My Vegetarian Recipe of the Day

Only have a few minutes to prepare something sweet for your Super Bowl party? This recipe from Food Network’s Paula Deen just takes five minutes and is delicious.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Show: Paula’s Home Cooking
Episode: Picnic in the Park

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package chewy fudge brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
1 (12-ounce) package peanut butter chips or 24 miniature peanut butter cups

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill the cups half full with brownie batter. Place about 1 tablespoon peanut butter chips in the center of the batter, or press 1 peanut butter cup into the batter in each muffin cup until the batter meets the top edge of the peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

** If you have a few extra minutes, you could always make your own brownies, rather than using a mix.

Yes, I know, it’s another chili recipe. But can you really ever have too many chili recipes? And this one is Chili Blanco, or a white chili, and for some reason it’s much harder to find a vegetarian recipe for that kind of chili. And you can make this ahead and turn it into excellent nachos for you Super Bowl munching pleasure. Just put it on some tortilla chips with some diced tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and melted cheese and voila!– the perfect snack.

Chili Blanco

1 pound small navy beans, rinsed and drained
8 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups Imagine Not Chicken broth (or some other kind of vegetable broth or stock)
1 large bay leaf
1 4 oz. can green chilis, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup each: chopped green bell pepper, celery and julienne carrots
1 teaspoon each: cumin (or more, to taste) and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup grated jack cheese
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

2 cups baked tortilla chips, coarsely crushed (you can leave this out if you’re making the chili for nachos)
5 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
sour cream, optional

Place the beans in a large pot and cover with the 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let set, covered for 1 hour. Drain. Alternately, you can soak the beans overnight.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, sauté the onions until golden. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes, until garlic is translucent, but not browned.

Combine the beans, onions, broth, and bay leaf in a 6 quart pot. Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook until tender. Stir in green chilies and mash with a potato masher OR cool the mixture and puree it briefly in a blender or food processor. You want it to remain chunky, so don’t puree it too much. Season to taste with salt. When the beans are tender, sauté the bell pepper, celery, carrots, cumin and black pepper until just cooked. Stir into the beans after mashing. Add cheese and cilantro, stirring to blend. Serve garnished with green onions, chips and sour cream, if desired.

If you’re rooting for Da Bears next weekend, then there’s no better dish for you to serve than a Chicago-style Pizza. And, since it’s pizza, you can put whatever toppings on it that you like. If you want to try something a bit different than this recipe, you can find a great recipe for a stuffed Chicago-style pizza on fellow-blogger Andrea’s site.

For just the basics, use this recipe and add whatever toppings you find appealing.

Chicago-style Pizza

1 (.25 ounce) envelope rapid rise yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 pound sliced mozzarella cheese

1 can pizza sauce (or make your own)

Topping suggestions: Peppers, onions, pineapple, olives, spinach, zucchini, soy meat substitute

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil

Place the water in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Pour in the vegetable oil, olive oil, cornmeal and 3 cups of the flour. Mix with the beater for 10 minutes. Add the remaining flour, and switch from the beater to the dough hook. Mix for about 5 minutes. This can be done by hand, but the dough is very rich and moist. Pour the dough out onto a floured surface, and cover with a large bowl. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and let rise again. This time won’t take as long.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

Grease two 9 or 10 inch round cake pans. Divide the dough evenly between the two pans. Press the dough out so that it goes all the way up the sides of the pans. Lay the slices of mozzarella cheese onto the crusts like tile. Next put the pizza sauce over the mozzarella. This is the time to add your toppings. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden and gooey, and the crust a light golden brown.

I’m not waiting for the Super Bowl to make this chili. I’m planning to make it for dinner this week. Chocolate in chili? Sound absurd? Not at all. It gives the chili a nice depth that vegetarian chili can sometimes lack. I’ve never used semi-sweet chocolate pieces, opting instead for cocoa. If you prefer using cocoa, you can always just add a little extra oil.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates. My first vegetarian cookbook was Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, and I’ve bought several other Moosewood cookbooks since then. I highly recommend any of them. I like that they’re a bit chatty about the recipes. I also like that this particular cookbook arranges things by event. So, if you need a recipe for a birthday breakfast in bed, you can flip to that section and have a whole menu laid out for you.

Anyway, enough about the cookbook and on to the recipe.

Black Bean and Chocolate Chili

2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small fresh chile, minced
1 T. ground cumin
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves (I’m leaving those out, not being a huge clove fan)
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. salt (I’ll probably use more like 1 t.)
1 1/2 c. chopped bell peppers
3 c. cooked or canned black beans (2- 14.5 oz. cans, rinsed and drained)
2 c. undrained crushed canned tomatoes (one 14.5 oz. can)
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces (or you could use about a 1/4 c. chocolate chips)
chopped scallions

In a saucepan, warm the oil on medium heat. Add the onions ad garlic and saute until the onions become translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery and chile, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat and stir in the spices and bell peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the bell peppers begin to soften. Stir occasionally to keep the spices from burning. If needed, add a little juice from the canned tomatoes.

Add the black beans, tomatoes, lemon juice and soy sauce. Bring the chili to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. When it is melted, adjust the salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Garnish with chopped scallions.

Tired of the same old french onion dip? This dip from the Food Network will add a little heat to your party.

Spicy Sour Cream Dip

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
1 teaspoon abobo sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.

Do you need more than snacks to satisfy your hunger on Super Bowl Sunday? These sandwiches are plenty hardy. (Last year I posted a recipe for eggplant heros that would also be good.) This recipe is super easy, as it’s really more assembling than cooking.

Chicken Parmesan Hero Sandwich

2 jars marinara sauce
2 packages prepared soy chicken breaded patties (approx. 8 patties)
4 (12-inch-long) loaves Italian bread, halved lengthwise
1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Microwave or heat soy chicken patties according to directions on the box. Cut in half.

Arrange bottom halves of bread loaves on a large baking sheet and tops on another large baking sheet, all with cut sides up. Spread 1/4 cup marinara on each top and bottom. Divide soy chicken patties between bottom halves. Top each (open-faced) sandwich with 1/4 cup marinara and one fourth of mozzarella.

Bake open-faced sandwiches in lower third of oven until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. When cheese begins to melt, put tops of loaves in upper third of oven and bake until edges are golden, 3 to 4 minutes (watch tops closely; they burn easily). Put tops on bottoms to make sandwiches, then slice into serving pieces.

This recipe comes from a great cookbook: The Golden Door Cookbook. The Golden Door Cookbook is based on foods served at the Golden Door Spa in southern California. The recipes are interesting and unique and delicious. BUT they tend to be more gourmet. By that I mean that they usually have extensive ingredient lists and aren’t always the simplest recipes to make. This recipe is an exception to that. While it does have a fairly long ingredient list, it is pretty simple to assemble. If you like, the dip could be prepared alone and served with potato chips or some other “dipper”.

Potato Skins with Ricotta-Sundried Tomato Dip

Dip

2 T. sliced, soaked dry-packed sundried tomatoes (these are the sundried tomatoes that come in a bag, rather than packed in oil– see note on soaking at bottom of recipe*)
1 T. reserved tomato soaking water
3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 T. minced shallots
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. dried basil
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, reserved soaking water, ricotta, shallots, vinegar, basil and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let come to room temperature before serving.

*To rehydrate dry-packed sundried tomatoes, soak them in warm water to cover for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and slice. Be sure to reserve 1 T. of the soaking water for the recipe.

Potato Skins

About 20 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. celery salt
4 russet potatoes, scrubbed (a little over 2 1/2 lbs.)

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the rosemary sprigs on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the potatoes. Set aside.

Using a small, sharp knife, slice off a 1/4 inch thick slice from all four sides of each potato. (Save the peeled potatoes for another use.) Blot the cut sides of the potato skins dry with paper towels and arrange them, skin sides down, on the rosemary. Sprinkle the cut sides evenly with the spice mixture. Spray with vegetable oil spray, or brush with olive oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven, and spray with the vegetable oil spray again (or brush again with olive oil). Return to the oven and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and beginning to puff. Serve with the dip.

These recipes come from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook, which is a great resource for fat free or very low fat vegan recipes. The recipes are all ones that can be made in fifteen minutes or less.

Nutty French Toast

1/4 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
2 T. chopped dates
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. cinnamon
6 slices whole wheat bread

Place the cashews in a blender (or food processor) with 1/2 cup of the water. Process until fairly smooth, then add the remaining 1/2 cup water and the dates, vanilla and cinnamon. Process until very smooth. Pour into a bowl. Dip the bread slices into the mixture, coatingboth sides well. Make sure your griddle is hot before you cook the first slice. Cook on the nonstick griddle for about 2 minutes on each side, turning once until browned on both sides. Serve with maple syrup, applesauce or fruit jam.

Veggie Benedicts

2 nonfat English muffins or crumpets, split in half
4 thick slices tomato
1 small avocado
1 c. Hollandaise Sauce (recipe below)

Place the muffins in a toaster or toaster oven and toast until lightly browned. Place a tomato slice on each muffin and then the avocado slices. Pour 1/4 of the sauce over each muffin and serve at once.

Hollandaise Sauce

1/4 c. raw cashews
1 cup water
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. nutritional yeast powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. salt
1/16 t. turmeric
pinch of paprika
1 T. cornstarch mixed with 2 T. cold water
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Placethe cashews and 1/2 cup of the water in a blender. Process briefly, then gradually add the remaining water. Process until the mixture is very smooth. Pour into a saucepan. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, turmeric and paprika. Mix well. Add the cornstarch mixture and mix well. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add pepper.

Has the New Year inspired New Year’s resolutions? For many people it has. And how we relate to food is always a popular subject of resolutions. So, for the next couple of weeks I will be posting Low Fat and Vegan recipes, in case you’ve decided to avoid animal products altogether– or in case you’ve decided, once and for all, to get rid of those last few pounds.

Fondue may make you think of the 70s, but it’s made a real comeback. It’s cheese dip with class. So whether you are looking for something delicious and a bit different for a vegetarian New Year’s Eve, something to eat while you’re watching the Bowl Games or something to add to a New Year’s brunch buffet, here are three fondue recipes that will fit the bill. These recipes are adapted from recipes found on The Food Network.

Easy Fondue with Vegetables

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup half-and-half
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped or chopped
Your choice of vegetables, raw or lightly steamed
Some suggestions: broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled tofu
You can also choose to use various breads, if you like

To a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and the chopped shallots. Saute shallots for 2 or 3 minutes. Add half-and-half to the pan and reduce heat to low. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch slices and add it to the pot. Allow the cream cheese to slowly melt into the half-and-half, 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and shredded Gruyere or Swiss to the sauce and stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Stir in lemon juice. Season sauce with, nutmeg and black pepper. Place a candle underneath a wire rack or warm a fondue pot. Transfer cheese sauce to fondue pot or place saucepan over wire rack and burning candle. Garnish with chives. Serve with dipping forks or bamboo spears.

Feta Cheese With Walnuts and Parsley

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
6 ounces feta cheese
2 scallions minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup walnuts toasted and finely chopped

In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter the stir in the flour. Stir the 2 together into a paste. Whisk in the milk to create what the French call a bechamel sauce. Drop the temperature a little and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes so it thickens and the flour taste cooks out. After that it’s easy, just fold in the crumbled feta, scallions, and parsley. Season it with salt and a little cracked pepper. Finish with the walnuts tossed on top. Serve with bread, broccoli, melons, black olives– whatever suits your fancy.

Chocolate Fondue

2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cabernet sauvignon, optional
Items for dipping
Suggestions: pound cake, biscotti pieces, strawberries, grapes, oranges

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the sugar, heavy cream, chocolate, and butter together and microwave for 2 minutes. Take out of microwave and give it a quick whisk. Add wine (if using) and whisk again. Transfer to a fondue pot with a flame underneath.

This recipe could be a bit complicated if you make each of the parts from scratch. However, with the basic idea of the recipe in mind, you can also cheat and make this a simple vegetarian dish to put out on a buffet for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Or bring it to a party and wow your friends. There are many variations that you can use. You could use a good black bean dip and top it with pico de gallo, instead of caramelized onions. You could use regular prepared hummus. Add something other than thyme, if you like. Hummus with a bit of tabouli on top, perhaps. Let me know if you use some interesting variation.

Flatbread with hummus, olives and caramelized onions

4 pieces good-quality pita bread, naan, lavash, or Buckwheat Flatbread, recipe follows
White Bean Hummus, recipe follows (or use prepared hummus or black bean dip or anything like this that suits your fancy)
Caramelized Onions, recipe follows
1 cup sliced black olives
Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Spread each flatbread with some of the hummus, then top with the caramelized onions, and olives. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Cut into wedges and serve.

Buckwheat Flatbread:
1/2-ounce fresh yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
8 ounces bread flour, plus more if needed
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Mix for 1 minute on low speed and let stand until the mixture just begins to bubble. Attach the dough hook and add both flours and the salt to the yeast mixture. Mix until it forms a mass; the dough should be sticky. Continue to add additional flour, if necessary, until the surface is dry enough to handle and dry enough to roll.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll into balls, and lightly brush with oil. Place on a floured surface and cover the balls with plastic wrap and a clean cloth and let proof for 2 hours at room temperature; or, place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let proof overnight in a refrigerator.

Preheat a grill or preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

To form flatbread, pat each piece of dough out into a 5-inch disk and sprinkle liberally with flour. Roll each disk, on a floured surface, into a 10-inch diameter circle. Puncture the dough liberally with a fork to keep it from rising. Grill or bake each on a pizza stone or a lightly greased sheet pan for about 5 minutes or until dough starts to get crisp on the edges but still remains chewy.

White Bean Hummus:
3 cups white beans, cooked, or canned, drained and rinsed
6 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon harissa
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place beans, garlic, harissa, lemon juice, and tahini in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Caramelized Onions:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large Spanish onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar and cook slowly until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the thyme.

Only one week until New Year’s Eve. Whether you do snacks, a full meal, or a midnight brunch, you can find great vegetarian options. Obviously, with only sevendays, I don’t have time to post a lot of recipes, so I’m going to remind you of a couple of recipes that have been posted in the past that you might want to include in your celebrations.

Black Eyed Peas are traditional for New Year’s and over the past year I’ve posted three black eyed pea recipes.

Cumin Black Eyed Peas with Tomatoes

Lime Rice and Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Pea Scramble

If you’re looking for brunch recipes, here are some of my favorites from the past year:

Easy Biscuits

Prepare Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Banana Macademia Nut Muffins

What if you just want snacks for New Year’s Eve? You might want to try some of these:

Vegetarian Nachos

Cream Cheese With…

Vegetarian 7 Layer Dip

Now, I will still be posting some new recipes, as well, this week. So, if you didn’t find something that you like, check back between now and New Year’s Eve.

I meant to write this one out during Thanksgiving and then somehow forgot about it. This was originally meant as a vegan recipe, but I usually adapt it and make it vegetarian. It’s really very tasty, although it does require a bit more work than some other nut loafs. Although if you double the recipe for the stuffing, you can get a main dish and a side dish for exactly the same amount of work. Vegan ingredient options are marked with a star and in italics. Leave out the eggs for vegan option.

Nut Loaf with vegan alternatives

Loaf

two tablespoons (or more) butter *oil or margarine
2 large onions, chopped fine
5 cloves (or an entire bulb) garlic, minced
3 cups raw cashews
1 1/2 cups bread
1 cup soup stock or broth– you can use water, but I wouldn’t
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg

Cook the onion and garlic in the butter, oil or margarine until tender, and remove from the heat.

Chop the cashews by hand or in a food processor; cut up the bread as well. Add the cashews and bread to the onion, then add the vegetable stock, egg, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Put half of this mixture into a small, non-stick loaf pan. Even if you’re using a non-stick pan, I would still spray it with non-stick spray or oil it with olive or canola oil. If you want to use a regular pan that is not non-stick, the original recipe recommends lining the pan with parchment paper first.

Stuffing

3 cups bread cubes, toasted
four tablespoons butter *margarine or oil, melted but not hot
1/2 to 3/4 cup finely-chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon sage
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 egg
enough to stock to moisten

Mix together all the ingredients. Put the mixture on top of the stuff in the loaf pan, and add the rest of the first mixture so that there are three layers of food in the pan.

Place the pan on a baking sheet or in a larger loaf pan (in case it overflows while cooking), and bake at 400 degrees F for half an hour. The top should be browned.

Let the roast cool for a few minutes, then serve out of the pan or invert it on to a plate. Serve with gravy, if desired. I’d recommend the mushroom gravy.

Green bean casserole is an easy enough solution for the vegetarians in your family, but what if you have a vegan coming for dinner? This green bean casserole should help them feel right at home while avoiding any animal products.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

1 can French cut green beans
1.5 canisters vegan French fried onions (or make your own*)
1.5 cups soymilk
1 cube veggie bouillon (make sure this is vegan)
2-3 tablespoon corn starch (or potato starch) mixed with 2-3 tablespoon cold water to use as a thickener
1/2 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms (button, crimini, portabella, whatever)
1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon each of garlic, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, sage, marjoram, thyme,
or whatever seasoning you enjoy

Heat soy milk and veggie bouillon in a saucepan, stirring until bouillon cube disintegrates. Do not boil or scald the soy milk. Just heat it. Sauté onions and mushrooms in the oil in a skillet. Add salt, pepper, and any herbs or spices.

Mix the starch and water well, and pour into the soymilk/bouillon. Stir well, because this will thicken quickly. Quickly add the can of green beans and the sautéed veggies, and stir well.

Pour that mixture into a casserole dish or pan and top with rFrench fried onions. Bake in oven at about 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Remove. Eat. Enjoy.

* French Fried Onions

3 large onions, sliced into thin rings
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour (can use gluten free)
oil (for frying)
salt

Soak the onions in the milk for 5 minutes. Heat the oil in a large skillet or deep fryer. Take a handful of onions and run them through the flour with a fork to coat.
Fry in batches in the oil, stirring as needed to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels and season to taste. Store in an air-tight container.

Every year I try a new latke recipe. We all love the potato latkes, but for eight nights it can get a bit old. I’m thinking of trying this recipe for this year.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Sugared Pecans

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg
1 T vanilla
1 T cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
Up to 2 T potato flour (regular flour will do if you don’t have potato flour or potato starch)
1/3 c brown sugar; packed
Oil
Sour cream or powder sugar for dusting
Sugared Pecans (recipe below)

Parboil potatoes in boiling water until slightly tender but firm (or microwave for a couple of minutes). Refrigerate potatoes until cold. Remove skin and shred into bowl. Add egg; vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and potato flour. Mix until well blended. Coat bottom of 10″ non-stick skillet with 2 T. oil. Shape latkes into 2 1/2 ” patties. Cook until brown on both sides and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Add oil as needed to remaining batches. *Pipe dollop of sour cream with pastry bag on top for each latke. Top with Sugared Pecans.*

*OPT. Sugared Pecans

1 c. whole pecans
1 egg white
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Put pecans in ziplock bag with egg white. Shake until coated. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Add to the ziplock bag– shake until coated. Bake at 400F 9 to 12 min. Cool.