Thai-style green curry for dinner on Meatless Monday

​No one's saying you have to go meatless just because it's Monday -- but as an incentive to join the growing Meatless Monday movement, we're featuring an animal-free recipe each week.

This green curry is more advanced than last week's banana walnut muffins -- you'll be making the curry sauce from scratch -- but if you're looking for a tasty meatless dinner to impress that vegetarian guy or girl, this is an excellent option.

You will need:

1 block firm tofu
2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
5 black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass (fresh)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 cup lightly packed cilantro (keep some back for garnish if you like)
1 lime
1 cup shallots, finely chopped
5 tablespoons peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
1 can coconut milk (15-oz.)
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can)

We suggest serving this dish over a bed of rice, so first turn on your rice cooker and get that grain started.

1. You'll need to press the tofu while you prepare the sauce and slice the veggies. We recommend organic tofu, which is made from non-genetically modified soybeans (Denver Tofu Company is a great local option).

To press tofu, line a large plate with several paper towels (or very clean cloth towels). Place the tofu on top of the towels and add another layer of towels on top of the tofu. Put a large, flat-bottomed pot or another plate on top of the tofu and weigh the pot or plate down with canned food, bottled drinks -- anything in your kitchen that's heavy enough to press the liquid from the tofu. Let it sit while you prepare the sauce.

2. Put the chopped chile peppers (serranos and jalapenos) in a bowl and pour 1/2 cup boiling water over them; let it sit and mingle for fifteen to twenty minutes. (If you like spicy curry, consider leaving in some of the seeds when you chop your chiles.)