Eats Well With Others: Pumpkin Tofu Curry

Joanne from Eats Well With Others makes me hungry. She also makes me laugh out loud with her crazy/ridiculous/delicious blog posts. Sometimes she even makes me want to move to NYC so we can hang out. But mostly, she makes me hungry. Really hungry. Joanne is who Carrie Bradshaw would be if she filled her closet with cookbooks instead of shoes. And if Carrie went to med school. Oh and became a marathon runner.

And since I’m running a little marathon in April, it is with great pleasure that I present this lovely food writer-slash-marathon runner’s guest post featuring two of my favorite things to eat!

Anyone who tells you that training for a marathon is not like having a baby. Is lying.  Flat. Out. Lying.

These people obviously don’t have your best interest at heart.  I advocate that you block them on gchat.

That’ll show ‘em.

Okay so, here’s the real truth about marathon training.  Check it.

You worry that you’re eating too much.  That you’re eating too little.  That you’re gaining weight. That you’re losing weight.  That you’re not eating the right things at the right time.  That you’re too sore or too chafed or that you only peed five instead of your usual six times before you left the house.

You have a meltdown in your local running store when you realize they’re out of your favorite flavor of Gu.

I wish I were joking.

I also wish I could say that I didn’t miss it with every ounce of my being.  It’s the best.

Um, also like having a baby.

You totally get this huge hormonal rush at the end of it that makes you forget all of that bad stuff I just wrote up there and only makes you remember the runner’s high that you felt at the end of every run and how cute your butt looks in your new winter running pants.

I just think you should know the facts before you jump into such an endeavor (Bianca, I’m talking to YOU.)

Also, you should eat curry.  Right now.  Lots and lots of curry.

Because curry and long runs…they kinda don’t mix.  (I won’t go into details…but you can use your imagination.)

I recommend this one.  It’s super easy, doesn’t require a ton of spices or ingredients and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes if you already have some winter squash roasted.  Which is perfect because time is a-wasting!  We don’t want to find ourselves on April 15th with a huge hankering for some spiced up food and an uncontrollable urge to eat Middle Eastern or Indian food for dinner the day before the race.  Trust me.  Been there, done that.

To the kitchen!  There’s not a curry-less moment to lose!

Pumpkin Tofu Curry

Serves 4, adapted from Bon Appetit November 2011

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 block tofu, pressed and cubed
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 small kabocha squash, roasted and diced
1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add tofu cubes and saute until slightly browned. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash and lime juice. Simmer until squash is warm. Serve with steamed rice.

Tagged as: curry, Eats Well With Others, guest post, kabocha squash, pumpkin, soup, squash, stew, tofu, vegetarian