I can hardly believe it. We are hopefully starting the final room next week. That means we will be moving a few weeks after that. It’ll be busy wrapping things up, but I am excited. It’s been one hell of a ride.

This week’s recipe is one I found first in Diners, Drive ins, and Dives. I was intrigued by the mole made out of pumpkin seeds. I had never heard of it before, but it looked delicious. So I found a recipe for Pollo Pipian from Marisol Cooks. This one is a bit simpler than the one I saw in the show. It also uses tomatillos rather than tomato. It also looks simple enough to do on a weeknight. Since I am going to make this vegetarian, browning the tofu is all I need to do before it goes into the sauce.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the chicken broth with low sodium vegetable broth to reduce the sodium and make this vegetarian.
• I replaced the chicken with tofu to make this vegetarian.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 9 to lower the calories.
• I added in red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I added in a carrot to increase the vitamin A.
• I added rice to bulk out the dish.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Tofu Pipian

Serves 9

• 2 – 14 ounce packages of extra firm tofu
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb tomatillos
• 1/2 onion
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drain and press the tofu for 20 minutes. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. Arrange the tofu on a single layer. Season with pepper and drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 min.
4. Heat a small skillet on medium-low heat and add the pumpkin seeds. Toast the seed until they change color and smell nutty.
5. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat it up on medium-high heat.
6. Peel, rinse and cut the tomatillos in half. Set aside. Cut the onions and poblano pepper in big chunks, add to the skillet along with the tomatillos, red bell pepper, carrot, and garlic clove. Cook until the veggies are soft and start to brown.
7. In a blender, add the toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, onion, red bell pepper, carrot, poblano pepper, garlic, and fresh cilantro. Season with cumin, and allspice. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and blend until very smooth.
8. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes.
9. Once the tofu is done, arrange it on a platter and cover with the Pipian sauce, garnish with pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro.