Golden delicious

Photo by me

Don't you just crave something fried sometimes? Well I do, and these veggie pancakes were the perfect solution for a tasty Friday lunch with a friend. I was inspired by a recipe that came with our biweekly organic box, they called for sweet potatoes and parsnips, but I only had one left so I substituted carrots instead. I think any root veggie would work well along with the potatoes. The cakes wound up having the most beautiful orange colour and paired perfectly with a simple mixed green salad.

Sweet potato & carrot cakes
Serves 4

1 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 pound other root veggies, peeled and cubed (I used 1 parsnip and 3 carrots)
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup bread crumbs (I used panko, mmm)
1-2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 big pinches of thyme (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups mixed greens (I tossed them in a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, dijon and maple syrup)

Cook the sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots in boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes, then drain well and set aside to cool slightly. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet and cook the onion and garlic with a pinch of thyme, salt and pepper, until soft.

Puree the root veggies in a food processor with the flour and nutmeg (or mash by hand). Stir in the cooked onion and garlic and the rest of the thyme. Season to taste. Shape the mixture into rounds (add more flour if they are still too wet), and coat in the bread crumbs. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same skillet until hot enough that a drop of bread crumbs sizzles right away, cook the cakes for about 6-8 minutes each, being careful not to break them when you flip .Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle the hot cakes with a pinch of sea salt and garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve on a bed of lightly dressed greens and enjoy.

Happy Sunday! xo

Carrot love

photo by pwisenberg

I tweaked this recipe from an episode of Chef at Home. Michael Smith was trying to come up with a way to get his son Gabe (the cuuutest) to eat carrots, so he decided to make them taste like apple pie. The carrots are simmered in apple cider and cinnamon and finished with raisins and chopped walnuts (my idea!). The result is a sweet and healthy side dish that anyone (even 3-year olds) will love!

Apple pie carrots
Serves 2-4

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
pinch each of cinnamon and salt
one pat of Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Simmer the carrots in the cider, butter, cinnamon and salt until just fork-tender. Drain the excess liquid and toss with the nuts and raisins. That's it!