Hands down my favorite recipes are those that are inspired by the ingredients. This one was inspired by a lovely small jar of ghee I saw at the market. It was infused with Himalayan sea salt, and it was the perfect gift to buy myself with a holiday gift card I received! As soon as I came home with this ghee (as well as some spices I got), I knew I wanted to make a dish with greens and chickpeas.
What is ghee? It’s clarified butter, and often used in Indian cooking. Wait, what’s clarified butter? Well basically you heat up butter, and remove the milk solids from the water in the butter. There’s a couple of benefits to this. First, it has a really high smoking point (485 F). Second, it is lactose and caesein-free, so those who are lactose intolerant can usually have this.
Soon enough, this dish just made itself as I tasted and thought about what would mesh well. You could definitely use spinach instead of collard greens if you wanted in this dish as well, but it will cook down more quickly.
Indian Inspired Sauted Chickpeas & Butternut Squash
Serves 6
- 1-2 teaspoons ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 cup diced butternut squash* (see note below)
- 3 cups shredded collard greens
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chicken stock or water
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add in ghee. Add in butternut squash, collard greens, sea salt, and garam masala. Saute on medium heat until squash is browned and greens are wilted. Add in chickpeas, chicken stock, and coconut milk and lower heat to a simmer. Cover. Simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.