Vegan with a Vengeance

can just make the stew and serve over rice.
    3 tablespoons peanut oil
    2 cups diced yellow onion
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons grated ginger
    1 tablespoon mustard seeds
    1 tablespoon ground cumin
    Â½ teaspoon ground cloves
    4 cardamom pods
    2 cinnamon sticks
    Â¼ cup red wine vinegar
    Â½ cup red wine
    1 (12-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
    1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
    1½ pounds butternut squash, cut into ½-inch chunks
    6 medium-size kabocha squashes
    Â¼ cup pure maple syrup
    Fresh chopped cilantro to garnish
    In a stockpot over moderate heat, sauté the onions in oil for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; sauté until fragrant (about a minute); add all the seeds and spices and stir; add the red wine vinegar, red wine, and tomatoes. Mix to combine. Add the potatoes and butternut squash, cover, and bring to a low boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the kabocha squashes.
    Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet. Cut off the top of the kabocha squashes and remove the seeds. Scrape inside with a tablespoon to remove the stringy parts. Cut a small sliver off the bottom of each squash so that you will later be able to stand the squash upright to stuff it. Place the squashes cut side down on the baking sheet, and bake for about 40 minutes. The squashes should be very soft and easily pierced with a fork.

    Back to the stew: When potatoes are tender, add the maple syrup and heat through. Cover and keep warm until the squashes are ready.
    Remove the squash from oven and, when cool enough to handle, stuff each with some of the stew. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
    SERVES 6-8
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    I pretty much live on curries. I can’t think of any other dish that packs so much flavor with so little work. I love tomato-based curries, and here the tomatoes are a pleasant backdrop and a sturdy base that isn’t screaming tomato, so the spices can really shine through. It doesn’t hurt that a tomato base has considerably less fat than, say, coconut milk, if you care about that sort of thing. Make sure your mustard seeds are visibly popping before adding the onions; if you’ve never cooked your own mustard seeds before, you are in for a treat that will change your curry making for good.
    1 (12-ounce) can whole tomatoes (in juice, not puree)
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    2 teaspoons mustard seeds
    1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2 cups)
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
    3 teaspoons curry powder
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 teaspoon ground coriander
    â…› teaspoon ground cloves
    Â½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Â¼ teaspoon asafoetida (optional)
    3 cardamom pods
    1 teaspoon salt
    10 cups fresh spinach, well rinsed and chopped
    4 cups chickpeas, cooked and drained, or 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed
    Prepare the tomatoes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and tearing them into bite-size pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can.
    Preheat a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat; pour in the vegetable oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute (you may want to cover the pot so that the seeds can’t escape), then add the onion; turn up the heat to medium-high and sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté 2 more minutes. Add spices, salt and ¼ cup of the reserved tomato juice; sauté one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add handfuls of spinach, mixing each addition until wilted. When all the spinach has completely wilted and the mixture is liquid-y, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat,
cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, and adjust the spices if necessary. Simmer uncovered for about 10 more minutes, or until a thick, stewlike consistency is achieved.
    Fizzle says:
    Asafoetida, also called hing powder, is root resin used in small doses in many Indian dishes. It’s a little hard to find; you may need to go to a spice store, so it is optional in this recipe. If you can find it though, you will fall in love with its aromatic scent and flavor.

Green Thai Curry
    SERVES 6
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    Making your own chile paste is easy and flavorful. While admittedly you won’t be saving money by not purchasing the chile paste in a jar, you