A fabulously festive vegan and gluten free option for Thanksgiving and the holiday season that nobody can resist.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 - 8 depending on how you serve it | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 8 hours 30 minutes not including bean soaking time | 8 hours |
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A fabulously festive vegan and gluten free option for Thanksgiving and the holiday season that nobody can resist.
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Ingredients
For the beans:
- 1-1/2 cups dried chickpeas
- Rind from about a third of an orange in one or two large strips
- 1 heaping t-spoon cumin seeds whole
- 2 dried bay leaves
- Half cinnamon stick (about 4 - 6" length), crushed
- 2 cloves garic halved
- Scant 1/4 t-spoon baking soda
- 1 t-spoon kosher salt
- water to cover
The rest:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil divided
- 1 2-1/2 pound butternut squash peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1" cubes
- 2 shallots sliced
- 2 cloves garlic smashed really well
- 1 red chili minced
- 1-1/2 - 2 cups bean broth divided
- A few generous pinches kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
- Pomegranate seeds from 1 whole pomegranate
For the pilaf (see note):
- 1 - 2 t-spoons coconut oil
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 1-1/2 cups wild rice (I like RiceSelect's Royal Blend)
- 2 cups water lukewarm/room temperature
Servings: depending on how you serve it
Instructions
- A fabulously festive vegan and gluten free option for the Thanksgiving and holiday season that nobody will be able to resist.
- Tumble the beans into a slow cooker, along with the rest of the ingredients for them EXCEPT the salt, and pour over enough water to cover them by 3 inches. Put on high and cook for 4 hours, then another 2 – 4 hours on low—this may very slightly based on your slow cooker and its size. I usually check on them after the first 2 hours on low and, if they’re almost soft enough but not quite, I turn the heat up to high again, season with salt, and leave it uncovered—it helps to reduce the broth a bit and concentrate the flavors.
- After the beans are cooked, drain them from the slow cooker, but reserve the liquid.
- Put the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear. Set it aside to drain of excess water for a bit.
- In a wide, shallow sauté pan, sauté the shallots in the coconut oil for a few minutes until soft. Pour in the water and stir in the rice. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low (or move to the smallest burner with the lowest possible flame), and steam for 12 – 15 minutes, or per package instructions (see recipe note). Let it sit, covered, off the heat on a cool burner for about 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Toss the butternut squash chunks with the coconut oil on two baking sheets, and roast in the preheated oven for about 15 – 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining coconut oil in a Dutch oven or braising pan over medium heat and add in the shallots or onions. Toss them about to coat them in the oil, cooking for about 3 – 5 minutes. Season with a bit of salt before adding in the smashed garlic (and I mean really smash it!) and minced chili. Stir to combine.
- Tumble in the cooked and drained chickpeas, reserving about ¼ cup of them. Pour in 1 cup of the bean broth and let it come to a simmer.
- Once the squash in the oven is golden brown on the outside—and, don’t worry too much about them being fully cooked within, as they’ll finish softening in the broth—reserve about ¼ cup of the squash and fold the rest into the pan of chickpeas.
- Put the reserved chickpeas, butternut squash, and ½ cup of the bean broth in a mini food processor and puree until smooth. Pour this into the pan of chickpeas and squash.
- This can simmer for just a few minutes so it comes together, or up to 15 – 20 minutes (you don’t want it to go too long, as the squash can fall apart). Point is, simmer just long enough fork the rice into a wide, somewhat shallow serving dish. Ladle the chickpea-butternut stew over the rice, scatter with parsley and pomegranate seeds, and corral everyone to the table.
Recipe Notes
- When I cook rice I always rinse it, use slightly less water than the package instructs (for 1-1/2 cups of the Royal Blend rice you'd need 2-1/4 cups water—I use 2 cups), the water is never cold (always room temp) or salted (until the end), and it's always cooked in a wide saute pan. It sounds ridiculous, but I never have gummy or overly starchy rice when cooked this way.
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