Now who doesn’t love a good knish? And no the ‘k’ is not silent. It’s pronounced “Ke-Nish”.
Knishes, not to be confused with Kamish (which is a cookie) or Kanadalech (slang for testicles)- knishes are an Eastern European/Jewish dumpling kind of snack. Leave it to the Yids to mix together white potato and white flour, fill it with cheese and onions, fry it in chicken fat, top it with sour cream and call it a ‘snack’. The true definition of a knish is simply a filling covered with dough that is either baked, grilled, or deep fried.
Many cultures have variations on the knish: the Cornish pasty, the Scottish Bridie, the Jamaican patty, the Spanish and Latin American empanada, the Portuguese rissole, the Italian calzone, the South Asian samosa, the Russian pirozhki, and the Middle Eastern fatayer to name a few.
Now, with Passover starting next week and running for eight days, I make it my personal mission to create recipes that use neither matzoh meal or hydrogenated oils. Pre-packaged Passover food is the worst. It is heavy, it is oily, it is way too eggy, it is dry and all too often works to function as a cork in the bum. Yep. Passover food is constipating to put it mildly. Matzoh or Imodium? But it doesn’t have to be. It is not that hard to go a week without grains, lentils, and legumes or food that rises. There are oodles of other fibre rich flour options that includes ground nuts, seeds and coconut flour. Not everything needs to be made from matzoh meal and potato starch you know.
Back to the knishes- These are so fantastic, so healthful, so delicious and so easy that you will likely make them again, passover or not aaaaand, you will likely make them whether you are taking part in this holiday or not. And hint hint- my recipe includes four ingredients that are key features in the brand new tutorial being introduced tomorrow. Shazaam to building up curiosity. Check back later for a full Passover Recipe roundup.
Do you have a favourite traditional holiday recipe that you have healthified? Any holiday, culture, ethnicity will do- just curious how you have been able to incorporate the culture of healthy into more traditional, less healthy traditional foods.
Knish-alicious Sweet Potato Knishes
Recipe below is for 6-12 knishes (depending how big you make them). Increase ratios as needed.
1 cup sweet potato, steamed then mashed
1/4 cup almond meal (mill almonds in coffee grinder or food processor)
1/4 cup coconut flour (if you can’t find coconut flour, can use all almond meal, or try sesame flour, pumkin seed flour etc.)
2 Tbs arrowroot starch (I couldn’t find any info as to weather this is Passover friendly or not- but it’s from a root so I say it’s okay)
1 egg (or egg replacer: 1 Tbs ground flax blending with 1/4 cup water)
1/3 cup onion
1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 tsp salt + pinch of salt
1 Tbs olive oil
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Steam sweet potato. Mash by hand or in food processor once soft
- Sautee onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until translucent
- Steam broccoli until bright green but not mushy
- Sautee mushrooms until soft, drain excess water
- In a small bowl, stir together mushrooms, broccoli and pinch of salt to taste
- In a separate, larger mixing bowl, mix together mashed sweet potato, onions, flour, starch, egg and sea salt
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, spoon out about 2-3 Tbs of sweet potato mix, flaten out slighting, creating small indent in the middle
- Scoop about 1 Tbs of mushroom/broccoli mix into the centre of the sweet potato
- Cover with another small scoop of sweet potato mix
- Bake for 25 minutes at 375
- Remove from oven, and turn over with a spatula
- Bake for another 20 minutes.
- Can serve hot from the oven or at room temperature
Big announcement coming on Friday. The new tutorial is about to be released and it is so good that I have named it The Mayor of Awesome-Town. Be sure to check in and find out. Lots of free copies will be given away.
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Your knishes are amazing! And I love the sweet potato love!
I’ve never had a knish, but those sound awesome!
Yeah- they pretty much are.
These sound AMAZING! Although I am not Jewish, I am definitely trying these, and if they turn out as amazing as they sound, I will be bringing them to Easter dinner. Now, if only I could make a healthy pierogie, I would be good to go!
Yes! Knishes at an Easter dinner. I love that!
I lived in Montreal when I was little and wouldn’t you know a knish was one of my fave “snacks”. However, that was also a time in my life where my job was to ecape being clothed in the morning, run around a playground all day, and put on ballerina performances for my stuffed animals at night. Now that my job involves parking my knish at a desk all day, I have to go for snacks that are not so…evil?
This looks like an AMAZING recipe, and I plan on making it tomorrow. I love things with fillings! Thank you so much for turning this fave into something health-promoting.
From a very appreciative goy:)
I wasn’t sure where you were going with that previous job description
I had to laugh at the initial description of a knish as a “snack”–ha! You know, we don’t “do” Passover in our house, but I am making these knishes anyway–they sound fantabulous (see, they even have me using Meghan-like vocabulary, I’m so excited!!)
Excited for the new tutorial, Meghan!!! Your hype is hyping me up – and I always love new Meghan-recipes for inspiration!
I’ve been knish-less up until now, but may have to nosh on a knish with my boyfriend Krish
Thanks for the recipe!
These sound fantastic – Thanks!!
Knishes may be evil, and full of white nastiness, and your yammy, yummy red stuffies look delish, but sorry meghan… a knish is a knish is a KNISH…. and this little snack is a yummy, stuffed something else. It is NOT, nor will it ever be a knish!
meghan! “a cork in your bum” come on. you are too wonderful. i had to hold off on eating my marinated-miso tempeh because i was laughing so hard. this one is going to all my good jew friends.
i love you.
I love you my little knishelah
Meghan!!! you are a magician – seriously – thank you for “uncorking our passover bums”! I can’t wait to dive into your healthy, delicious, nutritious, alternative. I’m currently trying out a vegan tourtiere recipe and will happily send it along as a yummy festive or party alternative. Bye bye PORK! PS. Trying to locate arrowroot – suggestions?
Most health food stores have it- can also use tapioca if you find that more readily available.
Meghan, just wanted to let you know that I made these and they were amazing…And they were even better the next morning for breakfast!
Thanks!!!
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