Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Chickpea Coconut Curry [RECIPE]

One of my friends came over this afternoon and smelling something cooking in the kitchen, asked what I was making. When I told her I was making butternut squash and chickpea coconut curry, she scrunched up her face and said "that doesn't even sound good!"  I admit that I too was skeptical, but we were both wrong. 

I've been eating a lot of spicy foods in an attempt to clear my sinuses and while I've had this recipe for quite a while, today was my first time trying it. I admit that when I first looked at everything in the slow cooker, I questioned if this dish would taste like mush or if it'd be delicious. I'm glad to let you know that delicious won.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 1/2 cups of diced butternut squash (make sure to cut off the skin and take out any seeds)

• 1 regular sized can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 regular size can of coconut milk

•  A good sized handful of fresh spinach, rinsed and chunk chopped

• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

• 2 diced large tomatoes

• 3 cups of vegetable broth

• 3 tablespoons of curry powder (you add more or less depending on what kind of heat you're looking for. I used yellow curry and put in 4 1/2 tablespoons)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• A handful of fresh cilantro, chunk chopped with a little saved to serve on top of finished dish

How to make:

Pop all of the ingredients into your slow cooker except for the spinach and stir well. Cook on HIGH heat for 6 hours. Just before serving (about 10-20 minutes beforehand) add the spinach and mix well. This is supposed to be on the thick side, not watery side. So, if after cooking it looks more soupy than thick, mix together 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup of COLD water in a bowl (or do what I do- put flour and water in a baby food jar, lid it and shake it like crazy) and mix well. Slowly add to slow cooker while stirring. Set the lid back on and let it stand for a couple of minutes-it should thicken up nicely.If it's still too thin for your liking, repeat the flour and water thickening trick.

You can serve this over rice- jasmine would taste good or slice up some naan bread and use the bread to scoop. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can pick up some ready to serve Indian Spice quinoa. The one I used had tofu, carrots, onions, peppers and olive oil mixed into the quinoa and paired perfectly with the dish.