Diet, Dessert and Dogs

During this month that was MoFo, I’ve been writing up weekly roundups at the end of each week to recap what transpired.  As you can see, I missed this past weekend, what with exciting events (both the “exciting-scary” and “exciting-fun” categories) taking place between Thursday and Saturday.  And since Vegan MoFo actually ends today, I thought I’d combine my farewell MoFo post with my roundup from last week.

I: MoFo, We Hardly Knew Yeh.

My aspirations were lofty:  write one post a day for at least 5 days a week. Sounds eminently doable, doesn’t it?  I mean, when I first began this blog back in November 2007, I was zipping off at least one post a day for quite some time (ah, chalk it up to infatuation of the newly enamored; such excess energy and enthusiasm comes but once in a blog’s lifetime.  Nowadays, my blog-love may be deeper and more permanent, but it operates a little more slowly, too. . . just like in marriage).  My usual pace of two to three posts a week feels much more natural, and much more achievable. 

I enjoyed all the MoFo excitement, but was already scrambling toward the middle of last week. And when the HH was blindsided with a major car accident on American Thanksgiving (three-car collision in which his car was totalled. . . details here), I missed my MoFo post.  And then. . . missed another.  And here I am today, the final day of MoFo. (Is that a little too “Curb Your Enthusiasm” of me, to use the HH’s accident as an excuse for skipping blog posts?  Well, at least I’m not like Larry, using his bad news as an excuse for. . . everything).

So, so long, MoFo.  It’s been fun.  It’s been tantalizing. It’s been more fantastic vegan food than you could ever cook up in a lifetime. And also more reading or writing than I could master in a day.

See you same time, next year! :)  

II. Cookbooks and other Prizes!

Last week’s Festive Freebie offers a cookbook of your choice!  The giveaway continues until midnight tonight, so skip over to the contest page and let me know what you’d like if you win!  Open worldwide.

Also continuing until tonight is the SOS Kitchen Challenge, hosted by Kim and me.  I posted a sweet potato spread that’s definitely worthy of seconds, but my other ventures haven’t been quite so successful. If you’ve got a sweet potato recipe you made in November–lay it on us!  Details here.

Finally, the Gluten Free Holiday event is back in full swing this week.  On Thursday, we’ll be featuring holiday side dishes, so be sure to check it out then!  In the meantime, our previous topic, Gifts of Good Taste, continues until Wednesday evening–and you can enter to win one of seven cookbooks simply by leaving a comment on Alta’s post.

III. Food for Comfort, Times Two Three

[Mega comfort in a pile of zucchini fritters (recipe below), topped with a (mega) dollop of avocado sour cream (this recipe without the basil).]

It was a comfort-food kinda week.  First up, I made some easy, warming, belly-filling Pan Seared Oatmeal Wedges, great for either breakast (with fresh plum sauce) or as a savory starter, perhaps with a spoonful of creamy mushroom or tomato sauce ladled on top.  By the end of the week, after the HH’s collision, I was craving soup–hot, hearty, nourishing–so I mixed up some borscht.  Then, over the weekend, my inner mad pancake scientist came to life as I cooked up some quick and (also comforting) zucchini fritters–recipe below.

IV.  Presents! Is It Christmas Already? 

Gifts for Me: You know, I’ve said it before, but bloggers and blog readers are truly some of the most generous, supportive and big-hearted people I’ve ever “met.”  In the past month, I’ve received gifts from two other bloggers, both of which came as a delightful surprise.

[Rover Indulgence--upscale treats for dogs! Rawganic agave-sweetened chocolate (every morsel of which I savored), and Outback Pride combination spices for savory cooking.  The winsome backdrop, an original design linen tea towel, was also in the package.]

Way back in October, Johanna sent an incredibly thoughtful package of goodies from the antipodes (sorry it’s taken me so long to blog about it, Johanna!).  Not only did the box contain amazing, edible gifts for me, but there was even something for The Girls! (“We really appreciated that, Johanna! When are you coming to live with us?”). And wrapped around it all, of course, was one of Johanna’s signature tea towels.  (See how cute?)

Thanks so much, Johanna!  The agave-sweetened chocolate was a perfect occasional treat for an ACD-er.  In fact, I rationed it out in tiny portions to make it last as long as possible.  And I can’t wait to use the spices!  Thanks for this very thoughtful, sweet (in more ways than one) gift!

Then, just this past week, I received this little guy in the mail:

Isn’t he too adorable?  I cannot tell you how loudly I squealed when I opened the envelope to reveal this cutie!  Thanks to the incomparable River, who crafted him (her talent knows no bounds–pun intended!)   The design is flawless, each teeny tiny stitch perfect.  Todd (as we’ve named him) the Turkey now hangs over our mantlepiece, where he’ll remain through the holidays.  River’s had the brilliant idea to send his twin (Ted the Turkey) to Ellen and Portia with a request that they have me on the show (and y’all know how much I’d love that to happen!). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Ellen finds Todd to be just as cute as I do!!

Thank you so  much, River, for your unending generosity, talent, and support. 

Gifts for YOU: I’ll be back tomorrow with the cookbook winner and this week’s Festive Freebie giveaway.  This next one was instrumental in helping kickstart my baking business back in the day. . . can’t wait to share these treats with you!

V. DDD In Your Kitchen

Finally, I love it when readers tell me they’ve tried out a DDD recipe and provide feedback, and I love to share these with all of you!  

Here’s a list of recent culinary creations based on DDD recipes over the past couple of weeks.  If I missed yours, let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list!

• Gluten Free Vegan Munchies continued using her Faux Meat Crumbles, this time in breakfast tacos!
• Sarah from Ordinary Vegetarian also tried her hand at the meat crumbles
• Moonwriting cooked up some Chili to Last Through the Winter
• Vegan by Valerie cooked up some Almond Crusted Root Veggie Fries
• Reader Courtney made some Sugar Free Dried Cranberries (twice!)
• Sonal reports making Beet Burgers with an Indian twist (sounds delicious)
• Rachel de-lurked to tell me that she tried out last week’s Borscht recipe with a slight twist (thanks for the comment , Rachel!  Loved to hear from you!)
• Celiac Family listed Sweet Potato and Carrot casserole in their “Holiday Favorites Menu Plan“
• Nicole included the Sweet Potato Spread in her Thanksgiving Countdown
• Ready Made blog featured Cauliflower Parsnip & Bean Mash among its choices for holiday entertaining
• And finally, Crispy Cook included Diet, Dessert and Dogs in her list of 100 Gluten Free Blogs.

Thanks so much, everyone! 

VI. Today’s Comfort Food Recipe: Zucchini Fritters

With Chanukah (or was that Hannukah?  Or, as we saw it on a poster in a restaurant the other day, Hanukkah?) around the corner, these are my contribution to the ever-evolving world of alternative latkes (okay, they may not really qualify as “latkes,” but I’ve had traditional potato latkes in the past and wasn’t a fan).  A couple of years ago, I made some two-toned potato pancakes and enjoyed those a lot more than the conventional type. 

But these zucchini-based fritters are my new favorite veggie pancake, whatever you call them: thin, soft shreds of zucchini encased in a light chickpea flour pillow.  The outside is browned and crispy with an airy, pancake-like inside, punctuated with the occasional crunch of black sesame seeds.  The mild, unassuming flavor whispers of fragrant tarragon and would happily be complemented by almost any topping (I used avocado sour cream).  Wrapped and packed to take along, they’d provide a great high-protein lunch or snack.  

Last Year at this Time: A Matcha Made in Heaven: Chocolate and Green Tea Truffles for Everyone (ACD Stage 2)

Two Years Ago: Holiday Brunch-Worthy: Tofu Omelet with Pesto, Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms (not ACD-friendly unless you omit mushrooms and nutritional yeast)

Three Years Ago: Leftover Pizza for Breakfast (not a recipe)

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Today began like most other mornings:  a wet, cold nose against my ear (that would be Chaser, not the HH) rousing me from sleep; a quick (warm, dry) kiss to the HH; and popping (okay, more like fizzling) out of bed before stretching, going through the usual ablutions and tramping over to the office to turn on the computer and check out some blogs.  For our lazy Sunday morning (after shovelling the additional 15 cm./ 6 inches of snow that arrived overnight, of course), I thought I might make some pancakes for breakfast–maybe banana; maybe apple.

Then I read Ruth’s Hannukah (or, for us Canadians, Chanukah) post and before I knew it, I was craving potato pancakes (aka latkes). 

Which is weird, because I hate latkes.

Let me explain.  Over the years, I’ve sampled many different kinds of potato latkes in many different kitchens; and I can honestly tell you I haven’t enjoyed a single one. (Sorry, Mrs. D who kindly invited me to her Rosh Hashanah table back in university; sorry, all my friends who’ve been generous enough to share; sorry, Aunty M. and CBC; sorry, all those caterers whose miniature pancakes I’ve sampled at festive tables in the past). 

Given that I adore home fries and even hash browns, this latke enmity always seemed odd to me.  But whenever I’d try again, the results were the same: the pancakes in question were very heavy, very greasy, and fairly bland, with a high-gloss exterior and mushy, mealy insides.  Was I missing something?  Is there some kind of Freemason-like secret latke society that knows something those of us using the regular latke recipes don’t know? Or was I simply hanging around with horrible cooks?

Whatever; I decided to change all that this morning.  That plate of latkes (and the explanatory article that Ruth included, as well) simply caught my fancy, and I had to have latkes!

After a quick tour using Veg Blog Search, I uncovered a large selection of options.  There were traditional potato latkes, those made entirely from sweet potatoes,  traditional latkes with cool toppings, and a whole bunch of trail-blazing atypical latkes. I decided to base my own version on Bryanna’s fat-free potato and sweet potato pancakes.  I loved the combination of both types of spud, both for color and nutrition, and I thought a lower-fat version would be good at this time of year as well (I did add 2 Tbsp./15 ml. olive oil to the mixture to enhance the flavors a little).  This was also the perfect excuse to use my cast iron skillet yet once more–something I’ve been doing at every available opportunity the past few weeks as I endeavor to render it truly non-stick (so far, no luck).

I’m happy to report that the Latke Loathing has been vanquished, once and for all! (Must have been those sweet potatoes). The HH was also a fan.  We had ours with a slightly unconventional topping, a balsamic-fig sauce that was given to me a few weeks back  (more typical accompaniments include sour cream or applesauce).  What a fabulous combination!  The cakes were decidedly not mushy, as I remembered latkes of old; they were crispy on the outside and supple on the inside, the potatoes just cooked.  They held together beautifully and offered up an alluring aroma of caramelized onion and fragrant dill as they were grilled. With the sweet-tart contrast of the fig sauce slathered over the top, these were the perfect Sunday breakfast. 

Now, it seems the Sunday pancake options are limitless. So glad I start my days the way I do. 

To those who celebrate, Happy Hannukah!  (and Hanukkah, AND Chanukah!)

Two-Toned Potato Latkes

adapted from Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen

While we ate these for breakfast, latkes are more often eaten as a side dish or appetizer with savory foods.  They’re great both ways.

3 small white or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and grated

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated

1 large onion, grated

2 Tbsp. (10 ml.) extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup (110 g.) kamut flour or (100 g.) whole spelt flour

2 tsp. (10 ml.) baking powder

3/4 tsp. (7.5 ml.) fine sea salt

1 Tbsp. (15 ml.) finely ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp. (10 ml.) water

1 tsp. (5 ml.) garlic powder

1 Tbsp. (15 ml.) dried dill weed

1/2 tsp. (2. 5 ml.) smoked paprika

Using a food processor or box grater, grate the potatoes and sweet potatoes and place in a large colander.  Squeeze the mixture with your hands as if squeezing a sponge to get out as much of the starchy liquid as you can.  Place in a large bowl.

Grate the onion and add it to the potato mixture along with the remaining ingredients.  Mix together very well, using your hands if necessary.

Heat a cast iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Using a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the mixture into the pan, flattening the pancakes with a spatula (they should be fairly flat).  Cook about 3-4 minutes, until bottoms are golden; flip and cook on the other side another 3 minutes or so, until golden.  Keep pancakes warm as you continue to cook them.  Serve immediately with apple sauce, sour cream, ketchup, cranberry sauce, chutney, or other topping of choice.

Last Year at this Time: Last Minute Christmas Cookie [Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies]

© 2008 Diet, Dessert and Dogs