Recipes Archives - Page 62 of 113

Salted Flourless Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe

I swore I wouldn’t post this recipe, but I gave in to persistent begging. I didn’t know the world needed another chocolate chip cookie recipe! But apparently many people could not live without this one. I will admit, these are quite, quite delicious and you can’t always say that about a grain-free, flourless cookie.

The reason I was reluctant to post this is because it is a very finicky recipe. I probably made these cookies 20-24 times and I had a couple of fails. Not inedible fails, but they didn’t look like the pictures you see here. Again, these are totally delicious in every way. Big chunks of melty dark chocolate and crispy flakes of sea salt are always a win in my book. The fact that these are also grain-free/flourless is just an added bonus, especially for all my GF and Paleo students, who seem to be growing in numbers. Although that might just be the post-holiday detox trend. I digress.

The two ingredients that affect the outcome of these cookies are the almond butter and the sugar. You cannot use a runny almond butter or one that is very oily. Once during a class, I had a new jar of room temperature Maranatha almond butter which I may not have stirred properly to incorporate the oil on top. I had oil dripping down my arms while I was rolling out the dough. I knew the cookies were going to be a disaster and they kind of were — very flat, oily and crumbly at the edges. Thankfully, this batter is a snap to make, so I just made another batch quickly with almond butter I had in the fridge. The next round was perfect.

These cookies are slightly softer than traditional chocolate chip cookies, unless you use brown sugar and then they do get a little crispy around the edges. The flavor is spot-on with just the right amount of sweetness. After 2 days, I store them in the fridge. They also freeze well.

Instead of giving you a blow-by-blow of all cookie escapades, let me summarize here:

use cold, refrigerated almond butter;
thicker almond butter is better than thinner;
if your nut butter is thinner, you can add 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut flour to the batter;
you can make these with sunflower butter, but there will be a reaction between the sunflower butter and the baking soda which will tint the cookies green;
mix by hand (with a wooden spoon) not a mixer;
brown sugar, although a refined and not Pamela-approved sweetener, gave the best results — slightly crispy and chewy;
muscovado sugar was the second best and coconut sugar came in third — see the images in the post to compare;
do not use maple syrup, honey or another liquid sweetener;
you must allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan, not a cooling rack;
I always make 12 cookies, but you can make fewer and just make them bigger.

Ok, that’s all she wrote. Hit me with your questions and let me know if you make them!

brown sugar used here — brown sugar (and peppermint bark instead of chocolate chunks)

4.8 from 5 reviews

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Salted Flourless Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Author: Pamela

Serves: 12 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened, unsalted almond butter (raw or roasted, make sure it is well-blended)*
½ cup coconut sugar, brown sugar or muscovado sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Maldon salt, divided
¾ cup chopped dark chocolate (about 4 ounces) or semi-sweet chocolate chips
optional add-ins: 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to make chocolate cookies or ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix almond butter and sugar until well combined.
Stir in baking soda, egg, vanilla and ½ teaspoon flaky salt until well combined.
Stir in chocolate.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before transferring to a rack. To keep longer than one or two days, store in the refrigerator.

Notes

*If your almond butter is thin and runny or very oily, add 1 ½ Tablespoons of coconut flour to the batter.
Please read the suggestions outlined in the post.

Shrimp and mixed vegetables with coconut-basil sauce recipe

I was talking to some friends the other day about our college-aged daughters, some of whom already live in off-campus housing and are no longer on meal plans. That is, they have divorced themselves from dining hall food and have embraced the world of kitchenettes and home cooking. I remember my first semester off meal plan. I had visions of cooking up all sorts of wondrous things like lasagne or chicken Marbella or homemade bread and flourless chocolate cakes, my specialities in 1989. But alas, I actually had to study night and day so that one day I might be employable. No time to fuss in the kitchen since there was no way I would be making a career in the food industry. Good gracious, no. The irony.

Alas, when I do think back to that era, anytime I did cook up something, it had to be fast, reasonably nutritious and budget-friendly. I made A LOT of stir-fries. I made so many stir-fries, I owned a wok. I was 20. So as I was talking to these other mamas about our girls and my possibly do a little cooking class for them this summer, I thought I would definitely start with a stir-fry.

bok choy carrots cauliflower coconut milk ginger jalapeno lemongrass shrimp

Bieler’s Broth: a Healing, Restorative Soup Recipe

It’s good to be home. I had the loveliest holiday break, but it’s good to be home. Even though I knew I was coming back to two weeks worth of mail to sift through, groceries to buy, meals to plan, piles of laundry to wash, it’s all good.

As I’ve mentioned several times, I am not much on detox diets or cleanses after the holidays even though they are all the rage. I notice a lot of people overdo it even more between Thanksgiving and New Years knowing they will “cleanse” it all off starting January 1. Eh. If you just try eliminating sugar and flour for a few weeks, your health will improve drastically. You don’t need to give up real food and sip juice for a week. But that’s just my opinion.

However I do want to share an amazing, healing and very digestible soup recipe called Bieler’s Broth. This soup is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for decades, invented by a doctor named Bieler. The soup is vegan and all vegetable-based. It is not a culinary soup in the sense that it is so delicious that you would want to serve it to your friends at your next dinner party, but more of a medicinal soup. It tastes absolutely fine though, just a little bland.

According to Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions, Dr. Bieler felt that this combination of vegetables was ideal for restoring acid-alkaline and sodium-potassium balance to organs and glands, especially the sodium-loving adrenal glands which suffer under stress. The broth is also supportive for liver function — recall that the liver is our detoxifying organ. Bieler’s broth is highly recommended for those under stress or suffering from stress-related conditions. Know anyone stressed out? Yep, I thought so.

When I have had a lot of travel combined with a chaotic schedule and less than desirable eating, I’ll make a big batch of Bieler’s broth every few days and drink a mugful either as a snack during the day or with my breakfast or dinner. I don’t function well without protein and fats, so I can’t use this as a meal replacement.

I always notice a big improvement in my overall wellbeing after supplementing daily for 2 weeks with Bieler’s broth. I made a batch yesterday which should last 3 days and I’ll make another batch on Thursday to get me through the weekend.

I know that the vegetables in Bieler’s broth are not in season in the winter. I am normally opposed to that, but in this case it’s just temporary. Be sure to buy only organic vegetables since this is supposed to be a healing soup and pesticides will just add more toxins to the body. Also, zucchini is now a common GMO crop, so buying organic ensures you will be buying non-GMO.

Here’s hoping 2016 is off to a healthy start for you. If you’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, it’s never to late to start fresh. Do check out the dinner planner I started posting on Sundays! It will change your life to plan out your meals. Promise!

5.0 from 22 reviews

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Bieler's Broth: a Healing, Restorative Soup Recipe

Author: Pamela

Serves: 2 quarts

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini, ends discarded and zucchini sliced into rounds
1 pound string beans, ends trimmed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 bunches parsley (flat-leaf or curly), tough stems removed (you can freeze the stems for stock making)
4 cups water

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim any foam on the surface, lower the heat and simmer, covered until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Puree soup in the pot with a handheld blender or in a blender in batches.
Eat warm.

Notes

I usually make this twice in a week and that will make enough for me to have a bowl every day.

celery green beans parsley zucchini

Mini Risotto Cakes Recipe

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to entertain more at home than I did in 2015. I used to invite friends over 2-3 times/month before I started teaching cooking classes full-time. By the time Friday rolls around, I’m kind of over major food prep. So cooking for friends fell by the wayside. But I realized it’s also one of my favorite ways to spend my time so I need to find a way to bring that back into my life!

My goal is to entertain more simply with less pressure to make everything Pinterest and Insta-worthy. Good friends don’t care. I know this is true because when someone invites me over for a meal, I am more excited about spending quality time with my friends than what is on the menu. So for my last blogpost of 2015, I thought I would share an easy, delicious and very popular recipe that might encourage you to invite friends over during the holidays.

These risotto cakes made an appearance in my Party Foods class last December and I remember the kids hoping there were some extra when they returned home from school. I love it when I have a recipe which is just as popular with kids as adults! Essentially, you take leftover risotto and form it into a small patty (1-2 bites each), coat that in beaten egg and bread crumbs and saute in olive oil in a skillet. The good news is that you don’t have to make proper risotto for this recipe. No stirring every 5 minutes or standing over the pot. The only goal is to have a cold rice mixture that is sticky enough to form a little patty.

I have mixed feelings about rice since there are pros and cons to both brown and white rice (brown you have to soak + contains arsenic, white is lacking the fiber.) So my rule of thumb is that if I don’t have time to soak brown rice, I go with white. But I’m sure you could make this with short grain brown rice and just cook it for longer. Either way, you can make the rice today, form the patties tomorrow and saute them before your friends come over on New Year’s Eve! Keep them warm in a 250 degree oven for up to an hour if necessary.

What’s also nice about these little cakes is that you can eat them plain or top them with any number of toppings from store bought tapenade to pesto aioli (shown here — nothing more than pesto mixed with a little Vegenaise) to sautéed mushrooms or garlicky greens or a tomato compote. You can also make them bigger and serve with a green salad for brunch, lunch or dinner. A poached egg on top would round it all out.

In other news, and perhaps to help with possible new year’s resolutions, I am starting a new regular blogpost on Sundays, beginning January 3rd. It will be a weekly dinner planner to offer inspiration and suggestions on what to make. Many of my students have asked me for this, despite the fact I post my weekday dinners on Instagram and Facebook ;). For those of you aspiring to cook more from scratch and use more natural, plant-based foods, I think this new weekly blogpost will come in handy. Wishing you and yours a safe, happy, and healthy new year! xoxo

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Mini Risotto Cakes

Author: Pamela

Serves: 24 cakes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil + more for frying cakes
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio or carnaroli rice (if you want to use short grain brown rice, adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions)
1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
½ cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs (look for gluten-free bread crumbs to make this a GF recipe)

Instructions

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the rice and 1 ¾ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until rice starts to crackle, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and let simmer, stirring often, until completely absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add all the stock, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed the broth and is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
When the rice is done, taste for seasoning and remove to a large bowl and let sit until cooled to room temperature, about 40 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
When risotto is fully chilled, place the eggs in a shallow dish and beat with a fork. Set aside. Place the panko bread crumbs in a second shallow dish and set aside.
Measuring about 2 Tablespoons per cake, form the risotto into small, round 1 ½ inch patties. If the risotto is sticking to your hands too much, moisten them with a little water. If the rice isn’t sticky enough and the patties aren’t holding together, squeeze the rice in your palm a couple of times until it sticks.
Working with 1 risotto cake at a time, coat it with egg, letting any excess drip off, then coat it evenly with the panko, pressing gently so the breadcrumbs adhere. You can do this in the morning and refrigerate until ready to sauté.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the risotto cakes and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking, adjusting the heat if necessary, until golden brown and heated through, about 2-3 minutes more.
You can keep the cakes warm in a 250 degree oven on a baking sheet if necessary or transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Serve hot.

Notes

You can also add sautéed kale or spinach to the risotto before cooling, or sautéed diced mushrooms. You can serve these with a little pesto or pesto aioli, warm tomato sauce or a red pepper sauce, whipped goat cheese or sautéed mushrooms on top.

bread crumbs onion rice white wine

How to Upgrade Basic Dip

I hope you have all been enjoying a lovely holiday season. I am especially grateful for this time of year since my oldest is home from college and our family is complete. There’s nothing I cherish more than everyone being together, especially when we can also spend quality time with my whole family in New York. It’s truly my favorite time of year.

I what I also love about the holidays is having the extra time to visit with friends at home. It doesn’t have to be a big to-do or a multi-course dinner. What I prefer more than anything is just enjoying some small bites and a nice glass of wine. Give me a creamy dip and some crudites, a few small pieces of toast and seasonal fruit and I’m a happy girl.

Since you might be having some friends over during the next week or so, or on football game days, I thought I would share how I “upgrade” my favorite dips. With a little extra effort, you can transform something as mundane as hummus into something even more delicious and more impressive.

The simple technique is to spread the dip onto a plate or a shallow bowl instead of a deep bowl. Then add lots of toppings so that when you scoop up a bit of dip, you also get a mouthful of other tasty bits as well. I can’t eat basic dips any other way now!

I’ve shown some examples here of simple dips, like basic hummus, beet hummus, butternut squash hummus, minted pea dip. Click on the name of each dip to be linked to the recipe. Of course, you don’t have to make these dips from scratch, especially if you are pulling together a last-minute get-together. Head over to your local market or your favorite Middle Eastern take-out place and fancy-up those dips in the same way.

Lately, I have taken to loading the dip with even more toppings than shown here. Let me give you some suggestions of what would be delicious with what. Keep in mind I serve everything at room temp, so if sautéing is involved, you can for sure get that done well ahead of time.

Basic hummus: sautéed or roasted eggplant, sautéed onions or shallots, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, paprika or sumac, minced parsley

Basic hummus (in the summer): diced fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, olives, feta, parsley

upgrade your dip | pamela salzman Beet hummus: feta, toasted pistachios or pine nuts, mint, diced cucumber

Butternut squash hummus: extra roasted butternut squash, feta, toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, dried oregano, olive oil

Minted pea dip: thinly sliced radishes, feta, fresh mint or dill, toasted pine nuts or walnuts, olive oil, extra blanched peas

White bean dip: diced roasted red peppers, extra white beans, sautéed garlic slices, olives, basil or parsley

Vegan Queso: sautéed fire roasted corn, black beans, cilantro, red onion, fresh or pickled jalapeño

You get the idea. A creamy dip can benefit from the contrast of something crunchy, in particular. But don’t be shy with the toppings, especially if this is in place of a meal. And then as far as “scoopers,” you can think outside the typical chips and pita. I love endive leaves, roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted sweet potato rounds, slices of jicama, and the more obvious but always healthful fresh veggies like carrots, celery and sugar snap peas. No need to wait until January 1st to get a head start on upping your veggies!

Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

I think everyone cooks something special during the holidays. Perhaps there are traditional dishes you grew up with or you make homemade treats to give as gifts. On school days I limit sweets and other lower quality foods for my family. I really want the kids to be as well-nourished as possible so they can be at their best. But during their vacation, which just started a few days ago, I am a little more generous with treats.

Baked cake donuts are incredibly simple to make and much less unhealthy than fried. But my kids think they are magic. I’m not going to tell them I can whip up the batter in 10 minutes and bake them in 8, lest they start asking me to make donuts every day! I have a baked cinnamon cake donut on the site that is just delicious, but who doesn’t love a good chocolate donut?

These are similar to the cinnamon ones on my site. They are slightly denser and drier, less spongy and better for dunking than a muffin. But let’s all just agree that an iced chocolate donut is always a dessert and never a breakfast unless there’s no school for days and there are some scrambled eggs on the plate, too. In which case, I think these would be a fun treat for a Christmas brunch or dessert after Christmas dinner.

I saw some fun Christmasy decorations on Instagram which inspired these. I crushed up some freeze-dried raspberries, although strawberries would be just as good, and some pale green pistachio macarons. Both these items I found at my local Whole Foods. Other fun options could be fine shredded unsweetened coconut, dots of royal icing or dye-free sprinkles which you can buy on amazon and some natural foods stores.

You will need to have a donut pan though. I suggest a silicone-coated mold such as this one or this one, both of which do not contain any toxic substances which can leach. I have the latter one and I love it. You might even have time to order it for a last-minute Christmas present. Hope you and yours have a beautiful and joyful holiday. I’ll be back after Christmas!

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Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6 donuts

Ingredients

⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon whole milk or milk substitute, at room temperature
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
6 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour or white spelt flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + extra butter for greasing the pan
¼ cup cane sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate glaze:
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brown rice syrup
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
Topping suggestions: freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, crushed pistachio or green macarons, sprinkles or shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the wells of the doughnut pan with some butter.
In a glass measuring cup, mix together milk and vinegar and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 5 minutes to curdle.
In a large bowl whisk together flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, honey, egg, vanilla and curdled milk.
Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients, taking care not to overmix.
Spoon batter evenly into wells of the doughnut pan, filling only ⅔ full.* If filled too high, there won’t be any doughnut holes. Another way to fill the wells is by transferring the batter to a quart-size Ziploc bag and snipping one corner ½inch and piping the batter into the wells. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until doughnuts spring back when pressed lightly. Allow to cool 5 minutes before turning doughnuts onto a cooling rack. Donuts can be glazed when they are slightly warm or cool.
Make the glaze: In a heat proof bowl, combine glaze ingredients and set over a small pot of simmering water. Stir regularly until ingredients are melted and smooth.
Dip tops of donuts in glaze and place glaze side up on a wire rack to allow glaze to drip. Sprinkle immediately with toppings, if desired.

Fennel Salad with Citrus, Avocado and Ricotta Salata Recipe

I’m doing a little menu planning right now for my annual Christmas trip to my parents’ house, where we’ll (mostly I’ll) be cooking 3 meals a day for at least a dozen or more people. And this does require planning otherwise we will be schlepping to the market multiple times a day. And why would I want to do that when I can be obsessing over a 1000 piece puzzle all day, ignoring everyone around me? Exactly.

I don’t often think of salads when I meal plan during the winter in New York, but since it’s about 65 degrees there right now, I’m rethinking that and this will be on the menu for one dinner. This is my new favorite winter salad. I specify winter salad because I don’t make the same salads in the winter as I do in the summer. There are no local tomatoes or cucumbers right now, but there is fresh fennel and juicy citrus.

I’ve been teaching this salad in my classes this month and everyone is loving it. It’s light and refreshing and easy as pie to make. I think this would be perfect with fish, poultry or pork. Fennel is also an amazing digestive aid, which comes in very handy during the holidays. Wink, wink. As a child, I remember after a big pasta and meat dinner, my aunt would pass around a platter of raw fennel wedges and a bowl of clementines for dessert. It was the perfect end to a rich meal, but I loved fennel because it subtly tastes like licorice. So yummy. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned not all people ate raw fennel from a blue and white Wedgewood platter after dinner!

The components of this lovely salad are thinly sliced fennel, segmented citrus (preferably blood oranges or grapefruit,) avocado and ricotta salata + a citrus dressing. Like I always say, feel free to make substitutions and get creative. Other things you can add/sub:

radishes
frisee, butter lettuce or watercress
pomegranates
red onion or shallots

The image below is ricotta salata, which I love. It’s a dried ricotta made from sheep’s milk cheese, with a firm, but creamy texture and a little salty. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find. I buy it at my local Whole Foods, but there’s no other store in town that sells it. So when WF is out of it, I’ll use shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is also delicious here. But a good feta is also a nice sub.

If you’ve taken my classes in the last year, you know how obsessed I am with my new food processor. This is NOT a sponsored post for Breville even though I would be totally thrilled if they noticed me ;). I just think the adjustable slicing disc is genius. So I was able to go pretty thin with the fennel, but you can also do this with a mandoline or with a very sharp knife. If you have the Breville Sous Chef, I set the slicing blade anywhere between 1/2 and 1. Otherwise, just use the standard Cuisinart slicing disc. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, watch my YouTube video on how to use your food processor. And while you’re at it, check out this post for how to segment citrus.

I think the presentation of this salad is a little tricky, though. The best method is if you have a large platter on which you can spread the fennel ribbons in one layer and then tuck the grapefruit and avocado slices in randomly. Don’t worry about it being perfect. I apologized to a few of my groups this month that I couldn’t take the time to make this salad look more beautiful and I realized that was silly. It looked good enough to eat and it was gobbled up in record time. And that is good enough for me!

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Fennel Salad with Citrus, Avocado and Ricotta Salata

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Dressing:
2 teaspoons minced shallot, about ½ a small shallot
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large fennel bulbs, bottom trimmed, stalks discarded, fronds reserved
6 blood oranges or 2 large grapefruits
2 firm, but ripe avocados, halved and pitted and sliced crosswise
⅓ pound ricotta salata, shaved (if unavailable, feta or Parmesan are nice alternatives) Do not slice with a food processor. Use a knife or vegetable peeler.
Maldon or flaky sea salt to taste

Instructions

In a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients, shake until emulsified and set aside.
Halve the fennel bulb and remove the core. As thinly as possible, slice the fennel lengthwise. Use a mandolin, extra-thin blade on your food processor, vegetable peeler or a knife. Place fennel in a large bowl.
With a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the blood oranges and segment the slices. See my blogpost “How to Segment Citrus” for a visual.*
Arrange the fennel across a big platter and toss with enough dressing to moisten lightly.
Tuck the citrus segments and avocado slices into the fennel and scatter the cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing or only as much as is needed.
Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

avocado fennel orange ricotta salata

Brussels Sprout Latkes Recipe

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I learned how to make latkes from an unlikely source — my Puerto Rican mother-in-law, who like me, also did not grow up Jewish. But let me tell you something. That woman makes the best latkes I have ever had. The. Best. And I’ve had a lot. They’re a cross between lacy and meaty, with the perfect crispiness and seasoning. No one even cares what else is on the Hanukkah dinner menu since we all practically make a meal of latkes as they come out of the frying pan.

Since there are still 4 nights of Hanukkah left, I thought I would squeeze in this recipe. Full disclosure though, these are not my mother-in-law’s latkes. She wouldn’t dare mess around with Brussels sprouts or anything too healthy. She’s pretty straightforward — all potato and onion. And no one complains. But I taught these in my classes this month and everyone has been raving. Personally, I would love to substitute a little more Brussels sprout for potato, but my family stopped me here, the point where they couldn’t tell there were Brussels sprouts in there. I am crazy for Brussels sprouts and love the taste, so I think a little more would be a good thing.

I originally got the idea for using Brussels sprouts from my talented friend, Phoebe Lapine, who has a blog called “Feed Me Phoebe.” She actually makes her latkes with all Brussels sprouts! How about that? And she serves them up with an anchovy aioli. So fun to be young and cooking for not picky children. I would love anchovy aioli. I digress. I merely took my basic latke recipe and subbed in 1/2 pound of Brussels sprouts which I sliced in my food processor. And yes, I use a food processor to make latkes. They do not taste better when the potatoes and onions are grated by hand. That is an old wives tale meant to make all the ladies who lost their knuckle skin feel better. Using a food processor is awesome, fun and the way to go. See my post for how to use your food processor if this intimidates you. If you know how to use a toaster oven, you can use a food processor!

A couple of latke-making tips:

Latkes taste best right out of the frying pan. But you can make them ahead and freeze them if you want. Fry them until the are barely golden, i.e. underdone, and freeze them in one layer on a sheet pan. Once they are frozen, scoop them up and store them in a container or a resealable bag until ready to use them. Bake them frozen on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees until hot and crisp, about 10-15 minutes, and serve.
You can also make them an hour ahead and keep them warm in one layer in the oven at 200 degrees.
Do not make the latke mixture ahead of time though. It will turn all shades of ugly.
Frying, as opposed to baking, makes them taste the best, so just let go of the fact that you will be overheating your oil and crating all sorts of inflammatory particles and free radicles. Life is about balance. Enjoy the fried latkes.
You can use any number of binders including matzoh meal, potato starch, all-purpose flour, panko crumbs and even ground up cereal. I use potato starch if I am serving to anyone gluten-free, but I think it also makes a lighter latke.
Do squeeze the living daylights out of your potatoes and onions. The less moisture, the crispier the latkes. I posted a picture of me on Instagram squeezing the mixture in an extra-large nut milk bag. Best method ever. Then just wash the bag in soapy water and let air dry. I only use this one for veggies, not making nut milk. This is the one I use and it’s $9 on amazon. You’ll have it for years. Otherwise use a thin flour sack towel or cheesecloth.
When the bottom of the bowl starts to get liquidy, just pull the mixture from the top. You don’t want a drippy, soaking wet mixture. The latkes won’t be crispy and the oil will splatter everywhere.

If you do celebrate Hanukkah, have a joyful rest of the holiday. For everyone else, I’ve got you covered with some fab Christmas and party recipes coming up!

Shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below:

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Brussels Sprout Latkes Recipe

Author: Pamela

Serves: 15-20

Ingredients

½ pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed (or 3 cups pre-shredded)
1 ½ pounds Russet potatoes, about 2 or 3, peeled or unpeeled, and cut to fit a food processor, if necessary
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon sea salt
A few grinds of black pepper
½ - ¾ cup potato starch, panko bread crumbs, all-purpose flour, or matzo meal
Olive oil for frying (or a refined peanut oil or grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point, although not exactly healthful)

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the slicing disc attachment, thinly slice the Brussels sprouts. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Change the disc to a shredding disc and shred the potatoes and onions. Squeeze out as much liquid as humanly possible. I like to do this by placing the shredded vegetables in a thin kitchen towel and wringing it out. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes and squeeze again.
Add the shredded potatoes and onions to the Brussels sprouts. Mix well. Remove 2 cups of this mixture and add to the food processor this time with the metal S blade and pulse twice until everything is finely chopped.* Add back to the mixing bowl.
Add the eggs, salt, pepper and bread crumbs to the vegetables and combine well.
Heat the olive oil in 2 large skillets until hot, but not smoking. You want more than a thin layer.
Using about 2-3 tablespoons of the Brussels sprout-potato mixture, form the latkes into 2 ½-inch pancakes. Flatten slightly and carefully place into the pan. When the edges are brown and crisp, turn them over and continue cooking until deep golden. I usually flatten them in the pan when I flip.
Lay paper towels on a cooling rack or brown paper bag. Transfer the latkes from the pan to the rack. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Serve immediately with applesauce or sour cream (if you must).

Notes

*If you don't want any "meatiness" to your latkes and prefer all lacy-ness (not really a word, but you know what I mean), don't pulse the vegetables.

brussels sprouts eggs onion potatoes