twice-baked mexican potatoes

   

Overview

Time: 90 minutes
Dishes: medium skillet, baking sheet, large bowl, oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Try as I might to make this dish weekday friendly, baking the potatoes just takes too long - there is no way getting around the 1 hour mark. You could shave off ten minutes or so by using smaller potatoes or microwave them first, but otherwise, the time is firm to get them cooked.

That was the bad news; the good news is that these Twice-Baked Mexican Potatoes are delicious! They are  laced with Mexican sausage (or chili powder added to regular vegan sausage), cumin, vegan cheese and topped with crunchy tortilla strips, nondairy sour cream and chives.

During my research into Twice Baked Potatoes, all I could find were heart attacks in a shell! Most of the top recipes called for cups of butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, whole milk. Yikes! No need for that kind of damage to animals or humans!

These unique twice-baked potatoes are crazy good and much kinder to all species. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the potatoes first. 
• Cook the sausage 5 minutes before the potatoes are done.
• Shred the cheese (or gather the ingredients) while the sausage cooks.
• Allow the potatoes to cool only enough to handle; you can't mash cold potatoes.
• Use a large spoon to scoop the inside of the potatoes.
• Use an ice cream scoop to fill the potatoes.
• Use your impeccably clean hands to shape the filling. 

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Twice Baked Mexican Potatoes

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekend

Preheat the oven to 425-F. Serve with steamed broccoli or green salad.

4 (14-ounce) Russet potatoes

Olive oil

2 links vegan sausage (Mexican, if possible), diced

1-3 teaspoons chili powder (use sausage is not Mexican)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup yellow or orange shredded vegan cheese

1/3 cup plain unsweetened nondairy milk

3 corn tortillas, cut into thin slices about 1.5-inches long

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

4 scallions, minced

1. Potatoes: Wash the potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Pierce the potatoes all over with a paring knife. Rub olive oil on the surface of the potatoes and bake them directly on the middle oven rack until tender, about 1 hour. 

2. Mash: When the Potatoes are baked cut them in half and set them aside until cool enough to handle. When cooled slightly, scoop out the inside of the potato halves and transfer it to a large bowl. Take care to leave enough potato in the skins so that the halves hold their shape. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher. 

3. Sausage: Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and sausage. Cook until lightly browned but not overcooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.       

4.  Add the chili powder and cumin to the Sausage. When the Potatoes are Mashed, add the Sausage mixture, cheese and milk. Stir well. 

4. Bake Again: Spray the potato halves with oil spray and fill them with the potato Mash. Make the filling heap above the shells. Transfer the potato halves to a baking dish. Add more shredded cheese on top, if desired, and bake in the preheated 425-degree F oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped tortillas to a baking dish, spray with oil and bake with the halves during the final 8 minutes of baking time. Serve with the baked tortillas, sour cream and scallions.

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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trinidad chickpea and potato curry

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: large pot, rice cooker

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This Trinidad recipe comes courtesy of my son's mother-in-law. I'd say it comes courtesy of my son-in-law, but he doesn't cook and never learned. My son learned this recipe directly from his husband's mother. This is very near and dear to both my son and son-in-law and they make it every few weeks or so.

I completely understand why - it is delicious and ridiculously easy to make! This is another dish where it is best to start making the rice first because the curry is done so quickly! 

The original version of this recipe uses about 6 tablespoons of oil (neutral oil is best if using this amount) and a half cup of brown sugar, so if you want the very authentic version, bump up my quantities accordingly. 

For an everyday recipe, I recommend using the proportions I gave, which does have my son-in-law's stamp of approval. In fact, they both say that it is too close in flavor to the original to not go the healthier route. 

Also, my recipe uses my homemade curry powder (get it HERE), which I HIGHLY recommend. Buying curry powder at the store will leave your curry a bit flat, unless you know the spices were ground recently. That is something near impossible to tell with a store-bought curry powder. Making your own takes about 10 minutes and lasts about 3 months (for optimal flavor). 

I know the recipe and the ingredients look too easy and simple to possibly produce anything amazing, but the sum of the parts is absolutely delicious! 

Deep appreciation is sent to my son-in-law's mother. I hope she has a few more recipes she's willing to share!

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Start the rice first.
• Peel the potatoes and drain the chickpeas (reserve aquafaba; freeze if not using within a few days).
• Prepare the water to add to the curry.
• Measure the sugar, salt, garlic and salt-free seasoning while the water comes to a boil, after adding the chickpeas and potatoes.
• Wash the spinach while the curry cooks.

 

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Trinidad Chickpea and Potato Curry

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekday

 

2 cups rice, any kind

2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder (store-bought or Zsu’s Curry Powder)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder

1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning (like Mrs. Dash)

5 ounces baby spinach (optional)

 

1. Rice: Cook the rice as desired, in a rice cooker or Instant Pot.

2. Base: Have the 2 cups of water ready next to the pot to avoid burning the curry powder. Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cumin seeds, mix well. Cook very briefly to awaken the flavors and then immediately add the water.   

3. Potatoes:  Add the potatoes, chickpeas, sugar, salt, garlic and salt-free seasoning to the Base. Mix well, bring to boil over high heat, and reduce to medium heat to simmer. Partly cover and cook until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is well reduced, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir once or twice toward the end of the cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning.  

4. Spinach (optional): Stir in the spinach. Cook to wilt, about 1 minute and serve.

 

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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