...Vegan Potet Klub...(Kloob)...

...when we lived in North Dakota...a lot of cafés would serve Klub in the wintertime...it was usually a special for the day and not a regular menu item...

...sometimes Churches would also have Klub/Lutefisk dinners...sometimes called Klub Feeds...as a lot of the original settlers were either German (Klub) or Norwegian/Scandinavian/Finn (lutefisk)...

...Of course I've never tried either dish as I don't know of any vegan versions...and I probably won't be trying to create any vegan lutefisk either...HA!

...but as it's turned off quite chilly...we thought a nice hearty potato dumpling supper was in order...

...I started the vegan version with some croutons...these will go into the center of the potato dumpling...

...just browned in some Earth Balance...

...and set aside...

...cook your potatoes however you want...and place them into cold water...

...then run them through a ricer...

...use potato starch if you can find it...but cornstarch or wheat flour will also work...

...add the starch to the potatoes...

...and mix with your hands...

...until you have a sort of gummy dough...

...I measured a 1/4 cup of dough for each dumpling...

...formed it into a ball...and placed a bread cube in the center...

...then closed it up nice and tightly...

...to form a nice sized round dumpling...

...I made a broth of water, a veggie stock cube (Maggi)...

...and some of the ham TVP bits that I'd gotten at the SDA store...

...just added to a pot of boiling water...

...then just drop in your dumplings...

...they need to cook for 15 minutes or so...to get done all the way through...but not so long that they fall apart...

...and they will sort of become more buoyant and rise to the top...

...we served our Vegan Klub with some sauerkraut, biscuits, peas, and corn from the freezer...Our North Dakota friends would sometimes joke about how bland their traditional meals were...not a lot of colour on the plate...

...a close up of the yummy Klub...

...and when you cut into a dumpling...you get the little surprise buttery cube of bread...

...quite delicious...but also quite a lot of time and trouble and a big mess in the kitchen...so probably we'll reserve this one for special occasions...or maybe for when friends from North Dakota visit...

...so...y'all come on down south for some Vegan Klub...

~Have a lovely day!

Vegan Potato Klub

1 1⁄2 lbs russet potatoes (about 2 large)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour (or more)
1⁄8 cup cornstarch (or potato starch, much preferred, if you can get it)
1 egg replacer egg...I used flax seed goo with EnerG egg replacer...
2 slices good firm bread for the croutons
1 tablespoon vegan butter and 1 tablespoon corn oil
Vegan TVP ham flavored crumbles
1 vegan bouillon cube or salt for the cooking water

Trim crusts off bread and save them for another use.
Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes and fry in Earth Balance and oil mixture until golden brown, transfer to paper towel to dry.
Cook potatoes into large pieces.
Place in cold water and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Run through ricer into large bowl.
Mix in salt and add 1/2 cup flour and potato starch.
Using hands, knead mixture in bowl until smooth dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky.
Mix in egg replacer.
Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cupful for each.
Insert bread cube into center of each dumpling; roll dumpling between palms to enclose bread cube completely and form smooth balls.
Working in batches, cook dumplings in large pot of water seasoned with bouillon cube and TVP ham flavored crumbles for 10-15 minutes (or until dumplings rise to top).

Thanks to The North Dakota Kitchen...and Food.com for the inspiration recipes...