Healthy Mashed Potatoes With Roasted Tomato and Onion

Mashed Potatoes:

6 large potatoes

5 cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons warm milk (2%)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Sea salt and black pepper

Place the potatoes, garlic and broth in a large pot. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Cover on medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

Blend the potatoes, milk, and oil continuing until potatoes are nice and fluffy. Drizzle in extra olive oil if it appears too dry. Mashed potatoes should be fluffy not runny or gooey. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Arrange roasted veggies over the top. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve warm.

Roasted Veggies:

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 large white onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Sea salt and black pepper

Pre heat oven to 500 F.

On a large baking sheet, toss vegetables in a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 5 to 10 minutes (don't over cook!), turning occasionally. 

Gluten-free Potato Dumplings

Dumplings:

2 large russet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and add to a large pot with enough water to cover. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper and boil with skin on until cooked (about 20 minutes). Drain and let it cool before you remove skin. Mash it roughly, making sure there's still pieces in it (we don't want smooth mash potatoes!).

Combine mashed potatoes, nutmeg, flour and baking powder. Mix to combine (dough should be dry, add more flour if it's sticky). Use a small ice cream scoop to form dough into balls. Arrange dumplings in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Sauce:

4 cups roasted tomato sauce

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

In a large pot on medium to high heat, bring tomato sauce to a boil and add dumplings. Lower heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve dumplings garnished with fresh herbs and drizzled with olive oil.

Eva's Potato Sauerkraut Soup (GUEST POST)

My Polish girlfriend, Eva and her family joined us for Thanksgiving this year. She offered to make her mother's Sauerkraut Soup as part of our meal. The original recipe contains sausage and bacon that we left out as some of us do not eat land animals but you can add them if you prefer.

1 rasher bacon, chop into small pieces (optional) or 1 tablespoon of butter

3 links kielbasa sausage (optional)

1 white onion, chopped

5 medium potatoes, peel and chop into bite sizes

2 carrots, chop into bite sizes

1/2 gallon rich vegetable broth

3 14.5 oz jar sauerkraut (drained)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2 bay leaves

pinch of sugar

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chop

black pepper

fresh cream

Fry bacon bits in the pot you will use for the soup. Add onions and kielbasa (optional), saute until golden brown. Add broth, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes). Add sauerkraut, cumin, sugar, paprika, caraway seeds (optional), and fresh parsley. Season with black pepper. Stir to combine, cover, and simmer for two hours.

Drizzle fresh cream at serving as cream will separate due to the acidity of the sauerkraut. Mix cream into the soup. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Baked Potato Croquettes

4 cups mashed potato, 1 day old

1 cup aged cheddar, grated

2 green onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

4 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon nutmeg

sea salt and black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups panko crumbs

1/2 cup black sesame seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F

Add all the ingredients to a food processor (except panko crumbs, eggs, and olive oil). Pulse until well combined and smooth. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.

Form into 4" by 2" cylinders. Dip in egg mixture and roll to fully coat in panko crumbs and black sesame seeds (optional). Place slightly apart on a greased baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more before baking.

Bake until cooked, crispy, and brown (about 30 minutes) turning over occasionally. 

Serve hot with any dipping sauce of your choice or as a side dish.

Lamb Vegetable Stew

2 pounds lamb (stew meat)

1 cup fresh tomato sauce

1 cup vegetable broth

1 large purple eggplant, cut into bite chunks

3 large carrots, cut into bite size chunks

2 cups baby red potatoes (or potatoes of choice)

1 large white onion

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons good quality paprika

Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cumin, paprika, and garlic. Toss lamb pieces to fully coat. Season well with salt and black pepper. Add to a large casserole dish and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Cover. Bake for 1 hour. 

Reduce heat to 300 F. Continue to cook a further 2 hours. Turn heat off and leave Goulash in the oven to rest until it's time to serve.  Season well with salt and black pepper and garnish with lots of fresh parsley. Serve hot.