YUM YUM YUM! I'm telling a friend about that one!

My friend makes the most incredible Pumpkin Curry you'll ever taste (and she does very explicit, helpful recipes!):


Pumpkin Curry:

One white onion
Olive oil
Crushed or chopped garlic
crushed ginger
Chili sauce
Curry paste and/or powder
Garam masala
Salt
Coconut milk
Pumpkin
Fresh ground black pepper.
Fresh Basil (10 or so large leaves - one of the fresh packs of basil from the grocery should do.)
Red wine vinegar, or lemon, or lime.

Half pumpkin, remove seeds and goo. Peel, cut into bite size pieces. (I find that 3/4s of a pumpkin will serve four with a little left over. If you use all the pumpkin, be prepared to add more onion,coconut milk, water, and spices.)

Cut onion in half, then slice into thin (1/4 inch) arches.

Lay basil leaves in a stack, then roll into a thin tube. Slice very thinly (There is a french word for this process, can't remember what it is, let alone attempt to spell it, apparently... homemade dinner to who ever can track it down. Starts with "C".)

Do not shake the coconut milk. Open and skim off froth, put in sauce pan with curry paste. Melt curry paste into coconut milk. Add more milk as needed.

Drizzle olive oil into bottom of a large pot. Add onions. Add a heaping teaspoon of garlic. Add a teaspoon and a half of ginger. Add garam masala, curry powder, pepper, a pinch or two of salt. Heat on medium-high until onions start to caramelize. Add pumpkin and 3/4s of the basil. Add melted curry paste and the remainder of the coconut milk.

Season to taste (I've found if it *smells* good, it'll be good. I have a heavy hand on the curry powder and garam masala.) If you want a spicier curry add more chili sauce and black pepper.

Stir occasionally, add water if you feel it needs a little more liquid, but remember that the pumpkin will reduce down a bit, and that it's easier to add more water than to take water back out. A squeeze of lime, lemon, or a dash of red wine vinegar can help bring out the flavors.

Cook for 20-25 minutes. To check if it's ready remove a piece of pumpkin and place on plate. Press down with a fork, if it gives easily it's done. (Think the texture of a cooked potato. If it mushes, it's ready.)

Eggplant: I cut it into quarters lengthwise, spray it with a sprizt of olive oil, then grill it with the skin on. Or cube it, and cook it up with chinese spices and curry, and add tofu cubes.

Roasted pumpkin with cinnamon and a little maple syrup is delicious. Or cube it, and roast it with apples and red onions (yup, you read that correctly), cinnamon and cardamom.

Mel

I don't even know where to begin! These are the greatest tips EVER! They all sound dee-lish and so darn easy! I'm going to start saving recipes on my computer for future reference, as I plan on cooking a lot in my new kitchen!

Thanks and keep them coming. These ideas are awesome!

Buckwheat
If your buckwheat (kasha) is pale (not brown) when you buy it, you want to pan-toast it a bit until browned - really helps develop the nutty flavors. It has a very strong taste, so lots of people recommend mixing it with a milder grain like cracked wheat or bulgur.

As for cooking, most grains seem to accept almost any seasonings you want to add, so for the first time I cooked it I would season it like I do rice (my standard is to cook in chicken broth instead of water with a minced clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and a dab of cayenne).

Bring 2 cups water or other seasoned (you'll need about half a tsp of salt, less if you're cooking in chicken stock) cooking liquid to a boil, and add either 1 full cup kasha/buckwheat or 1/2 c each of kasha and bulgur wheat. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Don't stir any more than you have to so the grain doesn't get gummy.

Flax seed:

• I bought some the other day that are a dark brown, but at the store I saw some that were a light brown. Is there a difference?
• What do you do with it besides grind them up and add them to various foods? I've added ground ones to pumpkin muffin mix, oatmeal, cottage cheese with fruit. Other ideas?
• Does anyone use them whole?

Flax Seeds

There are two varieties of flax seed - golden and brown. They are similar in nutrient composition.
Raw or Toasted: Sprinkle over cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt, breakfast cereal, put in shakes (thickens them somewhat),
Cooked in a Hot Cereal - just add them and cook them up.
Cooked into other foods, such as meatloaf, meatballs, or casseroles - just mix them in.
In baked goods. Add a few tablespoons to any recipe.

I think they are hard to digest if you have them whole, so the reason you grind them is to get the good stuff out. Otherwise, they just...erm... go right through, if ya know what I mean.

I just skimmed through the recipes section of the Super Foods book, and he basically throws ground flax seed and wheat germ in just about everything, from a bowl of yogurt and fruit to stuff he bakes to sauces to whatever.

-Sara

I use bok choy as a replacement for celery- raw, stir fry, cooked, salads, etc
Green and white parts. Mix the leaves with spinach for a spinach salad.
It's a staple in my house.

I have two favorite Thai soup recipes for using excess limes: Hot & Sour Soup (Tom Yum) and Coconut Soup (Tom Kha). The Hot & Sour Soup has the added benefit of having practically no calories. If anyone is interested in the recipes, PM me. They're rather long, so I'm not going to post them unless someone wants them.

As far as using produce from farmers' markets or the weekly market baskets, I have a basic minestrone recipe that I modify according to what is in season:

1/8 pound raw bacon, chopped into bits
1 leek, sliced
8 cups homemade chicken, turkey, or beef broth
3/4 cup dry wine
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped small
1 1/2 TBS dried basil
1 tsp black pepper
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 pound sliced mushrooms
1 14 oz. can canellini or garbanzo beans
1/2 package of whole wheat tortellini
Any combination of the following vegetables, sliced: carrots, swiss chard, summer squash, kale, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, turnips

In a large soup pot, saute the bacon until browned. Add the sliced leeks and saute until limp. Add the broth, wine, artichoke hearts, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered, adding the vegetables (add the vegetables that take the longest to cook, such as carrots, turnips, and cauliflower first, and add the leafy vegetables last). When the vegetables are tender, add the beans and tortellini. Continue to simmer for the number of minutes specified on the tortellini package.

Garnish with shavings of parmesan cheese.

RE: FLAX SEED...

Just be careful in baking with them. While the unbroken seed coat protects the oils inside, as soon as they are ground they are subject to the same dangers as heating any monounsaturated oil. If the temp goes above 300 degrees, it can turn into a trans fat. That's why it's best to use the seeds as well as the oil in cold foods or add to foods after they are cooked.

Eggplant! I was going to make a veggie lasagna one day this week using mushrooms, WhWh lasagna noodles, FF cottage cheese, FF mozzarella -- and I could add diced eggplant to the mushrooms!

I just tried this recipe, minus the beer, plus my own tofu "sour cream". Loved it! I put all the ingredients into nutritiondata.com and got all the percentages. Not bad at all.
Thanks, it's favorite now!

lots of great tofu, whole grain, eggplant, ect. recipes at vegweb.com. They have tons of ideas, most have reviews and some nutritional info.

I'm glad you liked it! I've made it a few times and got good reviews from my family.