Fries!!! Malanga fries!!

Hubby brought these home by accident from our farmers market one evening.. I was intrigued.. 🙂

It’s a root.. I did what any sane person would do with a root vegetable.. Fry it !! but I boiled it first.. I could tell it’s like a Cassava but wasn’t sure.. It was a success!!
It’s a Malanga root.. Very common in Cuban cuisine.. also called Taro root.. 
so I boiled a couple of them in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes on medium heat. or you can boil them covered for about 15-18 minutes in a stockpot with 2 cups of water on medium heat till a fork comes out clean when the root is pricked with it.  
Peel and cut into thick strips. 
Shallow fry like below for 3-4 minutes on each side till a beautiful golden brown. 
Season with sea salt, coarse black pepper, dry garlic powder and some dry thyme
Enjoy!!

Baby Bella and bean burgers

2 Cups of mushrooms , wiped clean with a damp towel and chopped rough
Med sized onion chopped fine
Cup of cooked black eyed peas
2 cloves of garlic smashed
2 Tbsp of cilantro chopped

Mix all the above and mash using the back of a spatula or use a food processor. 
Season with salt, pepper and red chili flakes if desired. 
Mix a Tbsp of Cornstarch  and mix well. 
Let rest for 5-6 minutes and shape into patties. Shallow fry in a pan with 2 Tbsps of OO for 3-4 minutes on medium heat on each side. Crispy on the outside and juicy and meaty on the inside. Serve with hot sauce, tamarind chutney and/or ketchup. 

Cracked wheat salad

Boil a cup of cracked wheat in 4 cups of salted water for 8-10 minutes. Drain and keep aside. 
Bring to room temperature. Mix with diced cold veggies like bell peppers, squash, avocado, soybeans. Toss in some herbs like mint and basil. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of OO. Chill !!!
Squeeze if lime and some tangy feta on top !
Enjoy !!