Curried Butternut Squash

We host a book club at the library where everyone picks a recipe from a featured cookbook to make and bring to a potluck. It’s really fun and we’ve had all ages participate, including children and teens. I started and run the club, so I am the one who chooses the cookbooks each month. A member suggested that I select 3 cookbooks so that the group can preview and vote on the next selection. I try to choose cookbooks that have a lot of pictures, are appropriate for all cooking levels, and that would suit a potluck environment.

This month I chose from the Food Day suggested reading list: A Spoonful of Ginger, Comfort Food Fix, and How to Cook Everything: The Basics. The last title won and for good reason. It has simple recipes with descriptive instructions and step-by-step pictures. Mark Bittman authored 2 previous editions called How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. These are really great reference books that every home cook should own. The only drawback is that there are no pictures and only a few illustrations are sprinkled throughout. The Basics is a stripped down version of the two previous books that provides essential cooking lessons and starter recipes with much needed photographs.

I selected the curried butternut squash recipe to bring to the potluck because I love curry and I love squash. I also wanted to try a new cooking technique since I always roast butternut squash. I loved the recipe so much that I wanted to share it with you. It’s so easy and cooks quickly. If you don’t like butternut squash, I think cauliflower would be a great substitute. You could also use potatoes instead if you detest all vegetables. I added garbanzo beans for texture, flavor, and protein.

The only hard part is peeling and cutting the squash. I included a link to a how-to video below. I’m always scared that I’m going to cut my hand off or peel my skin instead. I also get an allergic reaction when my skin comes in contact with the flesh. It turns my hands orange and my skin cracks and feels tight. It doesn’t last too long, but I can’t stand the feeling, so I now wear gloves.

For more info on the Cook the Book Club at the Dorris Van Doren Library, visit their blog.

Time 45-60 minutes
Makes 4 servings

1½pounds butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups cooked garbanzo beans* or 1 can, rinsed & drained (optional)
¼ or more chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped scallions for garnish (I omitted this)
1 lime quartered for serving (optional)

1. Cut both ends off the squash and cut it into 2 sections: the cylindrical top and the bulbous bottom. Peel both sections, then cut the bottom in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the flesh from both sections into 1-inch chunks or cubes. You should have about 5 cups. You can watch this video if the description is too wordy: How to Cut & Peel Butternut Squash Video
2. Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir until it becomes fragrant, about a minute or so.
3. Add the squash, season with salt & pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the coconut milk, raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a gently bubble. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the squash is tender, 15-20 minutes.
4. Stir in the the garbanzo beans and raise the heat to medium high. Cook for about 5 more minutes or until the beans are heated through and the liquid has thickened a bit. Add the cilantro and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with scallions and more cilantro, and serve with lime wedges. I didn’t like the addition of the lime.

*I like to cook garbanzo beans in a slow cooker. I place 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans (picked over & rinsed) and 8 cups of boiling hot water to the slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours over high heat. You can add salt at the end if you like.

Red Lentils Revisited

When I first became a vegetarian, I tried a lot of different foods that I would never have tried as a meat eater. One of those was red lentils, in which I did not like and have not eaten up until recently. I can’t remember how I made them, but my introduction to them was that of disdain and confusion. They were mushy, bland, and not even red!

It seems like red lentils have grown popular again, and after seeing many recipes and hearing much praise for this legume, I gave them a second chance last month. I must admit that I am now a fan, and love them for their taste, versatility, protein, and quick cooking time.

I can’t recall if I’ve seen red lentils at Albertsons and Walmart, but you can definitely find them at Sun Harvest, Jerusalem International Foods (5360 N. Mesa), Spice Market (5435 N. Mesa), and other import stores around town. Eastsiders can most likely find red lentils at Cielo Vista Natural Market (8900 Viscount), Wan Jia Le (9501 Gateway Blvd. W), and Super Target.

I’m sharing two recipes with you that seem very similar, but really do have different flavors and textures. The first recipe is perfect for tailoring to your preferences, and especially good for getting rid of any vegetables you may have laying around. The original recipe called for zucchini, but I didn’t have any, and I needed to use up a large tomato quickly. I decided to add in frozen peas for texture, and because they’re one of my favorites.

I made the second recipe last night because I wanted to incorporate carrots, red bell pepper, and red lentils together. You may be wondering why I just didn’t make the first recipe since I just told you that you can alter it as you please. Well, I didn’t have any coconut milk and I wanted a slightly different flavor. I loved the flavors and texture of this recipe. It had a sweet, nutty flavor and a golden, rich and creamy texture.

Coconut Red Lentil Curry Over Basmati Rice

Coconut Red Lentil Curry
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 6 servings

½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tblsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (less if using vegetable stock)
1 (2 1/2-inch) fresh jalapeño or serrano chile, finely chopped, including seeds
1-2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
½-1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1 handful of fresh cilantro

1. Cook onion in oil in a 3½- to 4-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden (about 6 minutes).
2. Add ginger, garlic & cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, & chile & cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add tomato, stir, then add in water, lentils, & coconut milk.
4. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add peas & simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heat through & lentils are tender.
6.Season with salt & serve with cilantro sprigs scattered on top.

Red Lentil Carrot Soup & Basmati Rice

Red Lentil Carrot Soup
(also adapted from Gourmet magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 4-6 servings

¾ cup red lentils, picked over & rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
¼ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
½ pkg of baby carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
cayenne to taste
fresh cilantro

1. Saute onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until golden.
2. Add bell pepper, carrots, & garlic; cook for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add coriander, cumin, & turmeric; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add stock & water; bring to a boil.
5. Add lentils & cook, covered for about 15 minutes or until veggies & lentils are tender.
6. Puree in batches, leaving some of the veggies & lentils intact for texture.
7. Add cayenne pepper & season with salt & pepper.
8. Garnish with cilantro & serve with Basmati rice.

Lentils and Ru

Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race started up again 2 weeks ago, and so did my dinner and Ru tradition! If you’re not familiar, RuPaul is a drag queen who gained popularity back in the 90′s with her hit song Supermodel (You Better Work). RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality show on Logo where several drag queens compete to become “America’s next drag superstar.” Last year, it became a weekly event for me to cook dinner for a few friends and then watch Ru. “Indian Night” turned out to be a favorite dinner from last year, so I decided to kick off this season with Indian food.

Indian cooking can be overwhelming and intimidating due to the usually super long list of ingredients that are sometimes unattainable here and the time consuming preparation. It’s one of my favorite cuisines, but I don’t cook it very often because of the aforementioned reasons. Indian cookery also varies by region and household, so it’s hard for me to choose which recipes I want to try. I found some pretty easy, slightly Americanized versions from Cooking Light that are good crowd pleasers. Fortunately for us El Pasoans, Indian ingredients can be found at some grocery stores, Spice Market (westside, next to Chut-ney on N. Mesa), RV International (also on Mesa), Jerusalem International Foods (Mesa), some Asian import stores (northeast and east), and World Market (east).

Side Note: The Vegetarian Society may offer authentic Indian cooking classes in the spring! I’ll keep you updated.

For the following lentil recipe, I like to use small lentils that I buy at Jerusalem International Foods. They don’t cook quicker, but they have a more tender texture that I like. I also puree the can of diced tomatoes because some household members are opposed to chunks of tomato in their food. I also always make sure to pick up some naan bread (Indian flat bread) at the Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Lentils Eleganza!
Yield: 6 cups

1 tbsp. olive oil
½-1 c. chopped onion
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground cumin)
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 c. chopped fresh tomato)

2 ½ c. water
1 c. dried lentils
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
¾ tsp. salt

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients; saute 2 minutes.
2. Add tomato; saute 1 minute. Stir in water and lentils; bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.
4. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt.

Cover Girl Curry
Yield: 4 cups
Original recipe can be found here (contains chicken)

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ c. diced onion

1-2 tsp. ground cumin (I use 1)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/3 c. veggie broth
½ c. lite coconut milk

¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground red pepper

fresh (cooked) or frozen (thawed) vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, & peas
1 tbsp. cornstarch

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute for 2 minutes. Add next 4 ingredients; cook until fragrant. Add tomato paste, stirring constantly.
2. Add broth, coconut milk, and veggies; bring to a simmer.
3. Mix cornstarch with a bit of cold water. Slowly stir into curry mixture until blended and thickened. Add more cornstarch if necessary.
4. Serve with lentils and Basmati rice or Thai Jasmine rice.

Versatile Curry

I love any kind of curry, whether it be Indian or South Asian, but my favorites tend to be the creamy ones. Curries are great because they have so many complex layers of flavor and can be made with pretty much any meat or vegetable. The most recent curry recipe that I made came from the KFOX Veg Out Blog, which is maintained by Hema Mullur and Sandra Diaz. The blog has some interesting recipes and information about local restaurants, but they haven’t updated it since June.

During the summer, they featured a recipe called Tandoori Tofu Kabobs. I’m not sure where they got the recipe from, but I tried it out a couple of months ago. After a few mishaps on the grill it turned out really delicious. I must admit that I’ve never grilled tofu, and now I’m addicted. The grill gives tofu a nice chewy outer texture with a toothsome center.  The marinade can be used for anything! So, if you’re not into tofu, marinate your favorite veggies or meat substitute and grill or bake away!

Click here and then scroll down to “Summer Veg Recipes” to get the recipe. You can also Google “tandoori tofu kabobs” to find similar recipes, as well as photos. I really hope Sandra Diaz and Hema Muller continue to update their blog.

I liked the Tandoori marinade so much that I decided to recreate it into a stir fry during my week of veganism. The recipe calls for Gram Flour, but you can sub in any flour you have on hand. You may not notice the difference right away, but it does impart a subtle nutty flavor. Gram Flour is made from hulled chickpeas that are also known as chana dal. I was able to find a 2 pound bag of Besan Gram Flour at Jerusalem International Foods on Mesa for $2.99. So, now I’m on a mission to find more recipes to use up my 2 pound bag of gram flour!

Quick Curry Stir Fry

1 block extra-firm tofu, drained & cubed
Any fresh or frozen cooked veggies

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. freshly grated or minced ginger
1 tbsp. freshly grated or minced garlic

1 tsp. garam masala (found in the spice section of the grocery store)
½ tsp. red chili powder
½ tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

1 cup coconut milk (use more or less depending on desired consistency)
1 tbsp. gram flour (or any you have handy)
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; saute until golden.
Add add garam masala, chili, turmeric, and cardamom; cook until fragrant while stirring frequently.
Add tofu and stir to coat. Add coconut milk, flour, soy sauce, and veggies. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, covered.
Serve over rice or noodles. Optional: garnish with cilantro, sriracha, and soy sauce.

"Tandoori" stir fry w/tofu, veggies, & whole wheat pasta