Sesame Ginger Delicata Squash Bowl

Inspired by Mark Hyman’s Squash Buckwheat bowls from this book “What the Heck Should I Cook?”, I modified this recipe to bake the vegetables instead of sautéing them in a pan, and I added a few more vegetables.

This warm veggie bowl is absolute perfection for my Vata body type right now.I crave warm, cooked vegetables throughout most of the year, but especially in colder seasons to really balance out my energy and body’s constitution. My favorite go-to is a warm, colorful vegetable bowl because they’re quick and easy. I made this meal for my clients last week and absolutely fell in love with it, and then spent the weekend perfecting the perfect recipe.

This bowl contains Delicata Squash, which also known as a peanut squash. It is a winter squash that I love because it requires no peeling. Winter squash tend to be more dense, firm, and more colorful than summer squash and I enjoy using them in soups and bowls. Delicata squash is high in dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin A. Vitamin A supports our immune system, helps with our vision cycle by forming rhodopsin, and is a powerful antioxidant (1). It also supports adrenal and thyroid hormones and increases the binding of Vitamin D (1).

Buckwheat is probably my favorite base to veggie bowls (and all bowls)! The name can be misleading because it has the word wheat in it, but buckwheat is one of the more popular psudeograins (pseudo meaning “sham”, so it’s not a true grain) along with quinoa and amaranth and is naturally gluten free. I love it because it has the fluffy texture of quinoa, but the groats are bigger and it is more dense. Buckwheat is high in prebiotic fiber that feeds our gut microbiome and supports overall gut health, and is also high in antioxidants and phytonutrients that can lower cholesterol plasma markers and blood pressure levels, as well as have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic effects.

Cauliflower and broccoli are some of the most powerful cruciferous vegetables and contain high amounts of glucosinolates, which have been proven to lower the risk of cancer.

Mushrooms are famous for several health benefits, but since I love gut health so much, my favorite health benefit they offer is that they are amazing prebiotics. Mushrooms are high content of chitin, hemicellulose, beta and alpha-glucans, mannans, xylans, and galactans, which stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the gut microbiota and help to heal gut dysbiosis.

Enjoy this bowl knowing that you are fueling your body with highly nutrient dense, real, whole foods, as well as warming your body and fueling your digestive fiber, or agni.

Serves: 4 people
Time to cook: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toasted almonds

• 1 large delicata squash, halved, seeded, and cut into thin half moons

• Toasted sesame oil (5 tablespoons total)

• Ginger powder (3 tablespoons total)

• Himalayan sea salt (1.5 teaspoons total)

• 6 cloves garlic, whole

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1 large carrot, quartered longways and chopped into 1 inch sticks

• 4 stalks celery, diced

• 1 cup raw buckwheat groats

• 1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into small florets

• 1 small head broccoli, chopped into small florets

• 1/2 container of mushrooms, sliced

• Chopped parsley/cilantro for topping

• Sesame seeds for topping

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 425*F and let it warm up while you chop/prep all of the ingredients. Having them ready to go for cooking always makes the cooking process so much quicker!

• Add delicata squash into a mixing bowl and drizzle with two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil. Lay the squash evenly onto parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of ginger powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

• Add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery into a mixing bowl and drizzle with two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil. Lay the veggies evenly onto parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of ginger powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

• Place both trays in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

• While this is cooking in the oven, rinse the raw buckwheat groats thoroughly and place into a deep saucepan with the chopped cauliflower and broccoli, and 3.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium high heat for 12 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid, mixing it thoroughly, adding the mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of ginger powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the lid again and let cook for 5 more minutes, then taking it off the stove.

• Place buckwheat mixture in the bowl, then add cooked veggies and squash on the side. Top with almonds, parsley/cilantro, sesame seeds, and another sprinkle of ginger powder. Enjoy it warm and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Other references:

1) Perrino, C. Water Soluble Vitamins, [Canvas]. Tempe, AZ: SCNM Masters in Clinical Nutrition Program; 2021.