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Chayote Squash Curry Saute

I was in the grocery store a couple days ago, and a woman was pushing a pram (a stroller, for those of you who don’t speak British). Her son (I assume) – about 5 or 6 years old was sitting in it and yelling over and over and over again, “Can I watch TV when we get home? Can I watch TV when we get home? Can I watch TV when we get home?”

He apparently knew what he was doing, because the poor woman finally snapped out a very loud and emphatic “YES.”

During this entire time, the checkout assistant was silently scanning item after item of processed food (cereal boxes, frozen meals, sodas, etc.) from the woman’s cart. Beep. Beep. Beep. Barcode after barcode after barcode.

Yes. I was literally about to go insane.

And yet I feel kinda sorry for the woman and the kid, because I really do wonder how much better behaved and less hyper that kid might be with a bit of proper food and nutrition. I’m not trying to judge, but I do wonder.

My adventure didn’t quite end there, though. As soon as the woman left, the assistant turned to my groceries, and I could tell that something changed in his eyes (I think, in retrospect, that it was fear).

I think he was terrified that my food had no barcodes. Just a bunch of thin, clear, plastic bags.

“What’s this?” The assistant turned and asked me as he fumbled for his code book.

It was basil.

I wasn’t buying anything extraordinary – I promise! I had some mangos, parsley, cilantro, basil, zucchini, sweet potatoes, potatoes, lime, and lemon. The lemons and limes really confused him.

These are pretty mundane fruits and veggies for me, but I suddenly realized that for many people, they were pretty exotic! And that’s what I want to talk about in this post: Experiment and conquer your fear of fruits and vegetables!

If there’s some weird looking thing in your grocery store, buy it, google a recipe for it, make it, and EAT IT!

So with that, let me tell you about chayote squash. I found it one day at my local grocery store. It looked funky and had a funky name, so I bought it.

I’ll write another post about chayote squash (what they are etc), but here’s the meal I made with it (a curry saute and a light vegetable broth/soup).

Paleo Chayote Squash Curry Saute with Romaine Lettuce Poached Egg Soup Recipe

I started by dicing the chayote squash (there’s a soft seed in the middle, a bit like in apples), so dice it while avoiding that seed.

Then I chopped up some carrots (into smaller pieces because they take longer to soften) and celery.

Then I boiled the vegetables (with enough water to cover it all) for 15 minutes with the lid on.

I put 2 tablespoons of coconut oil into a skillet on high heat, and then transferred the boiled vegetables into the skillet using a slotted spoon (so that I can keep the liquid in the pot ready for the soup). I added some curry powder and salt, and then sauteed the vegetables for around 10 minutes to get the flavors into it.

Meanwhile, I poached 2 eggs in the broth that the vegetables were cooked in (after adding some salt and a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar). See this recipe for how to poach eggs – or you can just crack 2 eggs into the broth and not disturb it for a few minutes!

When the eggs were cooked (approx. 5 minutes for a soft poached egg), I added in 6 romaine leaves (chopped). It’s a light, flavorful broth with some crunchiness from the lettuce and some added nutrition from the egg.

The chayote squash is really good at soaking up the flavors (it’s a watery vegetable, but it holds its shape well). And the carrots add a tad bit of sweetness to the dish.

How do you cook chayote squash? What’s the oddest vegetable or fruit you’ve ever eaten? Let me know in the comments below.

Chayote Squash Curry Saute

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• Author: Louise Hendon
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Entree
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

• 2 chayote squash, cored and diced (approx 1 inch cubes)
• 1 cup diced carrots (dice them smaller than the chayote squash – approx 1/2 inch cubes)
• 4 ribs of celery, chopped into chunks
• 6 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Tablespoon of curry powder
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste
• coconut oil to cook in

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Instructions

1. Boil the chopped chayote squash, carrots, and celery in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes with the lid on. Use enough water to cover all the vegetables up.
2. In a skillet on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and then add the drained cooked vegetables (keep the broth they were cooked in).
3. Add the curry powder and add salt to taste. Saute the vegetables for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the broth into a tall pot (there should be around 6 cups of broth – add in water or chicken broth if there’s not enough left). Bring the broth to a boil, add salt to taste, and then lower the temperature to a simmer and poach the 2 eggs in the broth.
5. When the eggs are done to the softness you like (5 minutes for a soft but not runny egg), add in the chopped romaine lettuce and serve immediately (with a poached egg in each bowl).

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bowl of soup and 2 cups of sauteed vegetables