Potato Latkes

Just finished the first portion of Critical Mass Performance Group's Polish Project. Inspired by several weeks worth of research, I decided to try to make healthified latkes. Brought these to the rest of my cast and they were gone in a hot second. :)

Potato Latkes
~20 little potato pancakes

1/3 cup egg whites
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onion stalks, chopped
3 tbsp sweet sorghum flour
3/4 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
~15 turns of a pepper grinder
3.8 lbs small red potatoes, cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine egg whites, onions, garlic, flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Shred the potatoes - you can do this using a normal food shredder or you can do what I did and throw them in the food processor with the shredding mechanism on (or not). The main idea is to achieve a coarse consistency. If you use just a normal food processor, use it on pulse and don't let it get too mushy.

Take the shredded potatoes and drain in a colander over a bowl, pressing at the potatoes to squeeze out any extra moisture. [I did this in several waves, dumping the squeezed potato shreddings into the bowl as I finished with them because my colander is teeeensy. :) ] Pour off the potato water from the bowl and there should be a thick, white residue on the bottom. That is potato starch. I used about half of that in my recipe. You can use more or less, depending on your personal taste.

Mix all ingredients together well. Then scoop a large spoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then flatten it out a bit. You'll want to leave a good couple inches between each pancake.

Put in the oven for 15 minutes, then take out, flip over, and put in for another 15 until they are nice and crispy. Serve with non-fat sour cream or applesauce (the applesauce combo is my favorite) or just munch plain. :)

Go on. Have a peace. Have two. :)

Herbed Chicken and Potatoes

I was in the mood for something simple and savory, so I threw together this simple dish. It's delicious with a warm, woodsy taste, it fills you up right quick, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make.

Herbed Chicken and Potatoes
(Serves 5)

Herbed Potatoes
3 medium potatoes, cut to 1" cubes
3 red potatoes, cut to 1" cubes
1 small red onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary, minced fine
1/4 tsp dried thyme, minced fine
dash fresh ground sea salt
dash fresh ground pepper

Herbed Chicken
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed and cut to 1" cubes
2.5 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 tsp thyme
3 tsp sea salt
3 tsp freshly ground pepper (I use lemon peppercorns and they give the dish a slight citrus flavor that's yummy)

Set oven to 450 F.

Prepare 2 cookie sheets with raised sides with olive oil spray. Not too much. Just enough to coat the bottoms.

Mix the potatoes and their ingredients together in a bowl, stirring to coat. Shake them out onto one cookie sheet, spreading them out so they're not too lumped together. Place them in the oven. Set the timer to 21 minutes.

Now slice up your chicken breasts and add them to the same bowl you used for the potatoes along with their ingredients. Stir well to coat. Spread the chicken out on the second cookie sheet. The timer should have counted down now to about 15 minutes. Pop the chicken in the oven with the potatoes.

When the timer goes off, it should all be done at the same time. To serve, I took a fifth of each tray and spooned it into a bowl, mixing it all up together. Yum yum yum! Enjoy!

Kitchen Sink Soup

Here's a healthy, hearty, and delicious soup that's easy to make and really hits the spot.

Kitchen Sink Soup
(makes about 5 servings)
1/4 cup diced red onions
1/2 cup green peas
1 carrot, diced
2 small red potatoes, halved, sliced, and cut into bite-sized pieces
14.5 oz diced tomatoes in juice (1 can)
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1.5 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

Pour vegetable stock and tomatoes into the pot. Add marjoram, salt, and pepper. Set stove to medium heat. Add celery and carrots and onions. Stir over heat for 5 minutes. Add potatoes. Stir over heat for 8 minutes. Add peas. Stir over heat for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

See? I told you it was easy. :) The soup is very filling on its own. It keeps really well in the fridge (fed me for a week).

Enjoy!!

Black Velvet and Colcannon (St. Patrick's Day feast)

Now, I know, I usually do food recipes for the holidays, but I mean... it's St. Patrick's Day! C'mon!

So I'm switching it up a bit and starting with a drink.


Black Velvet
A Black Velvet is my favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick's baptism of the Irish. This recipe makes 2 pints.

1 pint Irish stout (Guinness, Murphy's, or Beamish - not Harp)
1 pint champagne

Chill both. Combine in a large glass jug. Stir. Pour into pre-chilled tall glasses. Drink. Repeat.

Slainte. :)

Colcannon
Now, colcannon is traditionally Halloween fare in Ireland, but it's my favorite "pub-at-home" food so here you go. :) Makes about 4 servings.

1 lb kale (or green cabbage if you can't find kale)
1/2 pt water
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup skim milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Simmer kale (or cabbage) in the water and oil for 10 minutes.
Drain thoroughly, chop finely.
Boil potatoes and carrots in the same pot until tender.
Put milk and onion into a saucepan and cook lightly.
Drain the potatoes and carrots and mash them together. Add the onion, milk, and cooked kale to the carrot/potato mash. Mash and mix some more. :)
Serve warm. Enjoy!

[These recipes are from a book called "The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish", with alterations.]

Healthy Potato Latkes : Hanukkah Dish

Latkes are a traditional food of Hanukkah; the use of the oil relates to the miracle of the oil, which the festival celebrates. The following recipe is from the December '05/January '06 issue of EatingWell:


Crispy Potato Latkes
It is a holiday tradition to fry latkes in hot oil, but here shredded potato-and-onion pancakes get a coating of matzo crumbs, are pan-fried in a small amount of oil and finished in a hot oven for a few minutes. The golden-crisp results have only 4 grams of fat and 100 calories per serving—truly a miracle.


Ingredients: 
1.5 lbs russet potatoes (about 2), shredded
1 medium white onion, shredded
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 pieces whole-wheat matzo (6x6 in), broken into pieces
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp peanut oil, or extra-virgin olive oil, divided


Directions:

1. Toss shredded potato, onion, shallots and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a sieve set over a large bowl; let drain for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the potato mixture, a handful at a time, over the bowl to release excess moisture (don’t oversqueeze"some moisture should remain). Transfer the squeezed potato mixture to another large bowl. Carefully pour off the liquid, leaving a pasty white sediment"potato starch"in the bottom of the bowl. Add the starch to the potato mixture. Stir in egg.
2. Put matzo pieces in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs and pepper over the potato mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until the matzo is softened, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir the potato mixture. Cook 4 latkes per batch: place 1/4 cup potato mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 3 1/2-inch cake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using 1 tablespoon oil per batch and reducing the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Makes 12.
Nutrition Per latke: 100 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 204 mg sodium; 278 mg potassium.