Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Tofu Schnitzel with Peanut Soy Sauce

Vegetarian comfort food: Breaded fried tofu drizzled with a peanut-y, lime-y soy sauce and served with roasted pumpkin slices and sauteed kale with avocado. Yum.



1 package tofu, drained well
4 TBSP flour
2 eggs
3 TBSP soy milk
2/3 C bread crumbs
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
vegetable oil

3 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 C peanut butter
3 TBSP hot water
juice from 1/2 lime
cayenne pepper to taste

Slice drained tofu into 1/2 inch slabs. Set out three shallow bowls: flour in the first, eggs beaten with soy milk in the second, and bread crumbs mixed with all seasonings in the third. Dredge each slice of tofu in flour, then move to the second bowl and dip in egg, then move to the third bowl and coat with breadcrumb mixture. Make sure each slice of tofu gets thoroughly coated on all sides at each stage. (It's a good idea to use a fork to transfer the tofu as fingers quickly become gooey and then tend to pull the coating off.)

In a skillet heat enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When hot, fry the slices of tofu for about five minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk soy sauce, peanut butter, and hot water until combined. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cayenne pepper.

Serve the slices of tofu drizzled with the sauce. I accompanied the tofu with roasted pumpkin (quarter, deseed, and peel the pumpkin, slice thinly, and bake with a little olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper) and kale (saute with red onion and garlic in a little olive oil, remove from heat and top with sliced avocado). Delicious!!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

This soup is subtle (or not so subtle if you load up on the chili!) and wonderful with the coconut, cilantro, lemon combination. Perfect for this time of year - and if you've never cooked with a whole pumpkin before (I hadn't) this is a great place to start. I highly recommend that you split the pumpkin into halves or quarters, prick the inside all over with a fork, and stick it in the oven at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes to soften before you try to peel it and chop it up. Roasting also brings out the wonderful pumpkin flavor. And, make sure you roast those seeds, too! Here's a little trick for detangling the seeds: when you pull them out of the pumpkin, dump them in a bowl of water and sqeeze them around with your hands for a while. The seeds will float and the goo will sink!



2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small pumpkin, skinned and chopped into 1-inch chunks
2-3 cups vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1 TBSP chili powder
1-2 TBSP lemon rind, grated
4-5 shakes soy sauce
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
yogurt, cilantro, lemon peel, for garnish

In a large pot, heat oil and gently cook onion with brown sugar and garlic over low heat until softened (8-10 minutes). Add chopped pumpkin, vegetable broth, coconut milk, chili powder, lemon rind and soy sauce. Season with freshly ground pepper. Simmer for about 25 minutes until tender. Remove and puree until smooth. Just before serving, adjust seasoning to taste. Mix in chopped cilantro. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of yogurt and sprinkled cilantro and lemon rind.