FALL FISH ‘N SQUASH BAKE

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Clean any unwashed produce. Drain canned chickpeas (and tomatoes, if using canned. Otherwise, dice fresh tomatoes). Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic. Chop 1 cup of red cabbage and ¼ cup fresh parsley (4 minutes).

2. In a large bowl, combine 1 cups of diced tomatoes, chickpeas, squash, the ½ cup pearled couscous, 2⁄3 cup stock, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp paprika, red cabbage, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ¼ black pepper, and ¼ red pepper, if using. Toss to coat. (2 minutes)

3. Stir vegetable mixture into a 9 x 12” baking dish for a more stewed consistency, or spread onto a rimmed baking sheet (lined with foil) for a more roasted texture. Bake for 15 minutes.

***While the vegetables bake***

4. Zest the rinds of both lemons, set aside the zest in a small bowl and thinly slice 1 lemon into several circles, no more than ¼ inch thick. Crack ¼ tsp salt and pepper into the bowl with lemon zest, stirring together the seasoning. In a separate bowl, combine ¼ cup plain yogurt, ½ tsp paprika, lemon juice from the other lemon, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, ¼ black pepper, and ¼ red pepper, if using. Set aside. (5 minutes)

5. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Sauté 1 clove of chopped garlic for 1 minute, then stir in the 1⁄3 cup canned pumpkin. Thin out with 2 tbsp of vegetable broth. Stir in the mixture of spices, herbs, and yogurt and simmer the sauce while the vegetables bake (8-9 min). 

6. After 15 minutes, remove vegetables from the oven, keeping it at 425 F. Toss the vegetables and stir in about 1⁄3 of the creamy pumpkin sauce. Lay down the circular lemon slices to be the “bed” for your fish fillets. (2 minutes)

7. Pat the mixture of salt, pepper, lemon zest and red pepper flakes, if using, atop the fish. Place the fillets, bottom side down, over the lemon slices. You can also lightly brush the top of the fish without about 1-2 tsp of the sauce (be sure to not contaminate the sauce with a utensil that directly touches raw fish). Feel free to toss the pumpkin seeds and extra chopped parsley atop the veggie mixture and the seasoned fillets. Bake 15 minutes until fish is white, opaque and flakes easily.

8. Serve fish over vegetables. Drizzle with additional sauce to your liking, and garnish with remaining chopping parsley. If you don’t end up using all your sauce, it’s tasty with other sides like falafel, roasted brussels sprouts, homemade fries, or any remaining vegetables. It’s best to eat everything within 24 hours.