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!

Warm Those Frozen Bones

Did you guys know that the "bomb cyclone" is apparently a thing? A thing that is due to bring horrendously cold weather and general misery to large parts of our fair country next week. UGH. I feel like winter just ended and I'm 100% not ready to face another several months of frozen toes. Luckily, today's Tortilla Soup is a perfect remedy to darkness and freezing rain!

The only thing better than the warm, complex flavors of this soup is how easy it is to make. While it does require a bit of chopping, there's nothing tricky about the recipe and it only takes about 30 minutes to come together. Toppings aren't just advisable here - they're pretty much mandatory. Customize your bowl with lots of goodies and pretend you're somewhere sunny and warm, far from a world where below-freezing temperatures exist!

Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Minimalist Baker and Oh She Glows

Serves 6

For the soup:
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 Anaheim peppers, chopped (you can also sub 1 bell pepper here!)
1 jalapeno, chopped
12 ounces tomato paste
1 cup salsa
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup corn
2 cans black beans, drained
1 avocado, cut into cubes
olive oil to coat your pot
salt and pepper to taste

For the garnish:
chopped cilantro
avocado slices
tortilla chips
lime juice
crushed red pepper
plain coconut milk yogurt

Pour a little olive oil into a large pot over medium heat, and toss in the garlic and onion. Toast these smelly little guys up until the onion starts to turn translucent - make sure you don't crank up the heat too high so that the garlic doesn't burn. Add the cumin and chili powder, stir for 30 seconds so that the spices all stick to those garlicky onions, then add the Anaheim peppers and the jalapeno and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir until it evenly coats all your veggies, then pour in the salsa, veggie broth, and water. Turn the heat up a little bit to medium-high and cover the pot so that your soup comes to a rolling boil. In the meantime, prep your garnishes!

A study in green.

Once the soup is boiling, toss in the corn and black beans. Lower the heat to medium again and let all this simmer for 5 minutes. Do a quick taste test on a piece of Anaheim pepper - it should be nice and soft. Add salt and pepper to your little heart's desire. Once you're satisfied with your soup's spice level, throw in the cubed avocado, turn off the heat, and cover the pot until you're ready to eat. Pile on the cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, lime, red pepper, and yogurt, and enjoy this hearty, warming meal!

Beans a Make Her Dance

Confession: I have a deep and unapologetic obsession with chickpeas. Aside from being delicious and full of protein, chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) are also ridiculously versatile. You can puree them for hummus, throw them into a curry, or use chickpea flour to make falafel. This week, we’re going to make one of my favorite foods: garbanzo bean scramble.

Brunch can be tricky when you’re avoiding eggs and dairy, which is why I was so excited when a friend shared this recipe with me. Chickpea scramble is basically the vegan answer to an omelet – the chickpea batter just replace eggs as a vehicle for transferring various tasty ingredients from your plate to your mouth.

I made my scramble with red onion, broccoli, eggplant, and artichoke hearts (the lady friend’s favorite combo), but you can basically use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge. Bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. are all fair game. You do you, friends. 

A word on finding garbanzo bean flour: the only grocery store that consistently has it seems to be Whole Foods. Look for Bob’s Red Mill brand (usually in the baking section), which only costs $3 per bag. If anyone sees it elsewhere, let me know in the comments!

Garbanzo Bean Scramble

(courtesy of Heather, a vegan magician)

Serves 2

¾ cup garbanzo bean flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup water

your choice of veggies

olive oil to coat your pan

your preferred hot sauce, to taste (optional, of course – if you’re not a spice freak like me, add a pinch of salt instead)

In a small bowl, combine the garbanzo bean flour, baking soda, and water, then whisk the mixture with a fork until it’s smooth. The consistency should be sort of like yogurt at this point. Set that aside and chop up your vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Let's do this.

Pour a little olive oil into a large pan and begin to sauté your veggies over medium-high heat. Start with things that take longer to cook – onions, broccoli, bell peppers, etc – and then add the ingredients that only need a minute to soften up, like tomatoes and leafy greens.

Sizzle.

Once your vegetables have reached an optimal level of sautéed-ness, pour the chickpea batter into the pan. It’ll seem a little thicker than it did 10 minutes ago – don’t freak out, that’s good! Add your hot sauce (or salt) and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Let your scramble cook, stirring occasionally so that the bottom doesn’t burn.  

Nearly ready!

When your scramble is nicely browned and has a consistency similar to scrambled eggs, you’re done! Slide that baby onto two plates and chow down. You can top your scramble mountain with avocado to dress it up, or roll it up in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito if you’re on the go.