Potato Latkes

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon soy flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil or margarine
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Sift dry ingredients together, add water, and beat with a balloon whisk til smooth.  Mince the onion, and add to batter. Grate the potatoes into the mixture, and stir.

Heat a saucepan over medium to low heat, add oil or margarine, and spoon batter onto pan. Flatten the patties lightly, cover the pan, and allow to brown very slowly, to ensure the potatoes are cooked thoroughly. Flip when golden brown on the bottom and cook til done, leaving the pan uncovered. Serve with apple sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 87g
Servings per Recipe: 6

Calories: 86
Calories from Fat: 22
Total Fat: 2.4g, 4% of Daily Value*
Saturated Fat: 0g, 0% of Daily Value
Sodium: 102mg, 4% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 14.5g, 5% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 2.0g, 8% of Daily Value
Sugars 1.4g
Protein 2.og

Vitamin A 0%	•	Vitamin C 24%
Calcium 3%	•	Iron 3%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

No Bake Cherry Lime Cheezecake

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese substitute *
1 cup cream substitute **
1 cup sugar
1/2 c lime juice
Grated rind of three limes
1 tbsp agar***
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 pre-made graham cracker or shortbread pie crust


Put the water, 1/4 cup lime juice, and the agar in a pan, and allow the agar to soak.

Add the cheese, remaining lime juice, and cream to a blender or food processor, and blend. Add the sugar and the grated lime peel, and blend again.

Melt the margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the flour, stirring all the while, to make a roux. Add the cheese mixture while still stirring, and reduce heat to low. Bring the softened agar to a boil, simmer til the agar is dissolved, and add to the cheese mixture. Continue to stir while mixture is on low heat, for about 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into prepared pie crust or tart shells, and allow to thicken. Refrigerate. I used a shortbread crust, but you could also use a pre-baked pie crust. Spoon cherry pie filling on top of slices before serving.

* I used Tofutti. It can be found at Safeway and Raleys. Other brands can be found at Whole Foods Markets.

** I used unsweetened MimicCreme. There really is nothing else like it on the market.  You can find it at Raleys and Whole Foods Markets.

*** Agar is used as a texturizing agent, emulsifier, stabilizing agent  and thickener in ice cream, sherbets, jellies, soups, sauces, and canned soups. It is used as a clarifying agent in winemaking and brewing, to fill the pores in cloth and paper manufacturing ('sizing'), as a  medium for growing bacteria; in dentistry and cosmetics; film and adhesives. It  is prepared from several species of red algae (or seaweed). It is a vegetable gelatin, and is therefore used by vegetarians because true gelatin is made from calf's feet. You can find it online, at your local health food store, or Whole Foods Markets.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 124 g
Servings per Recipe: 12

Calories: 276
Calories from Fat: 81
Total Fat: 9.0g, 14% of Daily Value****
Saturated Fat: 1.8g, 9% of Daily Value
Sodium: 148mg, 6% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 47.2g, 16% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 0.9g, 4% of Daily Value
Sugars 24.7g
Protein 3.2g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 5%	•	Iron 6%

**** Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

4 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer*
          (equivalent of 3 eggs)
6 tablespoons water
1 cup non dairy butter
1 teaspoon liquid lecithin**
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375º F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a wire balloon whisk or a blender, whip the egg replacer with the water in a separate bowl til it is thick and creamy. 

In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. When using dairy butter, it is necessary to leave it out til it reaches room temperature. When using non dairy butter, it is best to keep it refrigerated til ready to use, and do not over beat. Cream the butter and sugars for one minute, then add the lecithin and the vanilla. Beat for another minute, and add the egg replacer mixture. Beat til blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using two soup spoons from your set of tableware, drop a spoonful of cookie dough at a time onto the cookie sheet, leaving room between each to allow them to spread while baking. Simply spoon up a small ball of cookie dough with one soup spoon, and scrape it off the spoon and onto the cookie sheet with the back of the other soup spoon. You can also use your finger to scrape the cookie dough off the spoon and onto the sheet.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Shorter cooking time yields a softer cookie. If you like your cookies well baked, use another cookie sheet under the sheet with the cookies on it. This will keep the bottoms of the cookies from burning when you want to leave them to bake longer.

Allow the cookies to rest on the pan for a few minutes, and then transfer them to racks to cool. Leaving them to cool on the pan with make them soggy.

While the number of cookies will depend on the size you make them, this recipe usually yields 24 cookies when I use a soup spoon to scoop them.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: One cookie
Servings per recipe: 24

Calories: 187                   Calories from fat: 88
                                                 
Total Fat: 9.8g, 15% of Daily Value***

Saturated Fat: 2.7g, 14% of Daily Value

Sodium: 245mg, 10% of Daily Value
Total Carbohydrates: 23.0g, 8% of Daily Value
Dietary Fiber: 0.6g, 2% of Daily Value
Sugars: 14.4g
Protein: 1.9g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%	•	Iron 4%

* In this recipe, eggs serve as an emulsifier for the fat and sugar mixture, and a binder, to keep the cookies from melting and running all over the cookie sheet. You can buy Ener-G Egg Replacer, which is based on potato starch, or Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, which is based on soy flour and algin, a gel derived from seaweed. Or you can simply use potato starch or soy flour. For this recipe, I prefer Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. You can probably go ahead and use three eggs if you aren't vegan, but I can't promise how the cookies will turn out if you do. Using an egg replacer makes these cookies cholesterol free and very low in saturated fat, depending on the source of fat used in your non dairy butter and chocolate chips.

** Liquid lecithin is optional in this recipe, but it acts as an emulsifier in the sugar fat mixture, and adds a richer golden brown color to the finished product. It is derived from soybeans and can be found in health food stores, or the natural foods and supplements aisles of better supermarkets. Lecithin is an important nutrient in fat metabolism, and promotes the production and flow of healthy bile.

*** Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Savory Breakfast Hash

Ingredients

3  large unpeeled russet potatoes, baked, cooled, and coarsely chopped
1-1/2 lbs. firm tofu, mashed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Paprika

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, tofu, and soy sauce. In a saucepan, sauté the onion over medium heat in the oil until translucent. Add bell pepper and corn kernels and saute til tender. Add garlic and cook very briefly. Do not allow garlic to burn.

Add the onion and bell pepper mixture to the potatoes and tofu, and add the parsley, basil, and black pepper. Spread into an oiled 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 35 minutes. Or, divide into individual servings and freeze before baking, removing a serving the night before to allow it to thaw, and baking it in the morning. Makes eight servings.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 173 g
Servings per Recipe: 8

Calories: 181
Calories from Fat:40
Total Fat: 4.5g, 7% of Daily Value*
Saturated Fat: 0.8g, 4% of Daily Value

Sodium: 245mg, 10% of Daily Value

Total Carbohydrates: 29.2g, 10% of Daily Value

Dietary Fiber: 5g, 20% of Daily Value

Sugars: 3.8g

Protein: 8.2g

Vitamin A 13%	•	Vitamin C 84%
Calcium 14%	•	Iron 11%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet