Butter Bean, Chickpea, Squash & Seaweed Ragu

Ingredients

100g cooked chickpeas (see tips)                           

100g butter beans (see tips)                     

1 butternut squash

500 ml vegetable stock (see tips)                           

1 dss seaweed infused oil (see tips)          

5 pieces frozen spinach

2 red peppers chopped into bite sized chunks         

1 can Thai Gold organic coconut milk       

1 clove garlic chopped

2 shallots chopped into bite sized chunks               

1 parsnip chopped into bite sized chunks

1 tsp curry powder                                                

1 tsp ground turmeric                              

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup toasted sweet kelp

1 tsp seaweed seasoning                                       

1 tbsp walnuts                                        

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place butternut squash on baking tray for 25 minutes.   Leave to cool.   Cut in half and remove seeds and skin and chop the flesh into bite sized chunks.
3. Heat oil in saucepan over a medium heat.   Saute peppers, shallots, parsnips, garlic and spices for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
4. Add chickpeas, butter beans, squash, seaweed seasoning and vegetable stock.  Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, partially covering with lid.
5. Add the cream from the can of coconut milk leaving the water behind and stir.   Add frozen spinach.
6. Let stew simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until a thick stew has formed and stock has evaporated.  Add toasted sweet kelp.
7. Garnish with walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

Tips

•  To make vegetable stock click here.
• If using fresh spinach add 3 – 4  handfuls at the end until wilted.
• For quick version used canned chick peas and butter beans making sure to rinse thoroughly.   To batch cook chickpeas and butter beans click here.
• To make seaweed infused oil click here.