Curried sausage and okra

After 2 weeks of missing the farmer's market (out of town for one, ultimate frisbee tournament during another), I came back to this week's market with a vengeance! Only kidding. But I did hit that thing harder that Rush Limbaugh hits his pill cabinet, and came away with even more delicious goodies than Rush would have.

After filling my bag with okra, red potatoes, green beans, red onions, garlic, and a myriad other veggies, one farmer commented, as he placed a few yellow onions into my eagerly awaiting bag, "you've got quite the bounty there." Indeed I had, and I intended to cook it up as soon as I got home. Unfortunately, the activities of the day - namely training in the park and a Louisville Vegetarian Club meeting - kept me busy until 4 pm when I got my first crack at these locally grown treats.

Peering into my completely stocked fridge, I'll admit I was somewhat overwhelmed by the possibilities. What to do with all of these peppers, onions, garlic, okra, potatoes, etc.? Since I like a good challenge, I decided to try my hand at making a delicious okra dish. Now, I'm not saying okra isn't tasty; freshly-picked from the plant it has quite a delicious, broccoli-like flavor. Despite this initial crispness of flavor, I've found it hard to cook okra into something flavorful without frying it. I thought perhaps infusing it with the hot spice of peppers would be a good idea, and perhaps add some other crunchy vegetables to accompany it. And so came about this sausage and okra curried dish.

Ingredients:
2 large okra pods, cut into 1/4'' cross sections
3 celery stalks, halved and sliced small
1 large carrot, halved and sliced small
1 small red onion, sliced small
2 small yellow onions, sliced small
4 cloves garlic, diced
4 red potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1 red serrano pepper, diced
1 green serrano pepper, diced
2 Tofurkey Italian sausages, halved and cut small
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp water
1 tsp brown rice vinegar

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat
2. Add okra, potatoes, water and vinegar, cook 8-10 minutes and stir occasionally
3. Once potatoes begin to brown, add remaining ingredients, cook 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally
4. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Thai curried noodles

I pulled this recipe out of the latest issue of Vegetarian Times, Thai Curried Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu, page 38. It's delicious, has a great sweet and spicy kick to it, and is very easy to make. The original recipe called for 1 cup of shallots, but I substituted these for onions and purple garlic because that's what I had on hand. Also, the recommended amount of curry paste wasn't quite as spicey as I would have liked. I added another Tbsp. (3 total), and that was perfect. The lime wedges for garnish add a fantastic layer to the flavor complexity of this dish, so I recommend not skipping them.

Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stems
    plus 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
2 Tbs. yellow or red Thai curry paste (I used red)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 15-oz. can light coconut milk
3/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 12-oz. package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
5 oz. dry fettuccine
5 cups broccoli florets
6 lime wedges (1 lime) for garnish

Directions:
1) Heat oil in medium pot over medium-high heat.
2) Saute shallots in oil 2 minutes
3) Add cilantro stems, curry paste, curry powder, and turmeric; cook 1 minute
4) Stir in coconut milk, broth, and brown sugar; bring to simmer
5) Reduce heat to medium, cook 5 minutes
6) Add tofu, simmer 10 minutes
7) Cook fettuccine in large pot according to directions on package
8) Add broccoli to pot for last 2 minutes of cooking
9) Drain, cover pasta with tofu-curry mixture
10) Mix well, serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro