Easy Vegetable Curry

If you are not familiar with a vegetarian diet, you might think that is boring. Like all we eat is salad, sprouts, and weird things like nut loaf. In fact, much of the world's population either eats vegetarian or eats meat as more of a condiment rather than the focal point of the meal. In my cooking, I often turn to other cultures and their full-flavored cuisines to make my food taste incredible. Indian food is a wonderful place to start. This dish is bursting with flavor - it's so delicious I could eat it every day. It's also incredibly healthy as well. Cashews and tofu give the curry plenty of protein, while the "lite" coconut milk makes it creamy without adding too much fat. Give it a try!

Butternut Squash and Cashew Curry
Serves 4

Serve this dish with basmati rice.

Vegetable oil
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
¾ cup unsalted roasted cashews
1 tsp. ground tumeric
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk
½ cup water
12 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Juice of 1 lime

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom and then add the squash and a large pinch of salt. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Don’t worry if it sticks slightly to the pan, you will be able to scrape up those bits after you add the liquid. Transfer the squash to a bowl and set aside.

Add a bit more oil to the skillet and then add the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, in about 1 minute, add the onions, garlic, and ginger and stir until the popping slows down. Cook until the onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the cashews, tumeric, and cumin; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, tofu, and water and increase the heat to medium-high. Boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Return the squash to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the squash is very tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.