Veggie Potato Pancakes

These potato pancakes were one of my favorite meals growing up.  For my special birthday meal, I always requested these!  To get me and my brother to eat our veggies when we were kids, my mom came up with this idea.  She would have us in the kitchen with her, grating all the veggies.  We had one large hand grater, so I always was the one to receive battle wounds from this meal.  But, it was so worth it.

There's no recipe involved here, its very simple.  All we would do, was shred about the same amount of potatoes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, and an onion - and cook them up on the stove.  Its very easy and quick (especially if you have a food processor).  Anyone can make this!

It has been a while since I have made these Veggie Potato Pancakes for us.  I used to make them all the time when I had a garden in the summer, because they're a nice and fresh summer garden harvest meal.  Its a good way to use up those yellow and zucchini squash that seem to grow faster than weeds!  I made these for dinner tonight, and my 3 year old girl devoured them!  So, I thought you might like them, too.

Veggie Potato Pancakes

Yield: 6-8 servings

2-3 pounds russet potatoes
2 small zucchini squash
2 small yellow squash
2 large carrots, peeled
1 large onion
2 TB grape seed oil (or high-heat oil of choice)
Non-dairy butter, or oil

1.  In a food processor, shred everything.   
2.  Put the "batter" in a large bowl.  Drizzle about 2 TB of high heat oil in the bowl, and toss everything together with your hands.
3.  In a preheated skillet, add butter/oil to pan and let it shimmer.  Make 3 small hash browns in the pan.  sprinkle with sea salt, and flatten.  Cover, and cook over medium heat until GB&D (golden brown & delicious). 
4.  Uncover, flip them over, and cook for another 5-10 minutes uncovered until cooked through. 
5.  Serve hot with organic applesauce or sour cream.  These pair well with a hearty veggie meatloaf-style entree and a nice tossed salad, or just some soup and salad.


*Note: I buy my potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots all organic.  I highly recommend everyone to do the same, if it is accessible to you.  (The less chemicals and GMOs in our food, the better!)

Sweet Potato Latkes

This is a good recipe if you're wanting to incorporate some more nutrients and variety in your diet.  I'm a huge fan of starch.  Potatoes of any kind are so good for you, are packed full of nutrients, and fill you up.  And I can especially say that about sweet potatoes!

Packed with vitamin A, C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, potassium, fiber, vitamin B3, B1, B2, and Phosphorus... they're a food you can "literally" live on.  Seriously, no joke!  The okanawan's live on a diet of sweet potatoes!  You can do it too!

Enjoy these yummy, gluten free, Latkes!  And be sure to let me know what you thought of them in the comments below!  Happy cooking!


Sweet Potato Latkes
Yield: 6-7 medium sized latkes

4 cups sweet potato, shredded
1/2 medium onion, shredded
4 garlic cloves, shredded
1 tsp Celtic grey sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 Tbsp dried parsley (or small handful chopped fresh parsley)
1/4 cup olive oil

1.  In a food processor, shred the sweet potatoes, measure out and place in a bowl.
2.  Then place the onion and garlic and shred them in the food processor, add them to the bowl.
3.  Add sea salt, stir, let sit for a moment.  Then stir in brown rice flour and parsley, then stir in the olive oil.
4.  Fry in a skillet like latkes, (or bake) until brown on both side.  Serve with a dollop of Toffuti sour cream or Almond Sour Cream.

Sweet Potato Fries

Every time I make Cuban Black Beans with rice, I always make these to go along side!  They are the perfect sweet and savory side dish to eat along with the black beans.  I love the flavor combination together, and I know you will too!  And these are soo simple and easy to throw together. 

Sweet Potato Fries
Yield: 4 servings

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
8-10 garlic cloves, crushed
fine sea salt
olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Slice washed sweet potatoes into 4-inch long wedges (keep the skin on them for extra nutrients).  Spread the wedges out on two cookie sheets.  Sprinkle onion & crushed garlic evenly over them. Generously sprinkle fine sea salt over everything.  Then, drizzle olive oil over everything.
3.  Place in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Flip them over and stir them around a little, then bake for another 10 minutes.  Serve with Cuban Black Beans and rice.

*Note: Cut the recipe in half if you are only going to serve two people.

Potato Breakfast Scramble

Here's my favorite recipe for tofu scramble.  Here are a couple photos of when I made this for samples at the Fargo-Moorhead Health Expo on February 22, 2015.  I cooked everything separately, then you throw it together at the end, and serve!

I love the simplicity of this recipe, because I always have the ingredients in my pantry.  And if you like, you may cook any style of breakfast potatoes (boiled, baked, fried, etc.)... and this is pretty versatile, because you can keep the tofu and potatoes separate, or throw them together at the end.  

Depends on who you're serving breakfast for, I guess.  

My husband is not a vegetarian, so he's not the biggest fan of tofu scramble for breakfast.  But, if I'm just making this for my daughter and I, usually I make as directed.  Bon appetite!  

Let me know what you think in the comments below!  Or on our Facebook page "Courtney's Pantry."


Potato Tofu Breakfast Scramble
yield: 2-4 servings

1 pound small red, or gold, potatoes
1 TB oil
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
1 14 or 16 oz container extra firm tofu, rinsed
4 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 TB nutritional yeast flakes
1 ½ TB chicken-style seasoning
1 TB soy sauce, Tamari, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
½-1 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt, to taste

1.  Cook the potatoes: Bring unsalted water to boil over medium high heat.  Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Let cool, and dice potatoes into chunks.  Add potatoes to a hot, oiled skillet in one single layer.  Cook for 10 minutes until golden brown.
2.  Cook the tofu: In the meantime in another skillet over medium high heat, add the onions and peppers.  Cook until 10 minutes, until the onions and peppers are soft and everything is browned as you like it.  Crumble the tofu with your hands into a large pan.  Add the garlic, yeast flakes, chicken-style seasoning, soy sauce, and dried parsley.  Stir everything together, and cook it until the tofu starts to look nice and golden brown.  You may add a dash of oil to help the tofu to brown up a bit.
3.  Mix everything together: In a large bowl add potato mixture and tofu mixture.  Toss together and season with salt, to taste.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, its this time of the year again!

I know its been quite a while since my last blog post (ah...sorry).  Living in Minnesota makes for short seasons, so we try to soak up as much sun (or anything above freezing) as is humanly possible.  I'm sad that summer has come and gone, again.  But, autumn is (was) my favorite season!  Even thought its winter now in Minnesota.  What a surprise.  Can you say, "hello, subzero temperatures?"  I know, its a phrase never to be uttered- believe me!  Disclaimer; please don't say it if you want to keep your sanity.

Shout out to my homies!!!

Out of all the completely awesome food and recipe blogs out there, and I am very humbled and honored that you would even want to read this post, or anything on my blog.  And if you're reading this far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  This post is for you, man.  There are so many recipes out there on the internet that are tremendously better than anything I've ever posted.  So, thank you for reading, homie!

Lets get down to business.  What says "Thanksgiving" more than creamy mashed potatoes?  Because, I seriously can't think of anything.  So, today I'm going to share my top secret recipe for Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

That's right.

They are super simple, really fancy, and altogether amazing.  They go great with anything you're gonna eat them with!  Hey, that's a good tag line.  I'm going to use that again.

Every time I bring these to a potluck, they disappear...

And everyone ALWAYS asks how I make them... 

And, they've only got a few ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry!  So, here you go, just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Your dinner guests will NOT be disappointed.

(Disclaimer: Neither the Publisher nor Author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages resulting from use of this Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe.  All recipes are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy, or any other implied or explicit purpose.  In other words, don't blame me if your friends don't like these mashed potatoes.)

Just kidding.

But seriously, leave me a comment below to tell me what your favorite Thanksgiving or Holiday-style food is.  Also, let me know if you give these a try and how they turned out!  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes                    
Yield: serves about 4-6 guests

"They go great with anything you're gonna eat them with!"
  

What:
3 pounds potatoes (russets, reds, or golds all work great, and organic gives best flavor)
1 TB vegetable broth powder, or chicken-like seasoning*
1 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup butter or vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance or Smart Balance)
2-3 TB unsweetened non-dairy milk (like soy, almond or rice milk)
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 TB dried parsley
1/2-1 tsp sea salt

How:
Scrub potatoes, put them in a large pot.**  Cover them with water, and add the broth powder, and salt (or, just use vegetable broth).  Bring to boil, simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes, until they're really fork tender and falling apart.

Drain out liquid, but leave about 3/4 cup of it.  Mash up the potatoes a bit with a masher just to break them up.  Then add butter, milk, granulated garlic, parsley, and salt.  Beat the potatoes with a hand beater until everything is creamy and smooth.

Add any extra seasonings to taste, and serve.



Notes:

 *It might seem pointless to some people to cook them in broth.  I know there are varying opinions on this subject.  But, I personally think it gives them an added depth of flavor.) 

**I leave the skins on, especially when I use organic, but you can always peel them if you don't like your taters with the skins on or something.  But, don't worry, I'm not one to judge.  You're just a  weirdo, that's all.

Creamy Garlic Potato Soup

Its winter here, sort of.  Well, it doesn't feel like a Minnesota winter, at least.  Its been a "not so frigid" winter here in Northern Minnesota, and I am very thankful!  But, of course, it has still been chilly outside.  (We may never see a "California winter" on this side of the country, although, I wouldn't mind it at all one bit.)  So, what have I been making throughout the coarse of this winter?  Soup!  Soups are easy to throw together, and that is probably why I have been making them for most of our meals lately.  I'm 4 weeks away from meeting our little girl, so anything and everything simple and easy to make in the kitchen I have been preparing.

This Creamy Garlic Potato Soup is amazing.  You will enjoy every last spoonful!  I usually double or quadrupedal this recipe, especially when you have company for dinner.  Serve it with some homemade bread, and you're speaking my language.



Creamy Garlic Potato Soup


2 TB olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water (or vegetable broth)
8 Tsp vegetable broth powder or chicken-like seasoning (if you use water instead of broth)
6 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup low-fat sour cream (or Tofutti Sour Cream)
4 TB fresh dill, chopped (or 4 Tsp dried dill)
Salt to taste (optional)


1.  In large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent; add garlic to onions and saute an additional 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add water (and broth or seasoning mix) and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3.  Take off heat, let cool down a little.  Working with half the mixture at a time, transfer to food processor or blender.  Process until pureed and smooth.  Return to pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Stir over low heat until heated through.  Serve warm.  Garnish with fresh dill if desired.   

Note:  If serving the next day, you can add the dill and salt at the end and refrigerate.  Then, when you are serving the soup, you can add the sour cream right before you serve it, or you may put it on the table and people may use a dollop as a garnish on top, if desired.  That way when you heat the soup up again it does not go sour-tasting because the sour cream had already been added to it, and it tastes much better in the end.  This is the way I serve it, unless I am bringing it for a main-coarse dish for potluck.  Bon Appetite!

Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup

This is the soup I have been craving for a while.  But, to find time in the kitchen to actually make it, that's another story.  During my pregnancy so far, I have been so busy with work, keeping the house maintained, and food on the table.  My only project right now (when I have time) is getting the baby's room ready.  So, needless to say, I was excited when today I actually have the time- and extra energy- to make this yummy soup! 

Okay.  You know that really delicious, comforting, Broccoli and Cheese "restaurant-style soup" we eat in the winter time?  The one that coats your belly as well as your palate?  Well, this is that soup that does all that and more- but without the side of guilt.  You can feel good about serving this to your family, because it is gluten-free, dairy-free, but certainly NOT taste-free! 


Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup


2 cups potatoes, cubed
2 cups carrots, cubed
1 med-large onion, chopped
3/4 cup raw cashews (or blanched-slivered almonds)
1 pound (4 cups) fresh or frozen broccoli, cut into 2 inch pieces
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2-3 TB McKay's Chicken Seasoning (or alternative)
2-3 TB Celtic grey sea salt (to taste)


1.  Place potatoes in small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until tender.
2.  Place carrots and onion in another small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until carrots are tender.
3.  Once potatoes are tender, place in Vitamix or blender with cashews & 2-3 cups of cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
4.  Place broccoli in potato pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.  Blanch a few minutes, until tender.  (You may also steam the broccoli if you'd prefer.)
5.  Once carrots are tender, put the mix into blender with some of the cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
6.  Put broccoli and its water into blender.  Pulse, or blend for several seconds until everything is broken up small.  strain out broccoli, and add to big soup pot.
7.  To soup pot mixture, add yeast flakes, chicken seasoning, and salt.  Whisk everything until incorporated fully.  Add more salt to taste.  Voila!  Bon appetite!