Thanksgiving Leftover Samosa Pancakes

Well first of all, I just want to say how happy I am to have completed my third Vegan Mofo! I love being vegan, and having the opportunity to participate in this great event with so many wonderful, creative people makes me even prouder to be a member of this community (nay - dare I say it? - movement). This feeling of pleasure and pride is only exacerbated by my honest amazement at having managed to post - yes! - every single day, in the midst of everything else on my family's agenda, both individual and collective. 

Secondly, I freely admit to being exhausted. Between PhD applications, the first holiday without my mom, one kid in college, another in the school play, my partner's Horrendous Semester From Hell, and all this cooking/blogging, it may be time for a little take-out chez nous. So don't be surprised if I go back to posting only once a week or so as the remainder of The Blessed Holiday Season prepares to grab us all by the throat and beat us into (jolly! merry! joyous!) submission.

But (and thirdly). That doesn't mean I won't be cooking and - when worthy of the gentle reader's attention - sharing some new and interesting food. It just means that we all have other stuff we need to do, too. (Okay, kids?) And so. At the end of a month of traditional, western comfort foods, in the interest of giving you Something Completely Different, I hereby present my solution to a metric fucktonne of leftover mashed potatoes and butternut squash. Bon appetit, happy Vegan MoFo, and God bless us, every one! 

Thanksgiving Leftover Samosa Pancakes
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 tsp. mustard seeds
~ 1 tbsp. each: minced garlic, grated ginger
~ 1 onion, finely chopped
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, curry powder, garam masala, cumin
~ A few generous grinds of black pepper
~ 1/2 cup frozen peas
~ 2 cups mashed potatoes
~ 1 cup mashed winer squash or sweet potatoes (or more potatoes, depending on your leftovers!)
~ 3/4 cup chickpea flour
~ Oil for cooking


Directions
~ In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook about 3 minutes, until golden.
~ Add the seasonings and the frozen peas and cook about 3 minutes more.
~ Mix in the potatoes and squash, and cook a few minutes, until any liquid has cooked off.
~ Remove from heat, then stir in the chickpea flour, combining thoroughly to make a stiff batter.
~ When the batter is cool enough to handle, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet (cast iron is great). Form the batter into patties about 3" across and fry in batches of four over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes each side.
~ As each batch is finished, transfer them to your preheated baking sheet to keep warm until you've used up all the batter.
~ Et voila: Thanksgiving leftovers, yet not Thanksgiving leftovers! The perfect antidote to the impending onslaught of (yet more) Traditional Holiday Foods.
~ Shantih.