Overly-Healthy Hash Browns

I love fried potatoes. It's a fact about myself that I somewhat despise, since I'm sure it's somewhat genetic (there's some Irish in my lineage..), and it's not very healthy. Hash Browns can be vegan naturally, depending on how you prepare them. If you go the route of buying "Hash Browns" in the Potato section of any supermarket frozen aisle, throw them in a pan with oil and swish around until mushy, it's already vegan. 

I, on the other hand, being a homemade-food nut, love to make Browns from scratch. This requires a binding agent, like an egg. Since my recent food epiphany excludes eggs and all their creamy, cholesterol laden goodness, I decided to attempt a Vegan version today based on my old stand by recipe, using Bob's RedMill Egg Replacer in place of eggs. 

Awesome stuff!! Think of the possibilities :)

Pretty ingenious stuff, really! Mix 1 Tablespoon of this with 3 Tablespoons of water, and VOILA! .. you have a slightly eggy looking mixture that acts like an egg in recipes! All the binding, leavening fun, none of the fat or cholesterol. Me = happy. 

To keep in the mind-set of plant-based nutrition (where all your nutrients come from your food...), I made sure to include red onion (lots of good lycopene [amino acid], and vitamins and minerals) and a titch of Kale (LOTS of vitamins, minerals, protein, iron, etc. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse). While this did give our hash browns a slightly green tint, it wasn't enough to be unappetizing. It looked... festive! :)

So, enough narration already!! Here's the recipe. 

Overly-Healthy Hash Browns

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Serves: 2-3 

Ingredients:

1 large russet potato

1/4 of a large red onion

1/2 cup to 1 cup kale

Garlic (about 1/2 tsp or to taste)

Salt (about 1/4 tsp or to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

1 egg's equivalent of Bob's RedMill Egg Replacer (or other egg replacer!)

1 Tablespoon Grapeseed oil 

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the Grapeseed oil on medium heat. This will be heating while you're grating your tato, so no need to crank the heat. (p.s.- Grapeseed oil can withstand SUPER high heat without breaking down the heart healthy fats it contains, which is a great thing.. but don't test the theory today!)

In a food processor with a grate function (or the old fashioned way with a grater), grate the potato, onion, and kale. Transfer to a bowl. Combine with egg replacer and spices. Toss to coat. 

By now, your skillet should be hot and ready for the potato mixture. The oil should be watery in appearance (meaning it's HOT! The hotter the oil, the more it'll simply cook your food and not soak into it instead), and not smoking (... if it's smoking, the fats have gotten too hot and broken down. No worries, you can still cook with the oil, the health benefits will just be decreased.) Add your potato mixture to the pan, forming patties. Heat should be at a medium-high setting. 

Keep in mind that the egg replacer likes to stick (as I discovered!!), so every few minutes or so try to slide a spatula under each Brown to keep it from adhering to your pan! Flip over after about 7 minutes. Brown the other side for about 7 minutes, making sure both sides are browned (these are Hash Browns, after all). When the potato is thoroughly cooked (don't be afraid to lop off a piece and test its doneness), remove from heat and blot with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve with ketchup or BBQ sauce if you like. Enjoy!!!

The finished product! This is from our breakfast today... YUMMY!