Tag: potatoes

Aloo Mattar

Sorry I haven’t posted in so long, I’ve just been lazy. But I am going to make up for it with a totally awesome meal. The other day I couldn’t decide what I want to make for dinner, so I asked my boyfriend. He usually says “I don’t know”, but this time he actually had a request! He wanted this gravy peas and potato dish his mom used to make. After some research on the internet, I found what he was talking about. This recipe is based on the one from Manjula’s Kitchen called Aloo Mattar (Potatoes and Green Peas). And, he’s family eats roti, which I’d never heard of before. I am used to naan bread, but I thought I would try making it. And, since I had cilantro in the fridge, I decided to make a chutney too. I will post the other two recipes later, but here is the aloo mattar for now. 


A few of the spices might take a bit of work to find, but if I can find them on the Big Island, I am sure you can too. 

Aloo Mattar

3 medium boiled potatoes

2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cup frozen green peas

1 minced green chili, minced

1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon asafetida
2 tablespoons coriander 
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika 
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro 



Peal and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.  
Add them to a pot of cold water and bring to boil on the stove. Cook until soft. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
Add the onions and cook until translucent. 
Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. 
Add the frozen peas and cook until warmed. 
Add the potatoes. 
Add the minced green chili, cumin, asafetida, coriander, turmeric, paprika, turmeric, and gram masala.  Mix together well and cook until for about 10 minutes, covered, and stirring occasionally. 
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they are soft. 
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with some cilantro. 
It is good on it’s own, but it is amazing with the cilantro chutney, which I will post tomorrow. Michael’s only complaint was it is more like “white people Indian food”….my answer was “well, a white girl made it!” hahahaha.  I really suggest this dish, it’s easy and so freaking good. 

Thanksgiving 2011: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I saved my favorite Thanksgiving dish for last. I LOVE mashed potatoes. When I was a teenager I used to eat a bowl of instant mashed potatoes for lunch most days. I am happy to say I have grown out of those unhealthy days and I don’t eat mash potatoes that often anymore. But, they are still one of my favorite foods. Creamy, buttery, and fluffy—what’s not to love? And, I thought garlic would make them special for holiday.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 Russet potatoes
1 tbs vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tbs more vegan butter
1/2 cup rice milk (soy milk works fine too) 
Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash, peal, and quartered the potatoes. 
Place the potatoes in the pot you plan the boiling them in. Covered the potatoes with cold water. Let them soak for at least 15 minutes. This allows the starch to leach out so they mash better. 

Place a lid on the pot, place it on the burner, and bring it to a boil. 
While that comes to a boiling, the 1 tbs of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once it melts, add the minced garlic. Cook until golden, but careful not to burn it. 
Once it’s ready, remove from heat and set aside. 
Check the potatoes once they have boiled for a few minutes, they will be ready when a fork can be easily inserted all the through a quarter with no resistance. Once they are ready, remove from heat and drain. 
Return the potatoes back to the pot, add the garlic, the other 1/2 tbs of butter, and rice milk. Mash the potatoes until smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated. 
Now you have a big bowl of potato heaven! I hope you love this as much as I did. 

Lentil Burgers and Homemade French Fries

As awesome and convenient as frozen, pre-made veggie burgers are, they are still a processed food. Just because something is meat and dairy free, doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have preservatives and fillers. On occasion when you are working late or in a hurry, they can make a fine dinner. But, the best way to get a good meat-free burger is to make it yourself. My favorite alternative burger is lentil. I first had one in this little restaurant by the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. It had great flavor and a meat-like texture. Like beef, it will take on the flavor of whatever you season it with, so you can make Southwest burgers with chili and cilantro, Indian with cumin and curry—or any other flavors you like. These are just basic burgers, so feel free to experiments with the spices. This recipe makes about 2 burgers and can be easily multiplied.

And what would a good burger be without fries. Making your own fries is just as easy as opening up a bag of processed frozen ones. Just cut, soak, season, and bake. And yes bake, not fry. Baking is so much healthier, no one needs to be eating deep fried foods. This recipe makes one serving and be easily multiplied as well.

Lentil Burgers

1 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italians ones, but it plain is fine)
1/4 cup onion, pealed 
2 cloves garlic, pealed 
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp house seasoning

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse and pick through the lentils.

Cooking the lentils according to the directions on the package.

Drain the lentils and let them cool for a bit.

In a food processor or blender, at the lentils and remaining ingredients. Process until blender and fairly smooth. It’s okay if there are some big chunks.

Form into patties and let them chill in the fridge for a few hours. This allows them to firm up and hold up better while cooking.

Now, you can fry them in a pan but I get better results baking in the oven. Lightly spray a baking sheet and place the patties on. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping half way through.

Since you have the oven all hot, might as well be efficient and throw some fries on the pan too.

Homemade French Fries
1 small russet potatoes
Water
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp house seasoning, depending on taste

Wash the potato very well.

Cut the potato in 1/4 inch strips.

In the small bowl, add enough water to submerge the potatoes and then stir in the salt. Add the potatoes and soak for 15 minutes. This will add some flavor and remove some of the starch.

Drain the potatoes well and lightly dry.

In small bowl, add the potato sticks and house seasoning. Coat the sticks well.

You can cook them at the same time as the burgers on the same baking sheet. Spread the sticks in an even layer on part of the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, same as the burgers, until golden.


I didn’t have any buns, so I just ate mine plain. But I suggest a nice whole wheat bun, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a good pickle on the side. I dipped my fries in some mustard and sweet chili sauce mix. If you go for ketchup, get the unsweetened all natural stuff. A lot of the big commercial brands are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

A classic American meal with a fantastic healthy twist. Loves it!

Purple Sweet Potato Salad

I realized I live in Hawaii but haven’t made any Hawaiian food yet! So the next few posts will be devoted to Hawaiian dishes.

I knew sweet potatoes came in other colors, but I have only seen orange on the mainland. The first time I went to the Hilo Farmers Market, a lady was selling a bag marked “potatoes” for $2. I thought awesome! Cheap fresh little finger potatoes. When I cut into at home, I was surprised that they were purple inside.  I asked my roommate at the time, who was from Maui, and she looked at me like I was crazy. “They are sweet potatoes…You know like Thanksgiving casserole?”

Purple sweet potatoes, or ‘uala,  are a member of the morning glory family and are native to Japan.  Japanese immigrants brought them to Polynesia more than a century ago. However, it is believed that the Polynesians brought some form of sweet potatoes with them on their travels throughout the Pacific prior to the Japanese introduction. All sweet potatoes are loaded with antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties. They also have tons of fiber and vitamin A.

Although common to Hawaiians, they were totally strange to me. I love them now though. Not only are they my favorite color, but they are also delicious. They aren’t quite as sweet a the orange or yellow ones, and bit more starchy. They are great for fries or chips, but I love them in curries.

I decided to make a healthier version of a very common side dish in Hawaii: potato salad. Potato salad and macaroni salad are  are always part of the classic Hawaiian plate lunches. But, they are loaded with fat and calories, and I have yet to find a plate lunch place that has a vegan version. For this recipe, so no one can argue I took the Hawaiian-ness out of the salad, I used as many local products as I could. Local organic purple sweet potatoes, and carrots, plus Sweet Maui onions, and Maui Sweet Onion dressing from Rainbow of Tastes.

This recipe calls for some very specific ingredients and if you can get them, great! If not, you can always adapt the recipe to what you can get. However, I would not recommended using regular orange sweet potatoes in this recipe. Like I said, purples are starchier and sturdier, more like a real potatoes than creamy orange sweets. If you cannot get purples, just use regular potatoes.

Purple Sweet Potato Salad
8-10 small purple sweet potatoes, peeled and chop into chunks
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/4 Sweet Maui Onion, diced finely
2 tbs sweet pickle relish
1/2  to 1 cup  Maui Sweet Onion by Rainbow of Tastes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fill a pot 2/3 of the way with cold water.

They aren’t solid purple, more like marbled.

Rinse, peel, and chop the sweet potatoes into chunks. Put in the pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat.

 You can shred the carrots if you like too.

While the potatoes cook, dice the carrots, celery, and onions.

 

Still purple when cooked.

Once the potatoes are soft enough for a fork to be inserted with little resistance, remove from the heat and drain. You do not want them totally smushy like for mashed potatoes, but soft enough to eat and still remain in chunks. Do not rinse, it will make them smushy. Let them cool for a few minutes. The potatoes will absorb more flavor while warm, so don’t let them cool entirely before dressing.

I should have got a bigger bowl…

In a large bowl, add the potatoes, diced veggies, relish, and dressing. I recommend putting the dressing in a little at a time so you don’t over do it. It takes a minute for it to absorb. Mix it all together, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Try not to mash up the potatoes too much.

Cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

I love the colors, and the sweet onion dressing is the perfect compliment to the sweet potatoes.

Potato Pierogi

Although I am trying to counter-act my terrible family health history, that doesn’t mean I am still not proud of my heritage. I am 3/4 Polish, third generation born in America on both sides of my family. Although my great-grandparents passed away before I was born, I grew up hearing stories about their lives back in Poland and their journeys to America. My mom told me I would have loved my great-grandmother, she was a very sweet and funny woman. I think about her and my own wonderful grandma every time I make something Polish.

Pierogi are pretty much Polish dumplings. They are a basic flour dough filled with either farmers cheese, potatoes, beef or cabbage. They are usually boiled then lightly fried. They are traditionally topped with a little butter, and sour cream. I’ve seen them topped with all sorts of things. My mom saw them topped with tomato sauce once and said her grandmother would have cringed at such a horror, so I stay traditional to honor my Polish blood. I remember the first time I had them, it was pure heaven. My mom made some for my grandparents when the came to visit when I was about 8 or so. She served them with kapusta (similar to sauerkraut), and we were very happy Poles after that dinner.

I researched some vegan recipes, but most of them called for a lot of oil in place of the eggs, which isn’t really good for a family riddled with heart attacks. So I decided I would use Egg Replacer by Ener-G instead. It is made from starch and is wonderful for baking. I based this on a recipe I found on About.com, but veganized it and cut it in half.

You can make a fine pierogi dough without the sour cream, but I like it better. It makes it richer than other simple dumpling doughs. Try Tofutti brand, it’s not as moist as dairy sour cream but tastes just as good (plus has no cholesterol!)

Potato Pierogi
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tps salt
1 and 1/2 tps Egg Replacer
4 tbs water, divided
1/4 vegan sour cream
1 tbs vegan butter
1/8 tps salt
1 large potato, peeled, washed, and quartered
1/2 large white onion
1 tbs soy milk
4 tbs nutritional yeast

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Replacer with two tablespoon of water. Add to the dry ingredients and mix.

Next add the sour cream, butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Mix until it forms a soft but not sticky dough. I all the sudden had this flashback of my grandmother scolding me for overworking the dough, so be gentle.

Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least a half an hour.

Everything would have been organic in Poland back then.

In the meantime, peel, wash and quarter your potato. Place in a pot of water and bring to boil on the stove. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough that a fork can easily pierce through.

Organic onion from the Farmers Market.

While those are boiling, fine chop the onion and place it in a skillet with some cooking spray over medium-low heat. Normally they are sauteed in butter, but those are just extra calories that in my opinion do not add much to the flavor in the end. Cook until just translucent.

The filling should cohere but not be overly moist.

Once the potatoes are done, drain and add them back to the pot. Add the onions, soy milk, and nutritional yeast and mash well. “No one likes lumpy pierogi,” my mom told me. You can add some salt and pepper if you like too. Either my mom or grandma, can’t remember which, told me it is a lot easier to work with cooled filling. I let mine cool for about 15 minutes before I filling my dough.

I used a ramekin as a cutter.

Roll out the chilled dough on a well-flour surface to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. My family is from the Polish countryside, and my grandma told me they make them big in country. So I find the biggest cup or small bowl I have and use it as a cutter.

Overstuffed pierogi will break open while boiling.

Fill each circle with about 1 tablespoon of the cooled potato filling. Don’t over-stuff them or they will break open while cooking.

Make sure to do both sides.

Fold the circle in half to make a semi-circle. Go around the edges with a fork to seal properly. Flip over and repeat on the other side. You can use a little water too if you have a hard time getting them to close all the way.

Careful not to smash them when removing.

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove. Add the pierogi. Just like ravioli, they will float to the top when ready.

I like mine just barely golden.

Remove from the pot, but don’t use a strainer, they will just break apart. Scoop them out with a spoon or ladle. Next saute in a pan with some butter until slightly golden brown.

Top with some vegan sour cream and a little salt and pepper. I served mine with some steamed carrots. I am one very happy and proud vegan Polish girl 🙂

I just sent a picture to my mom, she said her grandma would be very proud. And, she said as good as hers all stuffed cheese and slathered in butter were, great-grandma never wore a bikini like I do! Made me laugh.