MY LAST POST UNTIL AFTER THE 18TH-- A VARIETY OF STUFF!

I'm off to Princeton, NJ and New York for a week, with my sis! I'll blog when I get back!


LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NON-PLASTIC IN WHICH TO STORE YOUR HOMEMADE SOYMILK? These are 1 qt./L Frigoverre glass storage jugs (made in Italy), and they were $4.99 each (Cnd) at London Drugs. Tight lid and easy to store; sturdy glass. Online sources for various kinds of glass storage jugs/pitchers in the US:

kaboodle.com has a wide variety of glass refrigerator storage jugs.

Set of two 1 L jugs similar to the ones above, but with colorful lids at freshfinds.com.

kitchenworksinc.com also has a variety of storage pitchers.

SWEET POTATOES ON MY MIND....

Here's a yummy, no-fat soup we had for lunch the other day:



BRYANNA'S SPICY BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO SOUP (WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)

The combination of black beans and sweet potatoes is always enticing, but especially so in this soup with Caribbean flavors.

3 cups cooked or canned (2/ 15 ounce cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup low-sodium vegetarian broth (don't use more-- trust me!)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules OR 2 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pkg. (60 g) Yves Veggie Pizza Pepperoni (or any spicy vegan "sausage" or "deli slice"), cut into slivers
4 green onions, chopped
12-14 ounces sweet potato, peeled and diced

Mix together the beans, broth, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, garlic granules, allspice, and thyme in a blender or food processor. Puree coarsely. Pour into a medium-sized soup pot. (You can also do this right in the soup pot with a hand immersion/stick blender.)

Add the bay leaf, veggie pepperoni slivers, green onions, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, stirring now and then. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 273.1 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 513.8mg sodium; 842.1mg potassium; 50.6g carbohydrates; 14.1g fiber; 4.2g sugar; 36.5g net carbs; 17.5g protein; 4.7 points.


I had a craving for latkes (potato pancakes) the other morning, but with some sweet potato in them, so I made this fat-free version and served them with poached apples. Below this recipe is a similar recipe for the more traditional panfried version.



BRYANNA'S FAT-FREE SWEET POTATO LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

This recipe makes delicious latkes even without the eggs and oil, and the sweet potatoes and red potatoes lower the GI (glycemic index) rating. Serve them with applesauce and Tofu Sour Creme(homemade or commercial), but some people prefer ketchup! For special occasions, serve them with cranberry sauce. They are great for breakfast, or any meal of the day.

5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and grated
3 cups grated, peeled sweet potatoes
1 large onion, grated
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

After grating both the sweet potatoes and the potatoes, squeeze and twist them in a large square of cheesecloth or cotton cloth to get all of the liquid you can out. This is important!

Mix the squeezed, grated potato, grated sweet potato, and grated onion together well in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix well.

You can cook these on several large nonstick skillets, lightly-sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray, over medium-high heat. However, the easiest way is to use a nonstick electric pancake griddle-- this accommodates quite a few pancakes and they cook evenly.

Place 1/4-cupfuls of the potato mixture onto the preheated griddle or skillets. flatten them into thin pancakes with a spatula. Cover pans with lids or foil, or use inverted cookie sheets over the griddle. Cook until the bottoms are golden-brown, then flip them over and cook, uncovered, until the second side is golden-brown. Serve hot.



Alternate Cooking Method:
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Flatten the pancakes as instructed above on nonstick cookie sheets, lightly-sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray. Bake them for 15 minutes, then turn the pancakes over and bake 5 or 6 minutes more.

Servings: 6
Yield: 30 pancakes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 202.6 calories; 1% calories from fat; 0.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 388.2mg sodium; 1125.5mg potassium; 46.5g carbohydrates; 5.9g fiber; 3.9g sugar; 40.6g net carbs; 5.5g protein; 3.3 points.



TO MAKE THE POACHED APPLES....

I peeled and cored and cubed 3 large apples and mixed them in a covered microwave-proof glass casserole with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. I microwaved them on high, covered, for 5 minutes, and then uncovered for 3 minutes.

THE HIGHER-FAT VERSION OF SWEET POTATO LATKES.... (PS: you can serve these simply with applesauce or the other suggestions in the recipe above, if you don't want to make the grilled pears)



BRYANNA'S VEGAN SWEET POTATO AND YUKON GOLD LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES) WITH MAPLE-PECAN GRILLED PEARS (CAN BE GLUTEN-FREE)

This is a delicious fancy brunch or breakfast dish any time, but would be particularly good during Hannukah. This recipe can be multiplied as needed. (NOTE: nutritional info does not include the Tofu Sour Creme.)

THIS RECIPE WAS FROM MY NOW-DISCONTINUED VEGAN COOKING NEWSLETTER, THE VEGAN FEAST. BACK ISSUES WILL BE FOR SALE ON MY WEBSITE SOON!

Latkes (Potato Pancakes):
2 cups grated peeled sweet potato (the orange kind)
2 cups grated scrubbed Yukon Gold potato
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup wholewheat flour (or other whole grain flour)
1/2 Tbs baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

freshly-grated black pepper to taste
2 Tbs oil for frying
Maple-Pecan Grilled Pears:
3 medium ripe, but firm pears
1 Tbs Earth balance, melted
2 Tbs maple syrup
3 Tbs lightly-toasted chopped pecans
To Serve:

Tofu Sour Creme(homemade or commercial)

You might want to make the Grilled Pears before you start the pancakes:
Peel and core the pears and slice very thinly. Place them on a cookie sheet and toss with the melted Earth Balance. Broil about 3-4" below the heat source of your oven broiler until the pears start to brown around the edges. Stir gently and broil further, but don't burn them or make them too soggy.



Remove from the oven and scoop into a shallow bowl. Drizzle with the maple syrup and add the pecans; mix gently. Set aside.

To make the Latkes (pancakes):
After grating both the sweet potatoes and the potatoes, squeeze and twist them in a large square of cheesecloth or cotton cloth to get all of the liquid you can out. This is important!



Place the squeezed potatoes (both kinds) in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add to the potatoes. Mix well.

Now divide the potato mixture into 9 equal "balls". This is not liquidy like the eggy sort of latke batter. Press the balls bown on a flat surface to make pancakes.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and pan-fry the latkes in the hot oil over medium-high heat until golden and crispy. Serve hot with the Grilled Pears and Tofu Sour Creme.



Servings: 3
Yield: 9 pancakes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 506.0 calories; 33% calories from fat; 19.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 571.1mg sodium; 1140.5mg potassium; 82.4g carbohydrates; 11.2g fiber; 27.4g sugar; 71.2g net carbs; 6.9g protein; 10.9 points.

ONE LAST TREAT:



Chocolate panini.... bread, Ricemellow Creme; vegan, organic, fair trade chocolate; and low-sugar apricot jam. Yum!!

Enjoy!