The Perfect Pumpkin Curry

Every week I receive a "panier bio," or,  a burlap sack of organic seasonal fruits and veggies. It's pretty cool. I've been getting a lot of pumpkin lately so my new favorite thing is to cut one in half, bake it, and use one part for a pumpkin bread and the other for a curry. The result is that my pumpkin bread still sucks but my pumpkin curry could slay an army. Oh so ono.

Okay so cutting to the chase:

a chunk of baked pumpkin

400 ml of coconut milk

250 g of white beans

2 baked, russet potatoes

1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage

about 3 medium carrots, cut into curry sized pieces

1 medium onion

1 shallot

2 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup water

seasonings:

A LOT of curry powder, about 11/2 tbs, until broth is dark yellow

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp coriander 

1 tsp crushed basil

1/2 paprika (mostly to give the curry a nice color)

salt and pepper to taste

Process:

Heat the olive oil in a large wok and then add onion, carrots, shallot, and purple cabbage. Saute until golden. Add coconut milk and spices and reduce heat. Cover and let simmer until carrot is soft when poked with a fork. Taste constantly and ad spices until the broth is to your liking! Add white beans and raisins. Cut your cooked potato and pumpkin into curry sized chunks and add to the pan. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until you can't stand the amazing smell anymore. Serve on jasmine rice. And save some for lunch tomorrow - it's even better the next day :)

Chocolate Chili

After many an experiment, the world's best veggie chili has been created in my tiny French kitchen. So good, in fact, that I can't not share what I've learned with the world. If you're in the mood for a dark, thick, zesty and healthy chili that will frankly blow your socks off, follow these simple instructions:

1) chop your veggies: half a zucchini, 1 large tomato, 1 yellow onion, a pile of mushrooms, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 green bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic

2) toss em all in a big pan or wok with olive oil and saute till cooked.

3) pile them into a big pot with a can of kidney beans + juice from the can

4) if you want meat, (totally not necessary) save some veggies in the pan and saute some ground beef with em- then add to pot.

5) THE SECRET INGREDIENTS: add a heaping table spoon of unsweetened cacao and a can of beer to the pot. (seriously)

6) Half a can of tomato puree

7) Spices: a butt-load of cumin and oregeno, a pinch of paprika, pepper, shallot, a dash of red cayenne pepper, and half a cube of beef bouillon.

8) Now stir it up, then let it simmer for 45 min to 1 hour.

9) Impress the heck out of your friends and family.