Vegan Kabocha Squash Coconut Curry With Peas, Red Bell Pepper And Israeli Couscous -

Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin

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Fusion Cuisine
When you take a Japanese pumpkin, add Indian curry to tropical coconut milk and stir in Israeli couscous, you may just want to wave that zippo lighter while breaking out in a chorus of "We are the World"! I love "fusion cuisine" where you mix different types of cooking. Yesterday, I think I found my new favorite restaurant, "Avatar's" in Sausalito. I will do a proper restaurant review of this amazing eatery in the future, but they feature dishes that combine elements of both Mexican and Indian cuisine. The owner surprised me with a vegan curried pumpkin enchilada with a drizzle of mango sauce! Do you have any favorite combinations of ethnic dishes or ideas for some? Write a comment!
Kabocha Squash
Also known as "Japanese pumpkin", this lovely squash has bumpy, dark green skin and is a bit sweeter and denser than a sugar pumpkin. It almost has the consistency of a sweet potato. I really love everything about this squash, especially the fact that you don't have to peel them! Just pull out the seeds, dice them up and throw them in a curry - so easy! I will warn you, however, if you leave the skin on when making a pumpkin pie, you'll end up with a pretty unattractive brown pie!

A 2.5 pound kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin

A Simple Curry
I find it almost impossible to write up a curry recipe for you because there are an infinite number of curry blends using ingredients like turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, ginger and other spices. I usually keep a "sweet curry" and a "hot curry" in my spice cabinet and blend them together in different ratios depending on how spicy I want the dish. So the amount of curry in this recipe is merely a suggestion. 
I like adding the curry when I am sautéing the veggies as it seems to mix in more easily.

Sautéing the veggies in a 5 quart Dutch oven

Israeli Couscous
Larger than regular couscous, Israeli couscous are really just small, round balls of pasta. I love their size and texture. Unfortunately they are difficult to find in "whole grain". There are a few on the internet but read the reviews carefully before you order. Roland, sold on Amazon, has some bad reviews claiming the couscous tasted "stale". If you have had luck finding a good whole grain couscous, let us know!


Vegan Kabocha Squash Curry with Israeli Couscous
[makes 6 servings]
A 2.5 pound kabocha squash, seeds removed and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup dry Israeli couscous
2 cups or more water with a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet curry, or to taste
1 teaspoon hot curry, or to taste
1 cup frozen peas, rinsed in hot water to thaw
One 15.5 ounce can light coconut milk
1 cup veggie broth or water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste


Steam kabocha squash for 5 minutes or until barely fork tender. Do not overcook. Remove from steamer and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, add couscous, lower heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done but still firm. Stir while cooking to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom. Add more boiling water if needed.
In a 5 quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté onions and peppers for 5 to 8 minutes until tender. 
Add sweet and hot curry and mix thoroughly.
Add peas and cook for several minutes.
Add coconut milk, broth and salt and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and mix in cooked kabocha squash and couscous and heat for several minutes.
Serve immediately.


Per serving: 242.2 calories, 6.3 g fat, 3.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.4 g protein, 39.6 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g dietary fiber.

Roasted Baby Squash on Whole Wheat Pasta—A Trip to the Farmers Market

Roasted medley of baby squash on whole wheat pasta shells.

The Sunday farmers market in Sebastopol, California.

Buying baby squash at the market.

Baby yellow and green zucchini, patty pan and lemon squash.

Squash, onions, tomatoes, garlic and seasoning in the roasting pan.


Sunday I visited my local farmers market in the Sebastopol town square. It was a nice sunny day and there was almost a party atmosphere with happy crowds walking around with their eco-friendly canvas bags. Besides the usual farmers and their wonderful produce, there was a guitar player on stage, a vegetarian tamale stand next to a vendor selling Indian curry. The aromas were amazing! There were bakers selling freshly made whole grain breads (my husband bought a whole grain, walnut sourdough) and farmers selling fresh eggs. You could buy hand made cheeses, flowers, fresh honey and fish that was caught that morning. Why on earth would anyone go to a supermarket when you can have a shopping experience like this?

People in America have gotten so disconnected from their food. Most people don’t even know what food they are eating since it came out of a box that has 20 mysterious ingredients listed, most of which were derived from corn. (For more on this, watch the documentary called, “King Corn”). So I thought I would take you to the market today, buy the ingredients from a local organic farmer, and show you how to make fresh, tasty, roasted baby vegetables and mix them with a hardy, protein and fiber rich whole wheat pasta. As is, the dish is vegan but others could serve this topped with goat cheese or parmesan.

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Roasted Medley of Baby Squash on Whole Wheat Pasta [Serves 4]
5 cups of mixed baby squash, cut in quarters or eighths
2 cups sliced onions (1 cup yellow and 1 cup red)
2 cups fresh tomatoes, cut in eighths and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey (or agave syrup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta shells (or your favorite shape)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and salt and get ready to boil pasta. Lightly oil a large roasting pan and set aside. Cut the baby yellow and green zucchini in quarters length wise and then in half so you have a large julienne. Cut the lemon and patty pan squash in quarters or eighths depending on their size. Put them in a large bowl. Add the drained tomatoes, garlic and herbs. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the vegetables and mix well. Spread the mixture out in the large roasting pan. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Prepare the pasta according to directions while the squash is baking. Mix the roasted squash with the pasta and serve. You can garnish with more chopped basil. Top with nutritional yeast, as a vegan option, or others can top with crumbled goat cheese or parmesan.

Per serving: 357 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 10.3 g protein, 62.3 g carbohydrates and 8.8 g of fiber.