Deviled Potatoes

Anyone else's refrigerator feel too empty on our CSA week off?   It's good to have it full of Karma Farm produce again.

Summer is really almost gone, just a few days left to soak in the backyard parties, lazy weekend sun, and exposed skin walks.  As we turn our attention to fall, the hearty foods like potato and pumpkin are all over, and before we dive headfirst into pumpkin everything, I thought I'd help you transition smoothly with a light finger-food to get your hearty started with potato.

These deviled potatoes make excellent party hors d'oeuvres, or with a few extra garnishes or a green side can easily make a filling meal.  Whether snacking or carb-loading, you can enjoy these low-fat deviled egg replacements with only about 30 minutes of cooking.
Makes about 12-15 medium sized deviled potatoes, with a but more devil spread, you can enjoy on toast or chips :)

What you'll use from your bag:
All your potatoes
1 hot pepper of your choice

What else you'll need:
1 can of Cannellini beans, chickpeas or other white beans, drained
1/4 tsp coriander seed, ground
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Kala Namak (India Black Salt)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegetable broth
splash of lemon broth
pinch of black pepper
Oil for taste, roast (optional)


First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Scrub and rinse the potatoes. Cut them in half so you have two fat halves, rather than two long flat halves.  Toss them in 1 tsp oil (optional) and place them with their whites down on a foil covered baking sheet.

Place another piece of foil on top of the potato halves, fold the
bottom layer up around all of the edges to create an envelope, that will speed up the baking process incredibly on these potatoes.

Roast for about 20 minutes, until you can easily scoop the insides out, and leave a strong and in-tact outer shell.  (they will be cooked more later, don't over cook them now!)



Now, make your Devil Spread
Add the beans, the broth, and all the spices into the blender, and turn on high for 2 minutes, while the potatoes roast.  If the fatty satisfaction of eggs is something you think you'll miss too much, or you want a much thicker mixture, add 1 tablespoon of oil during this step.  Remember, as soon as those potatoes are done, all their insides are going into this mix too.  Taste your mix, it should be rich, slightly egg-y, and flavorful.  If you need more egg flavor, increase your India Black Salt, if you need more pow for a wow, add more smoked paprika, or a couple seeds from your hot pepper, and blend for another minute until completely smooth.  Don't forget to scrape down your sides, so all your spices are mixed evenly.

Take your hot pepper and slice it as thinly as possible, removing all the seeds.  Add these to either 2 tablespoons of broth or 2 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, to let "infuse" while everything else comes together.  You can always throw one or two pieces into the bean spread to spice it up too.


Then, scoop our your potatoes and finish cooking them

With an oven mitt on (trust me) hold a potato half in your left hand, and use a small spoon to scoop the insides out in a round shape from the middle.  You will be left with cute hollows that will get baked before you fill them up withy you devil spread.

Spray or coat the potatoes with oil or broth, and return to the oven, white sides exposed, no foil.  Bake for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes finish up, blend the potato insides into the bean mix.  This will thicken the mix up considerably, but will also mute the flavors, so make sure you are spicing this for  your tastebuds.  I don't want you to set yourself on fire now that the heat outside is turning down :)  Remember, we have hot peppers for garnish too.

When the potatoes are done, spoon them to fill, sprinkle with cayenne, smoked paprika, and garnish with hot peppers and drizzle the rest of the oil on.  You can also top with tomato, Cheeze Sauce or anything else your heart might desire.

Tofu Scramble

Breakfast isn't really a time when most people think of vegetables, but it could be.  Take the classic scramble, here with a plant-based twist.  A nice firm tofu, the right seasonings, and farm-fresh veggies combine to create a mouth and eye-pleasing alternative to the classic, that is quick to make, filling, and without all that pesky saturated fat and cholesterol.  Best of all, you can spice it up however you like, perhaps middle-eastern for the Shakshuka fans of the world, or Italian spices like basil and oregano for the diner style breakfast club.

This is a great technique that you can also apply to feta and ricotta toppings, and is overall a great stab at preparing tofu in new and delicious ways.

Serves 4, or 2 really hungry people, and reheats well.  Great on its own or on toast or in breakfast burrito wraps.

What you'll use from your bag:

1 Tomato (I had some left over from last week's bounty), diced

1/2 hot pepper, or a whole one if you like the heat, diced seeds removed

3 small sweet peppers, diced

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

What else you'll need:

2 Tbs avocado or safflower oil

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped and added at the end

1 block firm tofu

1 tsp cumin or curry powder (skip for a more Italian or French style)

1/4 tsp India Black salt, for the egg flavor

1/2 tsp parsley, dried

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp fennel seed powder

1/2 tsp turmeric, for health and color

First, drain and press the tofu

This is the most important step when working with tofu, and if often the reason people think they don't like it.  Tofu gets packaged in liquid to keep it fresh, but the liquid has no flavor, and will often keep flavors from penetrating the tofu and DEFINITELY keep the texture soft, rather than hearty and meaty, so proper pressing to remove the liquid is going to change your tofu game.  I recently discovered the most amazing way to press tofu (and lots of other things) is using a salt slab cutting board.  Or in this case, 2 of them.  This is the perfect amount of weight, and salt cures it which not only speeds up the liquid draining time, but gives is a nice mineral rich, salt flavor, so you can actually skip the added salt.  If you don't have one, they are MAJORLY affordable right now at Trader Joe's, or you can wrap your tofu in a dishcloth, and put a cutting board on top of it with a few cans of something heavy, like beans. This takes about 5-10 minutes, and you can prep your veggies while this happens

Next, start your sauté

Heat oil in a frying pan, and add your diced onions, garlic, and hot pepper.  

While they soften, assemble your spices in a large mixing bowl, and toss in your tofu in large chunks.  A potato masher works best, but a fork will work just fine, as you are trying to mix the spices into your tofu as you "scramble" the tofu, into nice pillowy, bite sized, flavorful clumps.

When its done, it will look like cooked scramble, which is pretty cool, since that is what we are making :)

It will be yellow, from the turmeric, and smell of egg, from the India Black salt, and be delicious from all the spices, but will be EXTRA great warm and with all your veggies.

Now, add your tofu to the sauté mix

Let the oil, onion, garlic and hot pepper fully integrate with the tofu mixture, and you will notice the scramble get a brighter yellow, and even slightly brown in some area.  This is excellent because it means all those flavors are penetrating, and intensifying.

Add your diced tomato, and sweet peppers in, and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they soften. This adds some moisture back into the mix, so decide how "well-done" you like your textures, and if you want dryer scrambles, bump that up to 5 minutes.

Toss in your basil, stir until its soft, and take a good long sniff at the heaven in your pan.

If you are going for French style, add some vegannaise, or some coconut creme fraiche with some Herbs d' Provence, for Italian, add some thyme and oregano and serve over toasted Ciabatta, and for my curry style, add that full pepper, and garnish with a little sprinkle of ginger and light a fire under your day!

Enjoy!