Mashed Potato Waffles

Mashed potatoes with mushrooms are one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes.  They’re similar to the filling I make for the Ukrainian dumplings called Varenyky (or this lazy variant). I’m also a fan of tater tots, even though that may not be the healthiest way to eat potatoes. What I love about them is the soft potatoes encapsulated in a crispy exterior. So, I figured why not play with similar textures using mashed potatoes which are inherently soft, but can be crisped up using very little fat with the help of a waffle maker! These waffles turned out even better than I had expected - still creamy and fluffy on the inside, they had a nice crisp on the outside, and even some crunchy edges!

Ingredients:

Mashed potatoes

6 small red potatoes

4 oz portobello mushrooms - chopped

2-4 garlic cloves - minced

1-2 tsp butter

2-4 Tbsp skimmed milk

2 Tbsp chopped greens (I used spring onions. Dill, chives work really well too)

Salt, black pepper to taste

Mashed potato waffles

2 cups mashed potatoes (Any recipe will do - my preferred recipe is given below)

1 egg - beaten

⅓ cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose)

1 tsp baking powder

2-3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

½ cup buttermilk

Salt to taste

Oil/butter to grease waffle maker

To make mashed potatoes:

Scrub the red potatoes and remove any sprouts (eyes). In a large pot with lightly salted water, boil the potatoes until soft.

While potatoes are cooking, add the mushrooms and garlic in a pan over medium heat. Cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are reduced to half (no oil necessary if using a nonstick pan).

Mash the potatoes with the skin on, add butter and mushroom mixture. Add skimmed milk - one Tablespoon at a time until a smooth creamy consistency is achieved. You can leave the potatoes lumpier if you prefer them that way. Add chopped greens and mix well.

To transform the creamy potatoes into crispy waffles:

Mix baking powder with the flour. Add flour mixture, eggs and Parmesan cheese to the mashed potatoes, mix well. Add buttermilk and mix. Season with salt if needed.

Grease both sides of waffle iron. Add ¼ cup of batter (for each waffle), and cook until browned on both sides.

Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and/or ketchup. This makes an excellent any-time snack, but can be turned into a filling breakfast with fried eggs and some fresh fruit on the side.

~Gayatri

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Menudo

Going home for the holidays and spending time in my childhood home is always a treat, and brings back so many great memories of preparing delicious holiday meals with my mother. This past holiday season, my mom had planned for a couple Filipino treats, one of which is a stew called “menudo.” This is one of those dishes that has many regional variations, but share the same base ingredients. The traditional dish calls for pork and pork liver, but we used chicken instead. Also, an ingredient called “annatto” is used for additional flavor and aroma (and touch of color), but it can be hard to find outside specialty stores, so we omitted it. The sweet onions and garlic were wonderfully aromatic as they cooked, and the stew was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, reminding me of many other childhood Filipino favorites.

 

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

~1lb chicken breast, cut into ~1 inch cubes

~½ lb chicken liver, sliced

15oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

2 medium potatoes (~6 redskins), cubed (similar size as chicken chunks)

2 medium sweet onions, sliced thin

3 medium tomatoes (about Roma sized, or 1-2 slicer tomatoes), sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

½ - 1 cup water

2 cloves garlic, crushed

soy sauce

ground annatto or annatto juice (optional)

salt to taste


In a large pot, saute onions, garlic, and tomato. Add the chicken and let it cook for a few minutes, stirring for even heating. Season with soy sauce, cover and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

 

Add water (enough for a stew consistency, not so much for a soup) and bell pepper. (If you happen to find annatto, add it after the bell pepper.) Cook for about 30 minutes, until the meat is almost tender.

 

Add the potatoes and garbanzo beans and cook another 10-20 minutes. When the potatoes can be easily pierced, but aren’t falling apart, add the liver and cook another 5-10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Serve on a bed of rice and enjoy!

 

~Karla

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Friday, January 8, 2016

Lazy Varenyky

Last summer I had posted a recipe for Ukrainian dumplings called Varenyky. These are delicate flour pillows with sweet or savory fillings, my favorite being a potato and mushroom filling. Typically these are boiled and served with pan fried onions, and sour cream. The preparation for this delicious treat is well worth the effort, and you can make a big batch and freeze some for later. However, I often find myself longing for varenyky with none left in the freezer and not enough time on hand to make them. That's when I turn to a much simpler version - the lazy varenyky. No, I’m not making up the name. I found some recipes (even written in Ukrainian - so they must be authentic) that call this лінивий вареники (pronounced: linyvyy varenyky - meaning: lazy dumplings). These are very similar to gnocchi, but do not contain any eggs and lack the sophistication of shaping each one nicely as gnocchi typically are. Several varenyky recipes also call for eggs in the dough, but I find the dough without eggs to be lighter. So, I decided to make my lazy version also without eggs.

Ingredients:

3 medium size potatoes

2-4 oz mushrooms, finely chopped (I like the taste a lot so I used about 4 oz, but if you’re not a big fan, reduce the amount or eliminate altogether)

1 tsp oil

¾ - 1 cup flour + more for dusting

Topping:

~1/2 cup chopped onion

~1-2 tbsp oil

~1 tsp flour

Sour cream

Parsley, chopped

Boil the potatoes; peel and mash them until very soft. Fry chopped mushroom in oil until they have released most of their moisture & reduced to half the original volume. Mix the mushrooms with the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the onion topping. This should be ready before the varenyky are cooked so you can coat them with the topping while they’re still hot. Fry the onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add the flour and continue to fry for another minute before taking the pan off the heat.

 

To make the dough, add ½ cup of flour to the potatoes and mushroom mixture and knead into a soft dough. Keep adding a couple tablespoonfuls of flour until the mixture is no longer very sticky (it should still be soft). I ended up using just under 1 cup of flour to make the dough. Do not add extra salt to the dough because it will be boiled in salted water later.
 

Divide the dough into smaller portions and using your hands roll them out into long cylinders about 1” in diameter. Using a sharp knife cut pieces about ¾-1” in diameter. The size really doesn’t matter as long as you keep it consistent, otherwise they won’t cook at the same speed.

Heat water in a large pot over high heat. Add salt to the water just like you would for cooking pasta. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add some of the lazy varenyky. The number will depend on your pot - just make sure you don’t crowd them too much. These literally take a couple minutes to cook, so keep a close eye on them and take them out when you see them floating at the top. It can be hard to see them floating when the water is boiling, so I take the pot off the heat and let the water simmer down for a few seconds so I can see whether the varenyky are still below the water surface or floating at the top.

Once they are cooked, immediately transfer them to a big bowl, and mix well with the onion topping, then serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Another delicious option is to pan fry the boiled varenyky with a little bit of butter until they’re golden brown. Either way you serve them, don’t forget to add a dollop of sour cream, without which any Ukrainian dish is incomplete!

~Gayatri

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Monday, November 16, 2015

Potato, Mushroom and Kale Hash

Kale, like most greens, is an acquired taste. I don’t really like it as much raw, but cooked (or steamed) kale tastes great. It is sturdier than some other greens (such as spinach) so it holds a nice texture and doesn’t wilt as quickly when cooked. It can be paired with almost any ingredients you might have in the pantry, thus making any dish healthier! This leafy green vegetable is full of vitamins, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and a good source of fiber, protein, and some of the essential dietary minerals.

Now, if you’re sold on eating kale, look no further for a simple and delicious potato hash recipe with mushrooms and kale.

Ingredients (~2-3 servings)

1 medium potato - peeled & cubed (I used Yukon gold, but other varieties would also work)

1 medium sweet potato - peeled & cubed (You could use just one kind of potato)

1-2 garlic cloves - minced

½ onion - chopped

~6 oz mushrooms - chopped or sliced

3 large kale leaves - stem removed and roughly chopped (Can use spinach)

2-3 tsp olive oil (or other oil of your choice)

Salt, black pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes with some salt until tender but not completely cooked. Drain and set them aside.

Heat oil and saute garlic, and onions over medium heat for a minute. Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through and are starting to brown. Add the kale leaves, season with salt & pepper, stir and cook for another minute or two until the kale leaves are wilted.

Serve warm as a side, or make a meal by adding a poached or fried egg on top.

~Gayatri

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Stuffed Potato Patties

I gave up eating meat a long time ago, but I do remember a few meat and fish dishes that I loved. One of them was kheema patties. Kheema is minced meat, and these little parcels of goat kheema are enclosed in a soft potato coating, then pan fried until golden brown. Just delicious! So delicious in fact, that every once in a while I still like to make “fake” kheema patties - with the filling made from mushrooms, peas, soy granules (like Nutrela), or Morningstar grillers crumbles (these are my favorite!, and also made from soy).

Ingredients (Makes ~10)

Filling

2 cups frozen Morningstar grillers crumbles (or minced meat, mushrooms, peas, any other chopped vegetables)

1 small onion chopped

~1 cup packed spinach leaves - finely chopped

1-2 cloves garlic - minced

1 tsp oil

2 tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp garam masala

⅛ tsp turmeric powder

Salt

Black pepper (optional - just salt and pepper can also be used to season the filling instead of the other spices)

½ tsp lemon juice (optional)

Coating

5-6 small potatoes - boiled, peeled and mashed

1 Tbsp minced spinach

Salt

Frying

1 egg - beaten (Use a couple Tbsp of Eggbeaters if you don’t want leftover egg - but it can always be used to make a small omelette!)

Salt

Oil for shallow frying

For the filling, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Leave a Tbsp of spinach out for the coating, and add the rest to the onions. Add grillers crumbles and saute for a minute. Add the spices and season with salt. Once all the liquid has evaporated, add the lemon juice, mix well and take off the heat.

For the coating, mix 1 Tbsp minced spinach with the mashed potatoes and season with salt.

Assembling the patties

Take a little potato mixture and form a ball (about 1.5” in diameter). Flatten it out to about ¼” thick and add 1-1.5 Tbsp mixture in the center. Fold the edges over and seal. Gently shape into discs about 1” thick. Repeat until you run out of potato mixture or filling.

Frying the patties

Heat some oil over medium heat for shallow frying. Beat one egg and add a pinch of salt. Dip a prepared patty in the egg. You really only want a very thin coating of egg on the patties, so what I usually do after dipping them in egg is to wipe off the extra with my fingers before putting the patty in the pan. Shallow fry on one side for a minute or so until golden brown, then flip and fry the other side. Repeat with rest of the patties.

Enjoy warm with ketchup.

~Gayatri

Notes

• If using meat for the filling, adjust cooking time accordingly. You can also pre-cook the meat.

If you have any coating left over, its great on its own as mashed potatoes. If you have any filling left, it is also delicious on its own, but you can also mix it with the leftover beaten egg and make a nice omelette.  

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, July 16, 2015

Cabbage and potato pie

Continuing with more guilt free, cold day comfort food, here is a recipe for a pie that uses hardly any oil, and is a good vehicle for any veggies in your fridge that you need to use up. I made this with green cabbage, but will use red cabbage next time for more color. I also didn’t have a lot of vegetables, so I used only mushrooms. Hence it turned out to be not a very colorful pie, but it was certainly delicious.

 

Ingredients:

6-8 whole cabbage leaves + 1 cup chopped cabbage

3 small-medium potatoes - boiled

About 1 cup of chopped vegetables (optional) - I used only ½ cup of mushrooms. Peas, broccoli, carrots etc. would add a lot of taste and color!

½ cup of soy based vegetarian protein / cooked ground meat (optional) - I used MorningStar Grillers Crumbles

Garlic - 1 clove minced

Salt

Pepper

Paprika/ chili flakes (optional)
 

Preheat oven to 375 F.

 

Mash the potatoes and set aside. Boil water in a large sauce pan and add the cabbage leaves. Once tender, remove from the water (about 2-3 minutes), cut out the thick stem and set them on some paper towels. In the same water, add the chopped cabbage and cook for another couple minutes. You may add salt to the water before cooking cabbage, but thats optional. Drain and add the cooked chopped cabbage to the mashed potatoes.

With very little oil, saute the garlic and mushrooms (or other vegetables if using any). Add the cooked soy protein/ground meat. Season to taste. Saute until heated through. Add to the mashed potatoes and cabbage. Season this mixture with salt and pepper (add chili flakes or paprika if desired).

 

Lightly grease a pie pan or a small cast iron skillet. Arrange half of the cabbage leaves to completely cover the bottom, and if possible the sides of the pan. Add the filling over the cabbage leaves and flatten the mixture with a spatula. Cover with the remaining cabbage leaves. Sprinkle a little salt and freshly ground pepper on top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

 

Place a cookie sheet (or larger baking pan) in the oven with about ½ an inch of water. Place the pie pan on the cookie sheet and bake covered for 35-40 minutes until lightly browned on top. Remove the aluminum foil and broil on high for a minute or two till the top is browned to your liking.

 

Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy with a side of some crisp salad.

~Gayatri

Note: I used a 6” cast iron skillet and needed 6 small cabbage leaves to cover the bottom, sides and top. For a larger baking dish, you might need more cabbage leaves.