Thai Pumpkin Curry

The following is another recipe from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen - a very underrated book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It's an excellent book full of relatively simple, whole foods-based recipes that are delicious, but because the book does not have any pictures, and because I think it deserves more recognition than it currently receives, I will occasionally upload recipes & pictures from it.

The following is a very orange-y, delicious Thai curry, rich in beta-carotene. Serving it with quinoa adds some extra iron; brown rice, on the other hand, is a great source of selenium. Feel free to also use a mix of grains as a bed for the curry.


Thai Red Curry Sauce:

1 can light coconut milk
2 shallots, chopped
Juice of 1 medium orange
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon plain rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt, to taste

In a food processor fitted with the knife blade, or in a blender, process all ingredients until well blended. Use as directed in recipe. Mixture can be stored, covered, in fridge up to 3 days.

Makes 2-2.5 cups.
~

Thai Pumpkin Curry:

Thai Red Curry Sauce (above)
1.25lbs cubed, seeded, & pee;ed cpplomg pumpkin or butternut squash
1 medium sweet potato (cooked), peeled & cut into pieces
1 medium bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups cooked chickpeas (=1 can), rinsed
4.5 cups cooked brown rice, quinoa, or other whole grain(s) of your choice
4oz (1/2) baby carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh orange peel, shredded (optional)
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

In a large deep-sided skillet with a lid, bring the curry sauce, squash, potato and carrots to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the vegetables have softened, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, chickpeas, and orange peel; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm, over the rice/quinoa.etc, garnished with the basil (if using).

Thai Pumpkin Curry, served with quinoa.

Classic Vietnamese Rolls with Cashew Dipping Sauce

Classic Vietnamese Rolls

1 mango, peeled & sliced into thin/long pieces
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cucumber, also sliced thinly/longly
40z (1/2 cup) thin rice noodles
1/4 cup roasted cashews, finely chopped
20 rice paper wrappers

Boil a medium-sized pot of water. Once boiled, turn heat down to low and add the rice noodles for ~10 minutes until they're soft and cooked. Drain the noodles and rinse under cool water, then set aside in a bowl.

In a large pot, boil a little bit of water on medium hot. Add the rice papers, one at a time until they become soft and flexible (~30 seconds). Carefully remove them from the pot and, in the lower part of the paper, add some rice noodles, mango, bean sprouts, cucumber and a few cashew pieces. Fold the left & right sides over the filling, then take the bottom of wrapper and begin rolling.

Serve with the following cashew sauce:

Cashew Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons roasted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sugar

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and serve cold.