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Sweet Potato & Porcini Mushroom Latkes with Chive Sauce
December 3rd, 2010
So excited for the weekend to be here because it means I can catch up on EVERYTHING! My list is piling up with To-Do items for my Saturday so here is to a stress-free weekend, right?
This week was stress-free, but that is because this week FLEW by! I probably focused on certain things too much or the fact it gets darker sooner is messing with me!
This week I worked on Latkes two nights in a row. I had never made them and ever since I receivedmy issue of Bon Appetit in the mail, I had been eyeing several recipes for these traditional potato pancakes.
Latkes are a traditional Jewish dish often served during Hanukkah but I had really never had them before. That even suprises me! These are really easy to make and is perfect with a large green salad.
Since I used a non-stick skillet, I really tried not using tons of oil. I used coconut oil and quickly cooked the latkes on each side with no issues. After pan-frying these, I placed them on a cookie sheet and in the oven to continue baking. Make sure not to leave them in too long or else they will dry up. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato & Porcini Mushroom Latkes
adapted from Bon Appetit
Print recipe
Latkes
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups chopped onions, divided
2 flax “egg” (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp warm water)
1/4 cup potato flour (or any tyoe of flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Coconut oil (for frying) 
Chive sauce
1 cup Silk plain yogurt (or Tofutti sour cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon white pepper, ground
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Greens and Mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small garlic cloves, pressed
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 cups (packed) baby greens
Latkes
Combine porcini and boiling water in bowl. Soak until soft, about 15 minutes. Strain, pressing out all liquid. Chop porcini.
Blend raw potatoes and 1/2 cup onions in processor until finely ground and some liquid forms. Add mixture to a bowl and using 2-3 paper towels, drain excess liquid from potatoes, letting thw liquid soak into the paper. Discard paper.
Add 1 1/2 cups onions and next 4 ingredients. Stir until batter becomes moist. Add porcini.
Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to coat bottom; heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop potato mixture into skillet by scant 1/4 cupfuls. Flatten into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to large baking sheet. do ahead Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 400°F oven until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Salad and chive cream
Stir nondairy yogurt, chives, and 2 Tablespoons vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and all mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar; toss. Season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
Overlap latkes on plates. Mound greens alongside; top with mushrooms. Serve with chive sauce.
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Portabella and Chorizo Omelette
December 2nd, 2010
During the Thanksgiving week and weekend I stumbled across a post that I flagged and saved for later. Well, later was this past Saturday. I decided to try my hand at making a vegan omelette made from tofu.
If you look at my recipe index you will see that I make tofu scrambles VERY often, but you know that once you start making sometime often the drudgery of making another scramble is not so attractive. Not really, but sometimes mentally a vegan needs another option.
Here are some of the tofu scrambles I’ve enjoyed.
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| Tofu Scramble with Chorizo |
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| Tofu Scramble with Home Fries |
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| Chorizo Tofu Scramble w/ Daiya on a Roll |
Jeni Treehugger at Heathen Vegan posted a wonderful recipe for a vegan omelette during Vegan Mofo that was very attractive. I read her version of the recipe from the original version found at Fat Free Vegan’s website. (Note: I always like reading original recipes before they’ve been adapted so I see what was done.)
I decided to work from both recipes and I came out with a WONDERFUL and flavorful version. You know what completes the omelette? The black salt.
Black salt, or otherwise known as Kala Namak, is a salty and pungent smelling condiment used in India. The condiment is composed largely of sodium chloride with several impurities lending the salt its colour and smell. The smell is mainly due to sulfur content. (description from Wikipedia)
What do you say? This does not sound appealing? Think twice. This salt has a hard-boiled egg aroma and when added to the vegan omelette it makes it seem like you are eating it a REAL omelette. I know somw people have talked about it being VERY pricey, but I found my bag of black salt for 0.99 cents at the Asian Market. I am telling you that you can find great deals and products by locating an Internation or Asian market in your town.
If anyone would like me to mail them some, email me!
So my finished product? My vegan omelette was VERY tasty and very filling. It is easier using the softer to firm tofu found in the aseptic containers. Enjoy!
Portabella and Chorizo Omelette
adapted from Fat Free Vegan and Heathen Vegan
print recipe
serves 2
12 ounces (1 package) Mori-nu lite silken tofu (or regular firm silken tofu)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 Tablespoons So Delicious Coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
3Tablespoon potato starch or arrowroot powder
3 Tablespoons soy chorizo
3 Tablespoons baby portabella mushrooms, chopped
Blend together all ingredients until smooth. (I use my Vitamix because this recipe makes enough for 2 omelettes, but you can use an immersion blender or food processor.)
Spray a large non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat on medium-high. Before it gets hot, pour HALF the batter into the center of the skillet in a circular pattern about 6-8 inches across, and use a spoon or spatula to smooth over the top.
Now you have two options: ( I have tried them both ways and like them the same)
OPTION 1: Place your filling ingredients over the batter, and reduce the heat to medium. Use ANY other fillings of your choice. Like a pancake, you will see little bubble form indicating that the omelette is cooking. Cook for 7 minutes.
With a spatula, turn one side of the omelette, covering the fillings and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve and eat with fav veggies and sliced toast.
Yields a softer center in your omelette but it is TASTY.
OPTION 2: Pour batter into NON-stick skillet one medium heat and cook for 7-10 minutes. Slide omelette on a plate and flip the omelette on the opposite side onto the skillet. Cook for another 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute’ choice fillings and have them ready to add to the omelette. Place filling on one side of the omelette and fold the other side over the filling. Ready to consume.
Yields a more cooked omelette (a little drier) but still very tasty.
Place around with both options as I did.
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Pan Amasado {Chilean Biscuits}
November 30th, 2010
Today is the LAST day for Vegan Month of Food and I believe it was very successful! Even though I did not get a chance to read close to 800 blogs I did get introduced to MANY new blogs. I have added them to bloglines for easier reading so I am looking forward continuing reading them.
I do not know about anyone else, but I do not plan on NOT blogging any less than I have because it has been inspiring to keep creating new dishes and working on new recipes featured by other bloggers. Why stop now? I know that others feel the same so stay tuned for continuous posts here!
November hit another point for me in my life. When the holidays usually come around I seem to focus on family. Well, duh, you might say, but I am talking about family no longer living or family not living near. When I got married I knew I was preparing to go on a journey with my husband and I have been REALLY happy sharing an adventure together. I guess what I am saying that I did not realize HOW much would change.
Somehow I imagined things being a little different. I did not grow up in a big family. It always was just 4 of us and then it was 3, which meant that one side of the family no longer existed for us. Can I be any more vague? Well, noone said divorce was easy but when my parents split, it continued splitting the divide between my father’s family (Chileans) with my mother and my sister and I. It meant no more family gatherings and no more laughter. That was the hardest thing for me. I enjoyed them but it could not be helped no matter how much I even tried. (Believe me, I tried, and with repercussions)
Anyway, I did not mean for this post to have any low points, I just meant to explain the reasons for certain recipes. During this month I have felt inspired to cook in memory of my Chilean grandmother. Even though she did not teach me many of her recipes I remember the flavors and the dishes.
One of the things we did often was have tea time like the British do. On Sunday evenings my grandmother would make Chilean biscuits and serve them with deli, cheese, homemade caramel, pate’, and black tea with milk. This past weekend I felt like making them and introducing them to Ryan.
The biscuits require a bit of rising and kneading but when they are ready they bake quickly and are perfect for consuming. Ryan loved them and expressed that this recipe was a keeper. Looks like I will be keeping on a tradition. 😀
These biscuits are completely vegan using all-vegetable shortening with no trans fats. (I use Spectrum) You then slice them in half and spread a bit of Earth Balance and your choice of preserves. Mine have always been peach or apricot preserves when it comes to these biscuits. I then enjoyed it with 2 cups of warm Earl Grey Tea with a bit of almond milk. A perfect weekend night meal.
You know what ended up being great about the leftovers? You can toast them and eat them for breakfast or make a quick dinner to make vegan pizzas. This is what I did on Sunday evening. This girl has learned to keep the creativity going. Ryan looked up from his reading and said, “I smell something I like. Pizza!” H e was right. Here it is with a bit of marinara, Tofurky sausage and Daiya cheese. Delicious!
Pan Amasado {Chilean Biscuits}
original recipe on Family Cookbook Project
makes 10 biscuits
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening, softened
1 1/2 packages yeast
Mix flour and salt for 15 seconds and scrape walls of bowl. Add softened shortening and knead slowly for one minute
Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cups of warm water (110º F or 45º C) and add it to the bowl. Knead for another two minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Adjust water or flour, as necessary
Allow the dough to rest and rise in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 hour in a warm place (85º F) until it doubles in volume.
Preheat oven to 375º F. Punch down and knead dough until soft and smooth. Form small rolls about 3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch tall. Place on a non-stick baking sheet, prick tops with fork, and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Bake rolls about 20 minutes
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Seitan Corn Tortilla Soup
November 29th, 2010
Hi everyone! Hope that everyone had a restful holiday weekend and that you are ready to get back to the grind.
Ryan and I took advantage of putting up or Christmas decorations since it is tradition to do it after Thanksgiving. Well, not only that, but it is when we have the most time to do it too. We finally decided that this will be our LAST time to purchase a tree that is prelit because if there is a row of lights in the tree that do not turn on, then it is a PAIN to figure out. Ryan finally did a wonderful job of figuring it out.
While he decorated the tree, I decorated our living room and kitchen with limited decorations. I thank God for the place we live in, but I can’t wait to be in a place that has a mantel and plenty of shelving, ya know?
Here is our finished product:
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| I got this Capt Kirk ornament for Ryan as a b-day gift |
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| Our chili pepper ornament from New Mexico |
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| Our Tree topper from a friend in Longview, Texas |
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| Chicago Bears ornament in the background |
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| Decorations on the entertainment center |
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| Angels from my mom and a great candle! |
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| Huge red candle with Ryan’s elves |
I love this time of year! I am glad we got these up too becasue I will only have 2 1/2 weeks to enjoy them.
This weekend I continued using my seitan roast leftovers and decided to continue with creating new dishes with it. I decided to shred seitan and put in my recipe for tortilla soup.
Before I went vegan I created a Chicken Tortilla Soup that was really delicious. When Ryan requested it this weekend, I wondered what I was going to eat. I decided that I should have the same thing but with seitan instead!
Ryan had a bite and thought it was good even though he enjoyed his version much better (sigh…since I was using turkey leftovers).
I only made 4 servings worth but I regretted not making more because this soup was SO DELICIOUS! Believe me, you have to try this because it was thick and warm and perfect for this cold weather. It is great with some vegan cheese melted on top or just slices of avocado and crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Seitan Corn Tortilla Soup
print recipe
serves 4
1 cup seitan, shredded (or substitute any other vegan meat)
4 cups water
2 vegan bouillon cube
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup frozen corn kernels
1 carrot, diced
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano or red pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning (or salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
6 corn tortillas, cut in 8
Heat olive oil in medium soup pot and sauté onions, garlic, carrots, pepper for 5 minutes. Add shredded seitan and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients except tortillas and boil for 15 minutes. Add tortillas and boil for 10 to 15 more minutes until the tortillas break up and the soup has thickened.
Serve with Tofutti sour cream and avocado slices. Crushed corn chips are optional.
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Persimmon Margaritas
November 27th, 2010
After a SUPER long day shopping, walking and people watching we came to a warm dish of tortilla soup and cocktails.
Yes, Ryan and I went out at 6am and really took out time shopping. We are all about bargain shopping but we had mostly done ours online already. I almost felt like we went out more for tradition EVEN though we did find a few things.
We got home about 4:30pm and took a long nap, which felt really great! I was inspired then to make great soup using seitan leftovers, which I will later share with you.
I also felt like making persimmon margaritas. Yes. I told you I was going to be posting more persimmon recipes so here we go.
Check out Muy Bueno Cookbook’s website for a delicious recipe and FAB pictures, because mine were taken quickly. I used lemon juice since that is all I had in the fridge, but I believe the recipes will taste almost the same.
Make sure you use the non-astrigent persimmons or else you are going to have a weird tasking drink. Ryan and I both thought it was a different but delicious drink.
I love trying new recipes and so should you! Go out and purchase those cheap persimmons and make one or two drinks and have fun!
Hope you are having a great holiday weekend. I hope to do Zumba tomorrow so I can keep the legs moving! Have a great night!
