It is the time of year we all want recipes packed with those familiar festive flavours but that doesn’t mean we should sacrifice those plant points. These stuffed butternut squashes combines those comforting, festive flavours with 16+ plant points so that we can have the best of both worlds!
16 + Plant Points
Ingredients
Stuffed butternut squashes
- 2 butternut squash, halved and deseeded
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, sliced
- 250g mushrooms, diced or blended
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- Few sprigs of sage and thyme
- For the 2 tbsp of soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 30g dried cranberries
- 1 grated apple (skin on)
- 60g mixed nuts (walnuts and pecans), roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmug
- 80g granola (we used Bio&Me Super Seedy and Nutty Granola)
- 200-400ml vegetable stock/broth
- 2 peppers, halved and deseeded
- 1 tbsp plain flour
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C fan/gas mark 3.
- Place the squashes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 30 mins.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan under medium heat, add in the leeks and mushrooms and fry until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, along with the sage and thyme, plus 2 tbsp of tamari and allow it to cook for a couple of mins.
- Add the lentils to the pan, along with the seeds, cranberries, apple, nuts, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg as well as half of the granola and stir well.
- Add in the stock, give it another stir and then allow to simmer for 10 mins.
- Take the squashes out of the oven, spoon out the flesh and add it straight into the lentil mixture.
- Place your peppers on the baking tray with the hollowed-out squashes and begin spooning your lentil and squash mixture into the squashes and peppers.
- Place back into the oven and bake for a further 20 mins until lightly roasted.
- Once cooked, allow it to cool and then sprinkle with the rest of the granola.
If you want more plant-powered festive recipes, you might want to check out this festive nut roast and for a sweeter option, these spiced cranberry & dark chocolate granola cookies.
You can browse the full Bio&Me range here.
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