Roasted Butternut with Avocado Salsa and Bulgar Wheat

This recipe is adapted from Levi Root's Spice It Up cookbook. I made some changes as I didn't have all the ingredients to hand but it still works the same. His recipe uses quinoa instead of bulgar wheat, sweet potato instead of squash and an avocado puree instead of guacamole. But the essence of the dish- the flavours are still very much present and that makes this awesome.  His recipe can be found here. 

My first thought of using sweet potato as a main ingredient to top a carbohydrate was that it was a little bit carb heavy. But that's where I think the squash lends itself as a better partner in this recipe as it is delicious enough roasted to be eaten on it's own which is why it works and is actually surprisingly light.

The avocado, at first may seem a little out of place but it has a trick of its own. Having watched a load of Nigel Slater's new food series recently, I think this dish would work perfectly with his hot and cold episode. The avocado adds a cooling, tangy touch to the spicy butternut and warm bulgar wheat. Of course I added a bit more chilli to the guacamole which is fiery but it's the tang of the lime in the dressing that really brings the kick to bring everything together.

For meat eaters, I would recommend using a chicken stock for the bulgar wheat to add an extra depth of flavour. Otherwise you can use vegetable stock to keep this a vegan friendly meal. :)

Ingredients
1 butternut Squash (or any other kind of squash), peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground Ginger
1/2 inch piece of root Ginger, grated
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup of Bulgar Wheat
1 cup of vegetable Stock or Water
4 spring Onions, chopped
2 small Avocado, sliced
1 tbsp Lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
1/2 tbsp Vinegar
1 small Chilli, finely sliced
1 Tomato, roughly chopped

Recipe
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. Put the squash into a roasting tray and sprinkle lightly with olive oil first then the cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Use a spoon to mix the squash ensuring each piece gets a coating of the cayenne. Roast on a medium shelf for about 20-30 minutes depending on the type of squash and size of your chunks. They should be soft on the inside, and I like them with slightly burnt edges for added texture.

In a small pan, heat a bit of oil and fry the onion until slightly golden. Add the cinnamon, ground and fresh ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant. Add the Bulgar Wheat with the stock and a bit of salt and pepper if your stock doesn't already have lots of salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat. Add a lid and cook for 15 minutes until the bulgar wheat has absorbed all the stock. Leave the lid on so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Make your guacamole by combining the avocado, spring onions, lime juice, vinegar, chilli and tomato in a bowl. Add salt and pepper and mix together mashing the avocado a little as you go. Chill in the fridge until required.

When your squash is cooked, spoon out the bulgar wheat, add the squash and top with the guacamole and then prepare yourself for a flavour explosion. :)