As a vegetarian, I often find myself flipping through endless recipes in pursuit of a flavorful meatless main dish. I have been very happy with the magazine, Vegetarian Times. It comes out a few times a year, each of the recipes inspired by the vegetables harvested that season. Today, the recipe I have recreated and embellished comes from the September 2009 edition, entitled Vegetables in Thai Red Curry. I have renamed my take on their recipe:

Tofu and Vegetables in Thai Red Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (6 cups)
• 1 Tbs sunflower oil
• 1 cup mushrooms of your choice, sliced
• 2 14 oz cans light coconut milk
• 2-3 Tbs Thai Red Curry Paste ( Add to taste, it creates the spice of the dish)
  
• 3 Tbs brown sugar (I used buckwheat honey, that I bought earlier this week from a local farmer. It has a rich, dark taste similar to the molasses of brown sugar)
• 4 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into slivers
  
• 1 head of cabbage, sliced
• 1 can baby corn
• 1 cup bamboo shoots
• 1 8 oz package tofu
  
• 20 basil leaves

1. Blanch cauliflower until al dente, in pot of boiling, salted water. Remove with strainer; rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms have browned and released some of their juices; set aside.
3. In a pot over medium heat, combine coconut milk, curry paste, honey, soy sauce and 1 cup water. Start with small amounts of curry paste and adjust for spiciness. Heat until broth begins to simmer. Add cauliflower, mushrooms, red pepper, basil, baby corn, bamboo shoots, tofu and cabbage. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
4. Serve the curry over rice.

The flavors of this recipe came together wonderfully. As the honey, red curry paste and coconut milk blended together to create a sweet and delightfully spicy taste.

When cooking up these veggies feel free to throw in whatever suits your palette!

I am off to close my day with some exercise from the local climbing gym.