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. :)

Finger-lickin' Nana Puddin'

My grandmother makes the best banana pudding ever. I mean, EVER. A single bite of it is lasting ambrosia. It is a happy time whenever I get to visit her, period, but the icing on the cake is a delicious batch of banana pudding waiting for me. Now. The trouble is her recipe involves cool whip, which is full of hydrogenated oils and less than ideal not to mention the excess sugars in the pudding and sweetened condensed milk.

So, here's what I did. I made up a new "healthified" banana pudding recipe, which is very tasty in its own right. You may decide for yourself which route you take. Maybe you'll make both and have a tasting party for your tongue. Who knows?

Finger-lickin' Nana Puddin'
(Makes 6-8 servings)

3 super ripe bananas
2 ripe bananas (can be mushy or just ripened), thinly sliced
7.5 oz extra firm tofu
18 oz soft tofu
2 shakes cinnamon
1 heaping tbsp raw honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 box vegan vanilla wafers (or non-vegan, if you like - just check the box and make sure you know what everything in it is)

Take the overripe bananas, tofu, cinnamon, honey, almond milk, and vanilla and put all into a food processor or blender. Mix until all creamy and smooth.

Next take a bowl (tupperware or glass) and set a layer of wafers in the bottom.

Spoon in some of the blended mixture over top then layer in more wafers and banana slices.

Repeat until you have used up all the banana slices and the blended mixture.

Add one last layer of wafers on top and put into the fridge to set. Should be ready to eat in about an hour.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon and Honey Shake

Here is a recipe a friend of mine made me. It is a delicious, healthy pick-me-up energizer and gives you the same warm zing of L-Glutamine. :) He requests that I post a link to the blog, so here it is.


Cinnamon and Honey Shake
3-4 pints


Put into a big ole blender the following items:

1 Young Coconut, Meat and Water (the kind in the white husk - visit www.rawfoodmedia.com for instructions to open)

2 Big Handfuls Raw Cashews

At least one BIG GLOOP Raw Cold-Packed Honey, AT LEAST! (Piick one with a robust flavor too!)

2 Pinches Celtic Sea Salt (or other quality grey, unrefined salt)

Several Vigorous Shakes Organic Powdered Cinnamon

...and blend until it's super nice and creamy. If you want to make it creamier, add more cashews and honey. Then season to taste!

Once that's done, add ice cold filtered water or ice, and blend out the mixture until it's appropriate for drinking. Bottle it up, and you've got a delicious healthy shake that will keep your eyes bright and your tummy full! This recipe makes 3-4 pints, depending on how thick you make it and how meaty your coconut turns out to be.


This is super easy to make, very tasty, and - oh, shucks, just try it. :)

Aunt Mary in the Afternoon

One of my good (and ridiculously talented) friends has created a delicious summer (and really all year long) treat that is all natural and insanely addictive. His product, Aunt Mary's Velvet Ice, is relatively new but can be found in several Farmers Markets in the Los Angeles area. If you happen to come across this stuff, don't just get one silly 1/2 gallon. Get lots. Keep it in your freezer, give it to friends, serve it at parties. It's - quite simply - awesome.

In the event that you do manage to find this stuff (it should be available for online ordering soon), here is one example of how you can make it even more awesome for a summer evening get-together. 

Aunt Mary in the Afternoon 

(invented by J. Johnson)

2 cubes ice

2 generous scoops Aunt Mary's Lemon Mint Velvet Ice

3-5 fingers Tanqueray gin

Mix well. Serve cold. 

Taste-tester approved. :)