Pumpkin, Black Beans and Cheese Pupusas

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I got the idea for pumpkin pupusas from our local El Salvadorian restaurant. They often stuff a pumpkin mixture with cheese and meat into pupusas. And those are delicious! I decided to make something similar, but with a twist. Instead of stuffing pumpkin into the pupusa, I mixed pumpkin puree into the masa mix and stuffed it with a black bean cheese mixture. They turned out flavorful and moist -- a little different from the restaurant version, but tasty nevertheless.

You'll need:

• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup grated cheese (I use soy cheese to keep this vegan, but you can use easy to melt cheeses like cheddar or Monterey Jack)
• canola oil for pan frying
• salt to taste
• 1 portion pumpkin masa mix, recipe below

For the pumpkin masa mix, you'll need:

• 2 cups masa harina
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup (or half a 15-ounce can) pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• a pinch of salt

Begin by mixing all the ingredients for the pumpkin masa mix together in a large bowl. The masa mixture should be moist and can easily be manipulated. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of canola oil until shimmering. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add black beans. Allow beans to cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Gently mash the beans with the back of a spatula. Set aside.

To make pupusas, take a golf ball size masa mix and flatten into a cake with thinner center and thicker edges. Place about a tablespoon of black bean mix and some grated cheese in the center. Fold the edges over to cover the filling. Roll into a ball and flatten into a pancake by transferring it back and forth between two hands. Grease non-stick pan or hot griddle with canola oil. Place pupusa onto the hot griddle or non-stick pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat. This recipe should make about 10 to 12 pupusas. Serve immediately with some slaw, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Mystery Produce of the Week: Kohlrabi

Pin It VB went to the farmers' market by himself this weekend. I had to sit out due to a bad headache from a stuffy nose. He came back excited about "sunchokes" which looked like this...

Not that I doubt our local farmers' ability to identify produce that they grow themselves, but these were clearly not sunchokes. So I spent a few minutes on google with search terms like "round green vegetable" and getting nowhere fast until I found a picture of kohlrabi, which is what we have here. Kohlrabi tastes like sweet, crunchy broccoli stem. It's mild and refreshing and probably awesome in a slaw with some apples. But instead, I made this delicious Indian dish called navalkola sukke, which includes some shredded coconuts and coriander, among other things.

I learned that kohlrabi needs to be peeled and cored. I did remove a part of the core, but it's not entirely clear which part is the core. VB ended up with some really fibrous inedible bits on his plate. Sorry.... Otherwise this was delicious. I'll be looking for these next time at the farmers' market.

Kabocha Squash Pie

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I got a new kitchen tool. It's a food mill from VB's grandma for Christmas (thanks, Gi!). It's time to put it to good use. So. I have a brand new food mill, half a kabocha squash and a block of tofu. The only logical thing to do (in my odd twisted train of thought) is to roast the kabocha squash and pass it through the food mill, along with some tofu and make a pie out of it. Turned out pretty good! The food mill allowed the squash to be mashed but not pulverized, giving the pie a nice fluffy texture. My previous attempt in making a similar product, I didn't have the food mill and the pie was definitely more grainy. Next time, I'm going to make spaetzle with the food mill. I can't wait!

For this kabocha squash pie, you'll need:

• 1/2 kabocha squash 
• 1 16-ounce block of firm tofu
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 3 tablespoons nutrional yeast
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste
• 1 recipe of vegan pie crust, below

For the vegan pie crust, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter substitute (I use Earth Balance), cold and cubed
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop out and discard seeds from squash. Rub kabocha squash with olive oil. Stuff garlic cloves inside the cavity and place the squash cut side down into a baking dish. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour. The squash is done when the skin is browned and softened and you can easily insert a fork into the flesh. Remove and allow the squash to cool.

In the meantime, mix flour with a pinch of salt. Add cold butter substitute and vegetable shortening into the flour. With a whisk or by hand, break the fat into small pieces until the mixture has a wet sand consistency. If you want, you can use a food processor and pulse until similar consistency is achieved. Stir in ice water until the dough barely comes together. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and line the pie pan. Dock the dough with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes in 350 degree oven. Remove and set aside.

Peel the roasted garlic. Scoop out roasted squash flesh. Pass the squash and garlic through the food mill. Pass tofu through the food mill. For a finer texture, you may want to do it twice. Mix squash and tofu mixtures together, along with salt, nutritional yeast, ground ginger, granulated garlic, and orange zest. Make sure the mixture is well mixed. Fill the pie crust with the mixture and spread mixture out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven. Remove and let pie cool for 15 minutes before serving.

We also had some roasted radishes as a side dish. They're pink and festive!