Meatless Wonders

No, not me and Matt, who do occasionally indulge...Rather, a couple of surprise favorites (I believe in the movie industry they would call them "sleeper hits") that cropped up on the menu this past week which contain absolutely no animal products (that I know of).

The Mushroom Turnovers you already know about, though they were good enough (even as leftovers) that I believe they merit a second mention. Next in line? Red Curry with Winter Vegetables, from the same cookbook, which was fast, healthy, vegan no less, and absolutely wonderfully delicious. Here's how we made it:

Red Curry with Winter Vegetables

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, chopped
1 can coconut milk
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste (bought from an Asian grocer)
1 cup water + 2 tsp salt (in lieu of stock)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2/3 lb firm or extra-firm tofu
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup roasted cashews
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups rice (pre-cooked volume), cooked according to directions

Shake up the coconut milk and spoon 1/3 of it into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer about 3 minutes.

Add the curry powder and incorporate well, cooking about another 3 minutes.

Add the remainder of ingredients through the soy sauce, stir to coat, and bring to an active boil. Maintain boil until vegetables are just tender, about 15 minutes.

This is where the recipe recommends something called Wheatballs, from elsewhere in the book, but we've been itching to try our hands at pan-frying tofu since we've had it excellently done at a variety of Thai and Chinese places out here. Meanwhile, chop tofu into bite-sized pieces. Combine flour with cornstarch and dredge tofu pieces in the mixture; and fry in hot oil until golden brown on each side; about 2-3min a side.

Add the tofu and cashews to the curry and stir; sprinkle with cilantro just before serving over rice (we had basmatic cooked with turmeric and a bay leaf, but plain would be great also) with a generous glass of wine.

[Adapted from p. 97 of Real Vegetarian Thai by Nanci McDermott]

This made enough for probably 6 servings, and was delicious as leftovers. We enjoyed it so much that we've put it in the rotation for next month too--not bad for a couple of formerly self-professed sweet potato haters!