark that day off of my bingo card. Anyway, part of one of the challenges was to try a new fruit, vegetable, or grain. I looked around the house, hoping that there would be a new frozen veggie at the bottom of the freezer or a new grain in the back of the pantry, and I found rye berries. I decided to cook the rye berries and mix them with various fruits, veggies, beans, and spices we had around the house, and the result was a vibrantly flavored dinner that the whole family loved. 

Prep Time: 30 min. Cook Time: 1 hr. Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: it’s always a good idea to read through an entire recipe before starting, and that’s especially important for this one so you have all of the elements ready to assemble.

Ingredients and instructions:

3 cups cooked grain* (I used rye berries, but you could use wheat berries, farro, etc.)

4-5 cups winter squash, cubed

2 teaspoons + ½ tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons + ½ tablespoon maple syrup 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 can (1 ½ cups cooked) kidney beans

1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 orange 

1 apple

2 cups cooked green beans

1 green onion

1. Make sure you get your your grain cooking at the beginning so that you can prepare the rest of the recipe while you wait.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400. Toss the squash cubes with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 2 teaspoons of the syrup.
3. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, and white pepper.
4. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the squash and toss so that all the squash is covered in spices. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
5. Meanwhile, put the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon olive oil, and ½ tablespoon maple syrup in a small jar and shake to combine.
6. Cut the orange and apple into cubes. Cut the green beans in half (or smaller) and green onion into small pieces.
7. When the squash is soft, transfer to a frying pan, stir in the beans (include about two tablespoons of bean liquid or water), and cook over medium heat until the beans are heated through. 
8. Pour the dressing over the grain and toss so that all the grain gets covered.
9. Add the orange, apple, green beans, and green onions, toss again, then add the squash and kidney bean mixture and toss one more time.

* Check for cooking instructions on your grain package. If there are none, instructions can be found easily online. I followed these instructions from Sidewalk Shoes for the rye berries.