Recipies:

Pastor Scott's Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread

 

Thai Tofu and Winter Squash Stew

 2 to 3 medium leeks, white parts only, about 6 ounces
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil, plus extra for the tofu, if desired
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 serrano chiles, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
3 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
1 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 ½ pounds butternut squash (or pumpkin, etc.) peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
Salt
1 10-ounce package silken firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup raw peanuts
¼ cup chopped cilantro

 Halve the leeks lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into ¼-inch pieces.  Wash well in a bowl of water, then drain.

 Heat the oil in a wide soup pot.  Add the leeks and cook over fairly high heat, stirring frequently, until partially softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, most of the chiles, and ginger, cook 1 minute more, then add the curry, sugar and soy sauce.  Reduce the heat to medium, scrape the pan, and cook for a few minutes more.  Add 3 cups water, the coconut milk, squash, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.  Add the tofu, fried* or raw to the stew once the squash is almost tender, then simmer until it’s done.  Taste for salt and add the lime juice.

 Meanwhile, fry the peanuts in a few drops of peanut oil in a small skillet over medium heat until browned, then coarsely chop.  Serve the stew over rice with the cilantro, peanuts, and remaining chile scattered over the top.

 *Frying the tofu in roasted peanut oil until golden and crisp adds both flavor and texture.  To fry the tofu, drain it while you prepare the ingredients.  Heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil in a non-stick skillet.  Dice the tofu, add it to the pan, and fry until golden, 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally.  You can, however, simmer it directly in the sauce if you prefer to avoid using the extra oil.  Serve over basmati or jasmine rice. 

This recipe is from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone a 700+ cookbook by Deborah Madison that I HIGHLY recommend. 

 

Alia’s 15 Minutes of Famous Pumpkin Enchiladas

More like an hour and 15 minutes, this messy and multi-stepped recipe is well worth the time, yum yum yum!
The pumpkin enchiladas are so rich that I like to make one tray of pumpkin and one tray of vegetable or “meat” enchiladas. Recipe feeds 3-4 people. Add a salad and/or beans to feed 4-6. (When cooking for 1-2, the recipe reheats quite well in the oven. Or you may use half the recipe (except for the squash!)

You will need:
2- 9 x 13 baking dishes
paper towels
4 Cups (3 lbs.?) pumpkin or squash,
1 1/2 lb.mushrooms diced or mixed vegetables* **
2 med. onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 jalapeños, minced
¾ lb. Mexican cheese/Queso Fresco/Queso Oaxaca , refrigerated until grated
12 oz. green enchilada sauce
2 cups vegetable oil (I like to use olive oil for the vegetables and vegetable oil for the olives…er, uh…tortillas)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (if you can’t find it or forget, sniff sniff…oh well)
2 tomatoes, chopped (cool in fridge)

“optional”: green salsa & chips

*2 zucchinis, 1 large bell pepper, 1 ½ cup corn
**There are some nice Mexican flavored soy meats that are a great complement to the Pumpkin enchiladas, buy a 12 oz. package. If it already has the Mexican flavoring, leave out the jalapeños, it’s spicy enough!

Steam, bake or pressure cook the pumpkin.
Steam: cut into 1-2” squares, place in steamer basket over boiling water for 30 minutes
Pressure cook (my favorite): 1-2” squares, place in steamer basket with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock. Cook for 10 minutes on a setting of 2.
Bake: If you can, cut squash or pumpkin in half or large sections and scrape out the seeds. Place cut side down in baking dish with ½ inch of water. Brush with oil and bake at 375º until soft for 30 minutes. If it is too hard to cut, prebake whole at 350º. You can use leftovers for pumpkin ravioli or soup or…

While pumpkin is cooking, heat olive oil in a wide skillet and cook ½ the onions on high for a few minutes until slightly browned. Add vegetables or “meat” or mushrooms and ½ the garlic and most of the cilantro. Cook about 6 minutes on medium and remove from heat. Add salt and jalapeños. Transfer mixture into a bowl.


Preheat oven to 375º.

Check on the pumpkin/squash. When it’s super tender, place in mixing bowl and get it nice and mushy by hand or with a mixer. Carmelize or brown the rest of the onions in olive oil and add the garlic and jalapeños towards the end. Mix this into the pumpkin with some salt, pepper and a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce.

Place 2 layers of paper towels down on baking tray. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in skillet. You’ll have to have oil nearby to frequently add more to pan. Fry tortillas just enough to heat but not enough to bubble or crisp, about 4 seconds each side. Lay them on paper towels. (I like to heat ½ the tortillas, fill them and load one pan and then move onto the round 2 to avoid the tortillas getting too sticky with the paper towels. If you have help in the kitchen, this process goes a lot quicker. In this case, one person can fry while another dabs excess oil off and fills.)

Put a little bit of enchilada sauce in baking dish and a whole lot on a plate or large lid. Coat tortillas on both sides with enchilada sauce by dipping into the plate or lid. Fill the lower third of the tortilla with a few large spoons of filling. Place in tray.

Now sprinkle the delicious cheese on top of the enchiladas. Spoon more sauce on top and on sides of enchiladas. Bake until cheese is slightly browned, about 20 minutes! Take remaining cilantro and tomatoes from fridge and garnish plates with a cool delight.