hungarian paprika potato pasta

Overview

Time: 40 minutes
Dishes: skillet, medium pot, shallow pan, air-fryer or oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

My kids love this meatless, vegetarian and vegan recipe and it really is very delicious. This dish is called March of the Grenadiers, but because I'm still not quite sure why (except that legend has it that the soldiers marched across the countryside collecting ingredients and then came up with this meal based on what they could obtain), I renamed it to something that makes some sort of sense.

This is traditionally pan fried in plenty of fat and it can take forever! With an air-fryer, this takes about 5 to 10 minutes, sans all the fat. I used an oil sprayer and if you have a refillable one, add a few tablespoons of water to get it to mist. It really works!

If no air-fryer, add to a sheet pan and bake it until it is as crisp as you like it. Before the air-fryer my kids had me baking it for about 20 minutes, but they like the pasta extra crispy. Air-fry portions at a time to get it crispy enough. This will depend on the size of your pan that fits in the air-fryer. I did mine in two batches.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Put the water on for the pasta first since flat pasta can take up to 10 minutes to cook. 
• Take care adding the paprika. Have your water ready to add to avoid burning it.
• Peel the potatoes while the onions are cooking.
• Chop the tomato and pepper after the potatoes are in the pan.

 

Hungarian Paprika Potato Pasta

Makes 4 servings 

moderate 

Preheat air-fryer to 400-F or oven to 450-F

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water, until   al dente. Drain well and return to the pot:

8 ounces flat pasta (bowtie, shell, broken lasagna)

2. Base: Cook in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, with a lid, until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir often:

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the paprika. Stir very well and add the water. Do not burn the paprika or it will be bitter.

2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

2 cups water

4. Potatoes: Add the potatoes, tomato, bell pepper and salt to the Base. Stir very well, cover and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes:

1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 small pepper (bell or Hungarian), chopped

1 teaspoon salt

5. Fry: Coarsely mash the Potatoes with the cooking liquid. Add the Potatoes to the drained Pasta. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the mixture to a shallow pan that fits in the air-fryer or on a baking sheet for the oven. Spray with oil. Bake until the pasta is as crisp as you like it, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve. 

Spray oil

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

nacho burritos

Overview

Time: 45 minutes
Dishes: rice cooker, medium pot, blender, measuring cup

Heads Up! canned tomatoes with chiles and jarred roasted red pepper

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Quite shockingly, this is a very easy meatless, vegetarian, and vegan meal to prepare, but that rice takes a long time to cook! You can even cook the rice the night before and heat in the microwave to make this meal take about 20 minutes to prepare the day of. 

This meal is like having a nacho tucked inside a burrito, to save yourself the mess and the time it takes to prepare nachos, which can take forever even though they are considered appertizer food. 

A note about the jarred roasted red pepper: they can mold fast and this recipe only uses a few tablespoons. I portion the remainder of the peppers, drained, into ice cube trays. About 2 or 3 tablespoons per slot. Freeze it and once frozen add the cubes to a container to stash in the freezer. To thaw, soak in a 1/2 cup of water for a few minutes. 

Long story short, these are delicious! The cheese sauce was the hardest part of this recipe to devise because I wanted to make it fast and easy to prepare, without a lot of added fat. I did add some vegan cheese to the sauce, but if you are a great fan of the flavor of nutritional yeast, you can get away with adding 1/2 teaspoon of mild vinegar in lieu of the vegan cheese. I liked it with the cheese, truth be told, so I do recommend it that way. It doesn't take a lot, but the flavor goes a long way.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• The rice will absolutely take the longest. Start there.
• Prepare the sauce in the blender and add to the pot. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, but wait to cook.
• Chop the toppings.
• Cook the sauce when the rice is done (to allow rice to steam) or (if you're in a hurry), cook the sauce when the rice is 5 minutes out from being ready.

 

Nacho Burritos

Makes 4 servings 

moderate 

1. Rice: Cook the rice in a rice cooker, or as desired, with the spices.

1 cup brown rice

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or adobo, or etc.

1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salt-free seasoning)

2. Cheese Sauce: Combine the ingredients in a blender. Blend until very smooth.

1 cup mashed tofu, regular or silken

3/4 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk

2 tablespoons jarred roasted red pepper

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

3. Add the Cheese Sauce to a medium pot. Stir in the beans, tomatoes and cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the cheese melts and sauce thickens. Keep warm.

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with chiles (like Rotel), drained

2 slices or 1/2 cup shredded yellow vegan cheese

4. Assemble: Warm a tortilla over a burner. Add Rice, top with layer of tortilla chips, add lots of Cheese Sauce, add toppings as desired and roll:

4 burrito-sized tortillas

tortilla chips

lettuce, shredded

green onions, minced

fresh or pickled jalapenos

tomatoes, diced

olives, sliced

avocado, chopped

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.