Healthy Sweet Potato, Cheddar & Spinach Perogies

As we were walking down the hallway to our apartment, the most marvellous smell of perogies filled our nostrils. We immediately craved perogies! We did a quick search online to find out how to make dough (thanks About.com) and used things that we had at our disposal to make the filling. This was our first time making perogies and it was definitely a success! 

In a bowl, mix together one cup of whole wheat flour and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Add in two and a half teaspoons of luke warm water and one beaten egg. Mix well until dough is formed. Cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add one cup of diced and peeled sweet potatoes to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes until soft and strain. Transfer potatoes to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat up a skillet on medium heat, coat with cooking spray and add one cup of chopped baby spinach and half of a minced garlic clove. Sauté for a few minutes until spinach is tender and remove from heat. 

In a bowl, mix together sweet potatoes, spinach, a quarter cup of shredded light cheddar cheese and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.

Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with a little flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough as thin as possible, the thinner the better. 

Next, using a circle cookie cutter or a cup, cut circles out from dough. 

Once dough circles are formed, put a dollop of sweet potato mixture in the center of each circle. 

Fold over and pinch edges to close perogies. You can use a little water to help them stick.

Once the perogies are assembled, you can cook them however you'd like! We like to boil them for a few minutes, then fry them with one slice of turkey bacon, a quarter cup of scallions and a little olive oil. 

Start off by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in water and boil for 3-5 minutes. Transfer perogies to a skillet heated with chopped bacon, scallions and olive oil. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and serve with a dollop of sour cream. 

Healthy Sweet Potato, Cheddar & Spinach Perogies

Makes 12-18 perogies

Ingredients:

Dough:

From About.com

1 cup Whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 1/2 tbsp Lukewarm water

1 Beaten egg

Filling:

1 cup Sweet potato, diced and peeled

1 cup Baby spinach, chopped

1/2 Garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp Sea salt

1/4 cup Light cheddar cheese, shredded

Optional:

1 slice Turkey bacon

1/4 cup Scallions, sliced
1/2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add in water and egg and mix well until dough is formed.
2. Cover dough and set aside for 10-20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water with sweet potatoes to a boil, and boil for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are soft.
4. Strain and transfer to blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
5. Heat up a skillet on medium heat, coat with cooking spray and add spinach and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until spinach is tender. Remove from heat.
6. In a bowl, combine blended sweet potatoes, spinach, cheddar cheese and salt. Set aside.
7. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with a little flour and roll out as thin as possible using a rolling pin, the thinner the better. 
8. Using a circle cookie cutter or a glass cup, cut circles out of the dough. 
9. Place a dollop of the sweet potato mixture in the middle of each dough circle and close the edges, squeezing them together. You can use a little water to help the edges stick together. 
10. Once all perogies are filled, cook as you please.  

How we cooked the perogies:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add perogies. Boil for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a frying pan heated with olive oil. 
2. Fry for a few minutes to brown with bacon and onions. 

Recipe makes 12-18 perogies (or 2 servings). Each serving (half of the recipe) is approximately 385 calories.