Hey Pumpkin

You thought we were done with pumpkin, huh? Not a chance! With just a couple of days left in 2014, I'm sneaking in one of my absolute favorite foods: Pumpkin Curry.

I had never had pumpkin curry before I lived in Thailand a few years ago, and frankly I'm not sure how I lasted for over two decades on this earth without it. It's such a versatile dish - you can throw in meat or fish if you're cooking for omnivores, or leave out the coconut milk to make it light and spicier, or cut down on the chillies if you're looking for a milder, creamier curry. I used green beans, red peppers, and kale in this recipe, but mix and match your veggies at will.

The secret to good pumpkin curry, in my humble opinion: leave the skin on! This will help prevent your pumpkin chunks from dissolving into mush, and the skin will have a wonderful soft texture once it cooks for a bit. Heaven!

Pumpkin Curry with Tofu
veganized from Nigella Lawson

Serves 4

1 small buttercup or kabocha squash (so technically this is squash curry!)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3-5 red Thai chillies, crushed
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
1 cup green beans
1 red pepper, roughly diced
1 block firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups kale, roughly chopped
juice from 1 lime

The hardest part about making this curry is cutting up the pumpkin, so we're gonna go that first. Make sure you grab a large, very sharp knife and a stable cutting board, and perhaps a friend who wouldn't mind a quick trip to the ER if things go south. Carefully cut the squash into quarters, scoop out of the seeds and gunk, then chop each section up into large chunks. They should be big enough for two bites - with smaller pieces you run the risk of the pumpkin getting too soft as the curry simmers. Use a smaller knife to trim the stringy innards off the inside of each chunk, and you're done! That wasn't too bad, right?

Camouflage.

Chopped!

Grab a large pot and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Skim the cream off the top of your can of coconut milk and dump it in the pot, then add the curry paste. Mix this all together until the bright red mixture is bubbly and fragrant, but not smoking.

The goods. 

Once the curry paste has had a chance to warm up and release its delicious flavors, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, along with the veggie stock, soy sauce, sugar, turmeric, chillies, and lemongrass stalks. Stir this all up and wait until the mixture starts to boil, then dump in the pumpkin chunks and cover the pot while the squash cooks. This will take about 10 minutes - you can check how the little nuggets are doing by stabbing them with a fork. The orange flesh should be easy to pierce, while the skin should still offer a bit of resistance. Don't worry, it'll keep softening up over the next couple of steps.

Bubble bubble. 

When you're happy with the pumpkin's texture, toss in the green beans and red pepper chunks. Cook for a about 5 minutes, then add the tofu and kale and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the kale has wilted down and become nice and tender.

Add the lime juice to your curry and give it a taste - you can also add sugar, salt, or chillies at this point depending on your preference. Once you're satisfied with your creation, sprinkle the curry with chopped cilantro, and serve over rice with extra chillies and lime on the side. Enjoy!

Wok and Roll

For some reason, I've spent the past couple of months refusing to buy corn starch. I don't have any particular moral objection towards this powdery stuff - it's just that it comes in big boxes and you never need more than a couple of tablespoons and I didn't see the point. I finally ended up caving when I came across today's recipe for Kung Pao Sauce, and I'm so glad I did!

This sauce is incredible - the flavors are amazingly complex, the texture is thick and smooth, and the whole thing just soaks right up into any veggies you happen to throw into it. My sister just moved to DC and has access to a functional kitchen for the first time in years, so obviously we spent a good portion of her first weekend in town cooking up delicious noms.

The beginning of greatness. 

I need more cowbell chilies.

This lovely recipe comes to you courtesy of The View from Great Island - my only regret is that I neglected to account for the fact that my sister and K are two of the most spice-obsessed people I know, so this wasn't nearly enough heat for their seared-off tastebuds. Adjust accordingly and enjoy!

Ducks in a row. 

Two cutting boards for twice the fun. 

Spice Spice Baby

I think the beginning of DC's muggy summer is making me nostalgic for Southeast Asia, because curries, noodle soups, and stir fries have all been in particularly heavy rotation recently. While today's Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles are not what you'd call traditional Asian cuisine, they are a quick and tasty solution to hot nights when you don't feel like sweating over the stove for hours!

Peanut butter and Sriracha are both indisputably awesome in their own right, so it should come as no surprise that combining them makes them twice as nice. I like marinating my tofu/tempeh/seitan in the sauce while I prep my vegetables, which infuses each little nugget with spicy, nutty flavor.

Feel free to go crazy with your vegetables here; my go-to combination includes broccoli, bell peppers, baby corn, and bamboo shoots (because apparently I love alliteration?), but mix and match to your heart's content. Just stir fry those suckers up with a little sesame oil and soy sauce - the sauce is super flavorful, so you're not going to need too much seasoning on the veggies.

Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
(adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

Serves 4

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons peanut butter (the hippie natural kind with no added sugar is best here!)
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 green chili, thinly sliced

1 pound of your favorite meat substitute (I used tempeh but extra firm tofu or seitan are also delicious)
1 pound of noodles (rice noodles, soba, udon - whatever you have on hand!)

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. Get aggressive with your whisk if the peanut butter is clumpy - you want everything to be nice and smooth. Slice up your fake meat into bite-sized pieces and toss them into the spicy sauce bath to marinate.

In the meantime, chop up your veggies and sauté them for 3-5 minutes in a large saucepan or wok. Once they're done - tender but not limp - cover the pan with a lid and set aside until you're ready to eat.

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles. While you wait, heat a little bit of sesame oil in a medium pan, then use a slotted spoon to fish your tempeh pieces out of the sauce and carefully set them on the skillet. Keep the heat on medium-low and flip your non-meat frequently! The sugar in the sauce will burn quickly if you wander off. Your tempeh will be done when the sauce has thickened up and started to bubble - take the pan off the heat and cover, just like you did with the veggies.

Last step! Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the package - this should only take a couple of minutes. Once they're done, drain the noodles over the sink and throw them back into the empty pot. Pour in the remaining sauce, then toss with a pair of tongs until the noodles are evenly coating with spicy peanut butter goodness.

To serve, just throw the saucy noodles onto a plate, pile on a scoop of veggies, and top with tempeh. Garnish with sliced green onions, extra Sriracha, and voila - a fancy, delicious dinner in 30 minutes or less!

Greens and Garbanzos

I've waxed poetic about how incredible beets are before, but did you know that you can totally nom on the leafy tops, too? I recently found out that they are not only edible but delicious, and have subsequently had recurring nightmares about the ghosts of all the poor beet greens I've tossed in the past. With farmer's markets popping up like tourists in the spring, you're bound the end up with a huge pile of leafy greens that you have no idea what to do with. Allow me to offer a solution: Beet Greens and Garbanzo Beans.

This dish is my go-to dinner when I'm too busy/lazy to put together a more complicated meal. It literally takes 15 minutes start to finish, including prep and clean-up, and is packed with protein, fiber, and Vitamin A. You can use chard or spinach in place of beet greens if you prefer, and of course you can mix and match the spices in this little sitr fry to get completely different flavors. 

A few notes on beet greens! Once you get your bounty home, cut the greens off the actual root - otherwise the leaves will suck the moisture out of the beets, which will make the beets tough and less sweet. You can store the greens in the fridge for a couple of days, but try to use them soon for maximum crunchy freshness. If they do end up looking a little wilty, just toss them into big bowl of ice water for 10 minutes before you prepare them - they'll perk right up! 

Beet Greens and Garbanzo Beans

Serves 4

4 cups of beet greens, de-stemmed and roughly chopped (this sounds like a lot, but I promise it's just a medium-sized bunch!)

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons cumin

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to coat your pan

Grab a big saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat, then throw in your greens. It's okay if they're still a little wet from when you washed them - this will actually help prevent them from burning. Stir this giant pile of foliage around for about 2 minutes, until the greens have cooked down a little bit but still look bright and crunchy. 

Look at that leafy goodness. 

Throw your garbanzo beans into the pot and add the lemon juice, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, then cook for another 2-3 minutes. Feel free to get crazy at this point if you want - substitute the lemon juice and cumin for soy sauce and powdered ginger for an Asian-inspired meal, or liberally add dried chili flakes and/or Sriracha for a bit of a kick. 

Still gigantic, but wilting down!

Your dish is done when the garbanzo beans are heated through, but you can continue cooking for another couple of minute if you like your chickpeas a little softer. Serve with rice, couscous, or pita bread, and enjoy, preferably with sunshine and fresh air!