Once Steamed/Once Baked Potato Casserole

13 Jul

Mashed potato is a definite go-to in my recipe repertoire. You’re hungry… potatoes available… make a potato mash. But sometimes you want something more substantial that feels more like a main course, rather than a glorified side dish.

The other day I saw the Idaho potatoes in my sister’s fridge and we were all hungry now… what to do? I wanted to do some twice-baked potatoes, but we just didn’t want to wait to bake and re-bake. So this is a quicker alternative with the same flavor punch of the original.

I do not bake the potatoes first… but I do not boil them either, like for regular mashed potatoes. I steam them. To me is a faster method to cook potatoes and yields the same delicious result.

 

ONCE STEAMED /ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

3 large russet or baking potatoes
1 large onion, diced finely
1 small carrot, grated or chopped finely
2 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tbs butter
2 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 ounces of cream cheese
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs of Vegan Bac’n – optional
2 generous handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I steam the potatoes in a medium pot with just a few inches of water. I season the water with salt. And let them steam for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onions, garlic and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. Cook them until they’re softened.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them and add all the fixin’s… the butter, sour cream or yogurt, cream cheese, the cooked onions/carrot mixture, scallions, shredded cheese and veggie bacon if using. Mash it all well until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  4. Take the potato mash and spoon it into individual ramekins. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  5. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

 

 

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Albóndiga Sandwich

11 Jul

One of my favorite ways to eat albóndigas is in a sandwich… just like the ones I used to have in Subway, way back when.

Sometimes I make a sub sandwich with a whole wheat demi baguette… but sometimes I do dainty and make them open-faced to control the amount of bread and to make them more suitable for a gathering too. Wouldn’t you love to have one of these sandwiches for a tapas party???

Here are the basic ingredients… you put it together in your favorite way.

ALBÓNDIGA SANDWICH

Soy Albóndigas
Criollo Tomato Sauce
Lettuce strips
Vegetarian Mayonnaise
Bread – I personally like crusty breads for this because they stand up better to the tomato sauce

You could make it into a submarine sandwich… or cut the baguette into rounds and serve them open-faced with a single soy albóndiga on top.

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Criollo Tomato Sauce

8 Jul

This is the perfect sauce to dress a batch of soy albóndigas…

Unlike regular meatballs, these soy albóndigas are delicate and do not fare well when cooked nestled in the sauce. That’s why the sauce works best when prepared separately and spooned over right when you’re about to eat them. If not, they tend to crumble in the sauce and lose their wonderful round albóndigas shape.

CRIOLLO TOMATO SAUCE

2 cups of crushed or chopped tomatoes
1 medium sized onion, sliced thinly
1 large garlic clove, chopped
½ vegetable bouillon cube
½ tsp dried oregano or Garlic and Herb seasoning
About ¼ cup of apple cider or balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil
  1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add some olive oil and the sliced onions and cook them to get them softened, not to get any color at all.
  2. When the onions have softened a bit, add the vegetable cube, garlic clove and season with salt and pepper. Work the cube in the bottom of the pan to make it dissolve into the onions and garlic.
  3. Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes or whichever version you’re using… mix all well and season again with salt and pepper, the oregano or the garlic and herbs seasoning. Add the vinegar and cook the sauce covered for about 10-15 minutes.

This sauce is great with soy albóndigas, but you can also just pour it over whole grain rice or over boiled potatoes…

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Soy Albóndigas

7 Jul

I remember when I was a little girl, way before ever imagining of becoming vegetarian, I used to dream of ordering the Spaghetti and Meatballs at the Crystal Palace restaurant at World Disney World. I would go in and order the same thing every single year when we visited the park. The spaghetti my grandma used to make had the meat crumbled or “molida” in the sauce, never made into a meatball. It’s just not the norm here.

Here in Puerto Rico, albóndigas are mostly made as an appetizer for parties and you eat them with toothpicks. They used to be my appetizer of choice to make using those frozen meatball from Sam’s Club – so easy and so delicious. A Xmas party wouldn’t be the same without them… or guineítos en escabeche.

I may be vegetarian now, but I still crave the creamy “meatiness” of those albóndigas with tomato sauce. And every once in a while Mary and Angie, from the Yoga Center, satisfy my cravings. But what happens when they’re not around. I needed to learn to make my own, no?

SOY ALBONDIGAS

1 cup of textured soy protein
½ onion, chopped finely
¼ green pepper, chopped finely
2 tbs sofrito
½ vegetable bouillon cube
½ cup balsamic vinegar – you can use the cheaper one here
3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Herbamare Seasoning to taste, I use about 1 teaspoon
¾ cup garbanzo or chickpea flour
Canola Oil to fry them
  1. First you need to soak the soy protein back to life… place in a medium-sized bowl with plenty of water for the soy to absorb and reconstitute. Allow between 20-30 minutes for the soy to rehydrate. After the soy turns soft, drain it and squeeze as much water from it as you can. Set aside for a little while.
  2. In a medium skillet or sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions and peppers. Sautee the onions and peppers for a few minutes then add the sofrito, vegetable cube, garlic and season with salt and pepper.
  3. When the vegetables are softened a bit, add the textured protein to the pan. Mix well to combine. Add a tad bit of olive oil if the mixture seems too dry. Add the Herbamare seasoning. Add the balsamic vinegar and lower the heat to a simmer and cover so the soy cooks in those juices and absorbs the flavors. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the soy to finish cooking with the residual heat of the pan and burner. Allow the mixture to cool off a bit before continue to forming the albóndigas.
  5. When the soy mixture has cooled off a bit, transfer it to a medium sized bowl and add the garbanzo flour to form a sort-of paste. Mix with your clean hands for better mixing.
  6. Using a heaping measuring tablespoon, portion out the soy to form albóndigas about the size of a ping pong ball.

Here you can do 1 of 2 things: Freeze them individually in a sheet pan and then store them in freezer bags for future use… or fry them right then a there. Your call…

To cook them… fry the albóndigas in about 1 inch of canola oil.  I fry them over medium high heat, but make sure the oil is not too hot to avoid the albondigas to cook too much on the outside and not enough on the inside.  A nice golden color is what you’re going for.

Tomorrow I’ll post the recipe for the tomato sauce you can eat these with… easy and delicious!!

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Eggplant Sandwich Stacks

6 Jul

We were talking recently about my favorite sandwiches… but not all sandwiches need to have bread. Such is the case with these Eggplant Sandwich Stacks. I think they’re more aptly named Eggplant Stacks and done. But Mili at the Yoga Center always calls them Eggplant Sandwiches.

To me an eggplant sandwich is like these ones… eggplant fried or grilled inside two pieces of bread. In this case, the eggplant is the “bread” and the filling is lots’o cheese.

They’re easy to make and are a great way to enjoy eggplants…

EGGPLANT SANDWICH STACKS

2 medium sized eggplants
2 cups of tomato pizza or pasta sauce – I like to use this one I make
1 package of mild cheddar cheese, sliced thinly
½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Garlic and herbs Seasoning mix
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
  2. Cut the eggplants in rounds. Do not peel them as the skin will help retain the shape of the eggplants. If you’re not fond of the skins, you can certainly remove them while you’re eating them. They’ll peel off easily.
  3. Drizzle the eggplant rounds with olive oil and season with garlic and herbs seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Place them side by side on several cookie sheets to roast in the oven covered with aluminum foil paper. Let them cook in the oven for about 15 -20 minutes.
  5. After the eggplant stacks are partially cooked… we stack them. Find pieces that are evenly sized so your stack is even. Or if pieces are not exactly the same size, try for the bottom piece to be larger than the top piece.
  6. Take one piece of eggplant, spread some tomato/marinara sauce on top, but not too much. Place a few slices of cheddar cheese, top with another piece of eggplant.
  8. Spread more tomato/marinara sauce and finish with a mound of mozzarella cheese. Repeat until you have stacked all pieces of eggplant into these sandwiches.
  10. Place again in the oven for about 10-15 additional minutes to finish cooking the eggplants and allowing the cheeses to melt and brown on top.
  11. Allow them to cool a bit before transferring to a plate to serve.

We had these eggplant sandwiches with a lovely rice made in the oven with spinach, mushrooms and nuts.

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