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Enjoy all the comfort of potato dumplings without any meat or dairy

One of my all-time favourite pull-it-out-of-the-freezer meals is perogies. That said, there’s something about a fresh homemade perogy that is extra delicious. It may be more work, but good vegan perogies are hard to find, so if you make them yourself you can customize your fillings and even make a few different flavours in the same batch. And because this recipe makes a large batch, you can eat some that same day and freeze the rest for another day when you’re feeling lazy.

The bacon-and-cheddar-filled perogy is the classic and most popular flavour, which we've done in a vegan version here. But if you want a different filling, you can chop and wilt some spinach, add in some caramelized onions or throw in some vegan ground round. Heck, you can even make dessert perogies with local fruit to pair with some dairy-free ice cream. The world is your oyster... or perogy, I guess.

 

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups flour, plus more for rolling and dusting

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

  • 1 cup of water

FILLING INGREDIENTS

  • 3 russet potatoes
  • 1½ cups vegan cheddar
  • Salt and pepper
  • Nut milk
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • 3 or 4 pieces of vegan bacon (see below)

FOR THE VEGAN BACON, RECIPE FROM THE EDGY VEG

  • 10 pieces rice paper
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • ½ tsp liquid smoke (or substitute 1 tbsp BBQ sauce)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp of paprika

FOR COOKING

  • 2 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil

FOR TOPPINGS (ALL OPTIONAL)

  • 1 onion
  • Chives and/or green onions
  • Vegan sour cream (or cashew cream)
  • Caramelized onions (If you want these for a topping, it's good to make them first as they take some time)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Make the vegan bacon from The Edgy Veg and allow it to fully cool.
  2. If you want to skip this step (to save a bunch of time) and just want cheddar perogies with a smoky flavour, add ½ tsp of liquid smoke to the filling when mixing it all together. It won’t have the crunch and chew factor, but you will still get the aroma.

DOUGH INSTRUCTIONSdoughChristine McAvoy

  1. Measure out the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add in the salt and combine, then add the water and oil and begin to bring the dough together.
  2. Start the dough in the bowl and when it is loosely mixed, move it to a clean, floured countertop, and continue to knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth ball (about 10 minutes).
  3. Cut the dough in half, and wrap each half with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes. You can put it in the fridge if you want, but let it warm up a bit before you start to work with it. Make the filling during this time.

FILLING INSTRUCTIONSfillingChristine McAvoy

  1. Scrub and peel your potatoes, then cut into cubes. Cover with cold water, then bring to a boil on the stove.
  2. Let the potatoes cook at a rolling low boil until you can pierce them easily with a knife (around 15 to 20 minutes).
  3. Drain and then place the potatoes back in the pot. Add the vegan butter, and then either with a potato masher or a hand mixer, work the potatoes until they're smooth while slowly adding some nut milk as needed. (I don't like chunky mashed potatoes, but if you prefer, you can leave some). Lightly salt and pepper to taste, then stir in your vegan cheddar.
  4. If using the vegan bacon, crumble into small bits, or chop and then stir in. If just using the liquid smoke, pour in and mix well.
  5. Let cool to room temperature so you don't burn yourself when making the perogies.
  6. If you'd like to use other fillings as well, you could heat some veggie ground round and wilt some baby spinach in a pan. Either use this on its own, or mix it into the potatoes.
  7. You could also sauté some onions, and then add chopped mushrooms, cooking until they brown and the moisture has evaporated. And again, either use on its own or mix into the potatoes.

TO MAKE THE PEROGIESperogyChristine McAvoy

  1. Roll out half the dough until it's about ⅛- to 1/16-inch thick (very thin), either by hand or in a pasta maker.
  2. Use a round cookie cutter or a glass, floured, and cut the dough into circles (or ovals). Place on a floured cutting board or cookie sheet while you do the rest of the dough.
  3. Re-roll any leftover dough bits to maximize the amount of perogies you can make.
  4. When half of the dough is ready and cut, grab a small bowl of room-temperature water. Place the circle of dough in your hand and fill with about a heaping teaspoon of your filling of choice. This amount will vary with the size of your circles—it may take a few tries.
  5. Dip a finger in the water bowl and run it around the edge of your perogy circle, and then fold in half over the filling. Start pinching to seal it from the middle and working towards one edge, then do the other side.
  6. Place on a floured surface and cover while you make the rest of the perogies in this manner.
  7. Keep going until all of the dough is gone.

TO COOKperogiesChristine McAvoy

  1. If you want to top with the caramelized onions, cut an onion into half-moon slices, then add to a frying pan that is on medium heat, with about a teaspoon of olive oil or vegan butter. Stir every few minutes and you can add a sprinkle of salt as well. It will take them about 25 to 30 mins to caramelize. Keep warm while you make the perogies.
  2. Boil some salted water in a large pot. and then drop the perogies one by one into the pot. You can do about 10 at a time maximum, as you don't want them to stick together or the bottom of the pot. If you're one of those people that eats perogies just boiled and not fried, skip the next part and plate your perogies.
  3. In the meantime, heat some vegan butter or olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the perogies have cooked for about 3 minutes and rise to the surface (it may take longer if you're cooking them from frozen). Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place them in the frying pan.
  4. Cook them until they're golden brown on both sides to your liking.
  5. Place them on a plate, and top with the caramelized onions, chives or green onions, and vegan sour cream on the side (optional).
  6. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 50-60 perogies