Butternut Squash Bharta

This may seem like an oxymoron- A  low calorie and nutritious yet filling and delicious, vegetable  side dish! But this Butternut Squash Bharta proves that it is not!

I really admire people who have portion control, when it comes to food. I wish I could be one of them but am not:(  Instead I am continually looking for those ‘feel good’ foods- you know the ones where you can eat as much as you want! Plus they are nutritious and of course tempting and delicious.

So when I read that Butternut squash is a super food- one of the most nutritious and healthiest vegetables you can eat, with a rich array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and significant amounts of digestive fiber, I try to incorporate it in our diet in various ways. Truth be told, they had me at low calorie yet surprisingly filling:)

Bharta is one of my favorite dishes and I generally make it with roasted eggplant and yogurt.So I decided to give butternut squash a try- especially when I saw how convenient the frozen peeled and cut butternut squash looked.I am happy to report that my family loved it. Sometimes I feel that they don’t particularly care for dishes that are easy for me to make but they proved me wrong this time!

Ingredients-

• 2 cups frozen, peeled and cut butternut squash, defrosted
• 1 teaspoons oil + ½ teaspoon ghee
• ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder
• 1 green chili, split in the middle, leaving stem end intact
•  ½ teaspoon sugar-  I adjust this according to the tartness of the yogurt
• sea salt to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoons roasted peanuts, crushed or roughly chopped. I use the food processor and whirl for just a couple of seconds.
• ¼ cup frozen grated coconut, defrosted
• ½ cup plain yogurt.  I used Desi Dahi brand non fat yogurt available in Indian stores
• ½  small onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves

To make the Butternut Squash Bharta-

1. In a microwave safe bowl, cook the defrosted butternut squash in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. Remove from microwave and set aside to cool.

   

2. In a small frying pan, heat the oil and ghee on medium heat and add the mustard seeds, asafetida and the split green chili. when the mustard seeds start to splutter, shut off the heat. Add this to the cooked butternut squash and mix it in.
3. Add the sugar, sea salt, crushed peanuts and the grated coconut. Stir well to combine.
4. Just before serving, add the yogurt, diced onion and the chopped cilantro and mix well.
5. Serve with Home style toasty Parathas  and /or the Nutritious Spinach Rice. It is an excellent vegetarian side dish for luncheons and dinner parties too.

Hope you enjoy this tempting and scrumptious, nutrition packed yet low calorie and filling, Butternut squash Bharta!

• Love,
• Sandhya