Eating with Emily

vegetarian meals & the more than occasional treat

Curry

Pumpkin, Kale, Black Bean, and Gnocchi Stew

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I live in sunny southern California now, so winter isn’t quite like last year when I lived in central New Hampshire (too many -15° mornings for me!). When eating a bowl of this, I couldn’t help but think this would be the perfect meal for a snow day. It’s thick–the stew is somewhere in between a soup and a curry–and the smell of simmering pumpkin and cinnamon would be great after a trek in the snow.

Ingredients

  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 package (approximately 17.6 oz) gnocchi
  • 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3 cups kale, ripped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

A couple notes: I normally try to make my meals low-sodium, but this stew really does taste better with salt. If you’re sensitive to spicy food, reduce the cayenne and chili powder to taste.

Directions

  1. In a large pot, stir together the pumpkin and milk. Cook until it reaches a boil.
  2. Add the gnocchi, black beans, chili powder, cinnamon, and cayenne, then return to a boil.IMG_0269
  3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.
  4. Add the kale and simmer until the kale is slightly wilted.
  5. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Posted on March 3, 2014 in Curry, Pastas & Bowls, Soup | Printer-friendly recipe
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Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

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Coconut milk + red curry?! This soup is a little bit zesty, a little bit creamy, and a whole lot of delicious.

A note about this dish: on Day 1 it’s a soup, but as leftovers on Day 2 it turns to a curry as the noodles absorb the liquid. It’s totally delicious both ways. If you want it to remain a soup, add some extra coconut milk and water before reheating it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

You can use whatever veggies you like and have on hand, but here’s what I used:

  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ can cut baby corn, drained
  • 1 large handful snap peas
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 5 tbsp (1 4oz jar) Thai red curry paste*
  • approximately 8oz dried udon noodles, cooked (or you can use fresh udon noodles, or another noodle of your choice)
  • 2 14oz cans coconut milk (I used one light, one regular)
  • ~1 cup water
  • cilantro, to garnish

*Most grocery stores carry this in the Asian food aisle. You can also buy it at Whole Foods or Asian food markets. Be sure to look at the ingredients list — not all Thai red curry paste is vegetarian, as some varieties have fish sauce.

Directions

  1. In a wok or deep pot, stir fry the vegetables in the oil for around 5 minutes until slightly softened.
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  2. Add the curry paste and stir until the vegetables are well coated.
  3. Add the coconut milk and the noodles.
  4. Add water until it’s the desired consistency. I added around a cup of water. Note that the noodles will absorb liquid over time, so if you’re storing this to serve later, don’t add the water now; add the water just before serving.
  5. Simmer for five more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Serve with chopped cilantro.
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Posted on February 11, 2014 in Curry, Soup | Printer-friendly recipe
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