RecipeReplica: Baked Potata With Cottage Cheese And Vegetables Stuffing

When I saw this recipe at Veggie Fare, I wanted to stop what I was doing to go try this right-away.What stopped me was the fact that this is a bit more time consuming than you'd think. Since I am not a big fan of extensive labor,especially in the kitchen with a snot-nosed brat clinging to my legs like a leech, I had to keep postponing it. Only on rare occasions I make an exception to cook for hours together -- when I need therapy.Badly.Culinary therapy that is. I have to say, these days I am getting frustrated on many levels and that too more often than not.Frustration in many forms and from many angles, like this scenario for instance:
Conversation btw my twaddler(A) and me-
Me: A, come lets have food
A: Mommy, no. Want Emma Thamma Candy (M&M Candy)
Me:Candy is not food. Candy is a treat "after" you eat food. Come let me strap you in the high chair.
(After a bit of hassle, I strap him to the high chair)
A: Mommy, wanna watch Max &Yuuuby (Max&Ruby in Nickelodeon Jr, recorded episode)
(I place a plate of food and let him get a sense of what he is going to eat)
A: Mommy, wanna Orange Juice(Thats how he says, Lol)
(I get him a glass of OJ)
A: Mommy, wanna Ice Cube Jiya(Water with Ice cubes)
(I get him a glass of Cold water)
(Baby A loudly drags the water through the straw and sprays it all over the food tray)
(I drag the glass of water, place it closeby and take a spoon of food to force-feed)
(Baby A pretends he is a DJ and makes similar motions in the air with both hands to block the spoon from touching his mouth)
Me:A, do you want timeout in the dark room, with just the Vacuum cleaner for company?
A:Sowwie (Sorry)
Me:A,Do you want me to call the cops? Cops arrest bad boys like you.
A:No mommy Sowwie. No Cops,No Vacuum Cleaner and No Dark Room. (Baahhhh and Crocodile tears)
(Dad switches off all the lights. Lets go)
(All lights are switched off for a minute)
A: No daddy..No Mommy. Sowwie. **Scream**
Me: Then tell me you will eat your food. 
A: Yes Mommy. Eat Food.
(All lights are turned on)
(A opens his mouth like a piggy-bank slit. Eats a bit and spits on his bib)
A: Mommy, its beans.
Me: A, its not beans. Its carrot and eggs. Chew and swallow.
(A has issues with eating coarse foods)
(A Eats a second spoon of food and is about spit that one too)
Me: A, do you want to watch Tom and Jerry, car chasing scene?
(A loves watching anything that has cars and trucks. So I get to the recorded episode and FF to the scene where there is a car chase scene)
(A is distracted and I stuff food quickly into his mouth all the while chanting the mantra "Chew and Swallow", "Chew and Swallow" atleast a couple of hundred times)
Oh, this happens at every meal and by the end of the session I am ready to kick some butt or pull someone's hair. To top it,my MIL will come and tell me that it isn't easy raising a child. I laugh out loud, on the inside cause there was a time, some 3 yrs ago when I thought child bearing and birthing was the biggest challenge I faced. Now, I tell you my readers, that was a walk in the park. Child rearing is the toughest one yet.
My son who makes me brim with pride on many occasions -- Yeah, he turned 3 just last week and he can tell A-Z, 1-50, all days in a week,all month in a year, knows almost all veggies and fruits, can read 3 letter words etc etc -- makes me despair with his eating habits. I dream of a time in future when my strapping son would make me cook for an army and eat it all up and ask for more.Will it ever come true, I wonder.

After one such session, I crave for an elaborate recipe and this one fit the bill. For similar mouth watering vegetarian recipe ideas, visit Veggi Fare.
This can be eaten as an appetizer or served as a side to Ghee Rice, Egg Fried Rice, Herbed Vegan Fried Rice. I served it with a Karnatakan Specialty called Carrot Bhath(Recipe coming soon).

Ingredients:

• 6 mid-sized Red Potatoes, Parboiled for 10 minutes, Peeled, Hollowed with an Apple Corer
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped for garnish
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

For the Filling:

• 3/4 Cup of Mixed Vegetables(Carrots, String Beans, 3 Parboiled Potato Core), finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried fenugreek leave(sold as "Kasuri Methi" in Indian stores)
• 1 tsp Garam Masala (Indian Spice Mix)
• 1/4 Cup Paneer, Cubed
• 1/2 tsp Cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
• Salt for taste
  

For the Coating:

• 3 Tbsp ChickPea Flour(sold as "Besan" in Indian store)
• 1 Tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 4 Tbsp Thick Yogurt
• 1/8 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Dried Fenugreek leaves
  

Procedure:

• Core the parboiled potatoes using an apple corer.

• In a  pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds and chopped onions.
• Saute the onions till they are transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute or two.
• Throw in the chopped vegetables and saute for a minute. 
• Sprinkle a little water, lid the pan and cook the vegetables for 5 minutes.
• Add Garam Masala, dried fenugreek leaves, salt and pepper and stir. Cook for a couple more minutes.
• In another pan, add a tbsp of oil and shallow fry the paneer cubes till they are slightly brown on all sides. 
• Cool and crumble the Paneer.
• Add to the Vegetable mixture and mix well to incorporate. Cool the mixture.
• Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the coating in a small bowl and keep it ready.

• Fill the potatoes with the filling mixture using hands. Save the leftover fillings for garnish.

• Dunk the potatoes in the Yogurt-Flour Coating and lay them on well-greased oven-proof sheet.

• Bake at 375 degrees F for ~40 minutes, turning them once or twice midway.
• Cool the potatoes slightly and carefully slice them.Arrange them on a serving dish.
• Garnish with the leftover filling,chopped cilantro and a bit of lemon juice.

Makes 4-5 Servings.

Enjoy!