Veggie Puff Pillows

Good morning.

As we wind down here on Comox Valley Kids and gear up for the launch of Our Big Earth-Comox Valley (next Wednesday, Wow!) it is my honour that our final Food & Your Family entry comes from one of my favourite food bloggers, Mohini from Mango Power Girl.

Her wonderful, delicious treats make this bitter sweet moment just perfect.

I have to throw out a big, huge thank you to all of our guest foodies the last couple of months. There have been some AMAZING recipes shared that have become staples in our house and I very much appreciate the time and effort everyone put into creating and offering up dishes for CVK readers.

If I get sappy and sentimental over the next week, just point and laugh at me. For more than a couple of reasons, a deep sentimentality has settled in with me about this transition.

I may cry. OK, already crying. So, that should say “I may cry on a dime, continuously, for seemingly inexplicable reasons.”

What can I say? I’m a sucker for sentiment.

Here’s Mohini:

It is so much fun to create kid-friendly recipes for CVK and I wish you all the best as you launch the new site.

Since I don’t have kids of my own yet, I think back to what my mother would’ve done to make me eat healthy but interesting vegetarian foods when I was growing up, in India.

“Puffs” are a popular Indian street food, generally old fashioned pastry stuffed with layers of mixed veggies which is baked.

I am cheating a bit here by using store-bought puff pastry, but if you find a good quality, local kind, like I did from Seattle’s Aussie Bakey, it is such a handy thing to have ready in your freezer (editor’s note, Edible Island does occasionally have an excellent puff pastry).

This recipe is also a convenient way to use all the extra or leftover vegetables you have lying around. It is super with seasonal vegetables like squash, and it works with vegetables that most kids don’t eat very easily, like spinach.

I think spinach with cheese rolled in puff pastry tastes really yummy! I snuck in a few other vegetables for my version and they tasted great.

You can vary the recipe by adding peas, potatoes, or carrots, or try different types of cheese like cottage or ricotta, or try using tofu — this is what I do with my leftover tofu scramble!

This is a popular bite-sized appetizer or side dish for any meal. It just takes a little bit of prep, but you can certainly prepare the filing in advance and store it for later.

I used:
1 bunch chopped fresh spinach
5 diced crimini mushrooms
1 diced red bell pepper
1 chopped clove garlic
1/3 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (a spice blend which you can definitately find in an Indian store)
salt (& I added red chili powder) to taste
2 sheets of Aussie Bakery puff pastry (it’s local to Seattle and made without junk ingredients, but you can make your own at home if you wish)

My method:
1. Thaw the puff pastry according to its directions and preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F).
2. Sauté garlic in oil briefly, then add bell pepper, mushrooms, and spices, and let them cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the spinach, salt, and red chili powder, and let it cook down for a few minutes. Stir.
4. Turn the heat off when the spinach is cooked down and set the filling aside to cool just a bit.
5. Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut out rounds, or any of your favorite shapes.
6. Add the cheese to the filling and mix well.
7. Place about a tablespoon of filling on half of the rounds, cover each with another round, and press the edges down lightly with the back of a spoon, working your way around.
8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the pastry looks golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes off the baking sheet, then serve.

Photo courtesy of Mango Power Girl

Tags: appetizer, cooking, family, food, Indian, Kids, Mango Power Girl, Mohini, vegetables, vegetarian

Category: Dinner, EAT & DRINK, Lunch, Recipes