OYMST Day#21: I love you a latke

With 10 days and counting, I ask myself--will I make it through Operation Yank My Sweet Tooth? Yep. For those of you just joining in, I've decided to bypass all traditional desserts for the month of January to challenge myself, get a little more connected to my food, and to raise some $$ for the food bank that keeps me filled with tofu. I've relied more on fruits, trail mixes without any refined sugar, home made lara bars-(only mine are balls). (((giggle))) Laraballs.


So this picture is way old--like from Hanukkah 2011. I know it isn't that long ago, but I just thought I'd let y'all know this isn't a recent photo. Most of mine aren't, and I'm trying to get better about that.

These are my signature Lazy Assed Latkes. They are NOT fried and therefore aren't authentic, and I bake the potatoes prior to shredding them, so I guess they aren't lazy at all, they're ambitious. As much as I lovey-love-love fried food, I'm not a fan of the traditional latke. They're just too greasy. I want a big assed potato pancake that I can top with veggies, vegan sour cream, or applesauce. My mom used to make potato pancakes with a mixture of instant potatoes and mashed tater tots. Now that's lazy. Good lazy.

You'll need:

• 4-6 really huge potatoes
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1.5 t fresh dill (FRESH!)
• 1/4 t ground coriander
• 1/2 t salt
• grated carrots (optional for color)
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs-(use crushed corn chips for GF)
• 1.5 T canola oil
• 1T flax seed meal + 3 T warm water, set aside
• 1/2 c. mushed firm tofu OR 1/2 c. mushed beans of your choice
• ground black pepper

First things first: bake those taters. Let 'em cool. I'm personally a fan of washing them, massaging them with a little OO, sprinkling some kosher salt on them, talking a little dirty to them and baking them in the oven without foil.

Now that you've cooled the taters, grate them with a cheese grater. Yes, it will be messy. Yes, you'll have some pesky skins to deal with--but IMO that makes 'em gooood. Preheat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and dill in a skillet with a little oil or vegan margarine. Set aside. Add the flax egg, mushed tofu or beans, bread crumbs, and the sauteed veggies. Now make some patties. C'mon, you heard me--MAKE PATTIES! I usually get six to a cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes on one side, flip and 7-10 on the other. If you don't want to use the oven you CAN use a griddle and have a latke party. You just don't want to fry these because they'll just fall apart and you'll be pissed and sad. I dare you to try these with purple potatoes, sweet potatoes, or Jarusalem artichokes-(I'd boil and mash these if I were you instead of shredding.) Report those findings.