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This Easter Season, while many people celebrate their time with family over a large ham or beef roast, veganism is is also in style.
Tracing the trail between one’s dinner plate and the violation of labour, environmental, and animal rights that are often employed in the process by which food packages are brought to your door, is an important step in fighting food as an industry, rather than being an act of community.
But don’t take my word for it; vegan recipes are fun and delicious and trying one out once a week can be a baby step in opening your eyes into the ways globalization dominates food systems the world over. But its strictness is not for everyone, and depending upon many circumstances can be a componenet of privilege.
Here’s what I will be eating this weekend. But I recommend trying out your own vegan dish, if possible!
Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups of chopped one butternut squash
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 can coconut milk
1 juiced lime Fresh Ginger to taste
curry powder or paste
salt
pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
Cut fresh ginger, garlic, onion, and butternut Squash (cut butternut squash into small cubes) and add the ginger, onion, and garlic to a pot and simmer in any kind of cooking oil. Let Simmer for five minutes. Add curry to taste. After the curry simmers for a few minutes, add the squash cubes and vegetable stock. Heat the pot to medium and cook for about 20 minutes and until squash is soft.
When the squash is ready, add the entire mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. In a separate bowl add the can of cocnut milk, lime juice, and fresh salt and pepper. Whisk until all is mixed.
Pour the pureed soup back to the pot and pour in the coconut concoction. Proceed to cook for around 10 minutes. Serve with a garnish of parsley.
This soup goes well with tofu curry as well.
Tofu Curry
Ingredients for marinade:
1 package of firm tofu, cubed
2 TBSP light soy sauce
2 TBSP nut oil (peanut, sesame…)
For the sauce:
1 small onion, chopped
2 fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped (optional if you don’t want spicy)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TSP grated fresh ginger
1 TSP grated lime rind
juice of 1 lime or lemon
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander seeds , crushed (or powder)
3 TBSP chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1TBSP light soy sauce
1 TSP sugar
1 can coconut milk
Toss the tofu cubes in the soy sauce and oil and let marinate while you make the sauce. Combine the onion, chillies, garlic, ginger, lime rind and juice, coriander, cumin, cilantro/parsley, soy sauce and sugar in a blender. Heat a small amount of oil in wok or deep frying pan until quite hot. Drain tofu cubes. add to the frying pan and stir-fry for 5-8 minutes until they are browned and just firm. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on cloth. Wipe out frying pan. Pour the sauce into pan and stir well over moderate heat. Return the tofu to the frying pan/wok and mix into the sauce. until it is warmed through. Garnish with red chilli (if you like) and lime slices and serve with rice.