Vegan Mofo: The White Sweet Potato…Two Ways…(Sort of)

The White Sweet Potato...AKA boniato, tropical sweet potato, Cuban sweet potato, white-fleshed sweet potato, batiste, batata, batata dulce, camote *

*From http://www.foodsubs.com/Sweetpotatoes.html

Yes it IS real! Pretty nifty, huh? Well, I, at least have never heard of them.  That’s why a few days ago, while on my billionth trip to Whole Foods for the week (for shame!), I snatched a bag of these buggers up the second I saw them.  And they were from a local farm, too! What more could you ask for?

Per foodsubs.com, the white sweet potato is slightly less sweet but considerably more fluffy than the more traditional, commonly found yams.  Because of this, I decided to experiment with this new veggie by cooking it two different ways.  The first being my usual favorite with the yams: Dicing and roasting with crispy kale.  As you may have read, I am crazy about this delicious, albeit simple, dish- it truly is my go-to dinner.  Can the White sweet pots compare???

Second, I wanted to see if I could create a mashed potato, a white sweet potato puree, if you will.  Would it be a taste similar to mashed baked potatoes or more like yam puree? Let’s find out!!

**SPOILER: Only one of these ways turns out yummy…but which one??**

I only had 4 of these guys, so I diced and baked 2 and baked and pureed 2.  I don’t know, it just sounded fair.  I started just peeling them and cutting out the eyes.  Normally I like skin, but this time I thought it might be better to start with a skinless potato.

Post Skinning...

I then took the two potatoes I was going to puree, wrapped them in wet paper towels and placed them in the microwave…yes, the microwave.  I am very tired today and didn’t have time for the purity of baking.  Honestly, they turned out just fine so just go with whichever way moves you. I cooked them on 100% for 8 minutes.  Again, this can depend on your microwave so adjust accordingly.

Pre- Nuke

After the potatoes are done cooking, remove them from microwave and place into high speed blender or bowl.  I, again, was lazy and used my blender, but these guys are so tender you could just mush them right up with a potato masher.

I then added approximately 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk, cracked black pepper and celtic sea salt to taste.  Then I pureed again to mix well.  I didn’t obliterate the thing, but definitely made sure everything was properly combined.   I then prepared myself a nice ramekin full of mashed white sweet pots, with a little pat of earth balance of course, and the result…..

WIN – WIN – WIN!!

(Please excuse this continued reference to The Office if you are not a fan…but if you do “get it” then… you are awesome)

Two Words: YUM-MY

This is buttery (even without the EB!), fluffy, smooth and yes a little sweet.  It is absolutely delicious! A winner! I would make this again! A perfect combo of comforting, yummy, buttery mashed potatoes with the sweetness and added depth in flavor of sweet potatoes.  YUM!

Part 2

Well, maybe it is obvious now that, surprisingly, the roasted white sweet potatoes did NOT turn out well for me.  I baked them exactly as I bake my traditional yams (see recipe)….but they did NOT turn out well.  I am now wondering if I did something wrong?  But how could anyone roast potatoes, of any color, WRONG? It’s usually pretty straightforward.  It was odd… while baking, they developed several small black spots all over them.  These black spots were definitely not there before baking.  My husband thinks they may be oxidation spots…? Any other opinions would be appreciated.  I tasted one of the spot-free cubes, and it was O…K…  Certainly nothing to write home about.  So I decided NOT to waste my precious kale on this batch *sniff*

FAIL

So there you have it! Go forth and enjoy some Mashed Batatas!

Against Meat by Jonathan Safran Foer

Well, as you may have guessed it, things have remained a little crazy around here and blogging has had to be put on the back burner.  However! I have just gone to the grocery store and picked up some verrry interesting sweet potatoey items, including *brace yourself* WHITE sweet potatoes! Yes, I plan an expose about these in the very near future (tonight? hopefully!!).  But for today, please enjoy this wonderful article written in the NYT by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Beautifully written, really just a pleasure to read.  This is not a radical plea against meat…rather a well told narrative about his family, his roots and the decisions that have shaped his life.

Against Meat by Jonathan Safran Foer

Also, if you haven’t read or seen Everything is Illuminated….well go do it.  You won’t be disappointed.

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On another note, here is a video that I know many of you will enjoy…however, please get your handkerchiefs out…you will need them.  I have heard of this story before, but this video is so beautiful and touched my heart….so I am passing it onto yours.

When it rains it pours…

Sorry to disappoint anyone…I know my Vegan Mofo has been put on hold recently.  There have just been a couple other family health issues recently so I have been concentrating on matters other than the blog.  However, things are much improved as of today.  So while it may not be the EPIC Month of the Sweet Potato as I had planned…stay tuned for more fun, yummy and VEGAN Sweet Pot recipes – at least 2 coming up before the end of the week 🙂

Vegan MoFo: Sweet Potato + Whoopie Pies = Swoopie Pies!

Why not, I ask? Behold – the versatility of the sweet potato!  Not only can it be savory, but it can be sweet and delicious as well! These are really fun to make and truly taste amazing.  The recipe is a combo of several different recipes –  including a veganized family recipe for the traditional chocolate whoopie pies.  I’m actually quite impressed by how well this came out considering I had to use my old, uneven, cold oven to bake the pies in and the fact that I was figuring out the recipe in my head as it went along.

Recipe makes approximately 20 Swoopie Pies 🙂

Wet Mixture
1 cup Vegan Cane Sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Organic Non Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening
2 tbs Molasses
2 tbs Vanilla Extract
1 (15oz) can organic sweet potato puree (I used Farmers Market brand)

Dry Mixture
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom

Cream Cheese Icing
1 container of FYH (Follow Your Heart) cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs earth balance
1 tsp vanilla extract

*You MAY have leftover icing…is that a bad thing?*

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with sil-pats or parchment.
2. Beat together both sugars and the shortening. This will not ‘cream’, rather it will still be a bit crumbly- that is ok! You can use a standing mixer if you wish to, however I was just fine using my hand mixer.
3. Add in the molasses and the vanilla.  Beat and combine well.
4. Add the can of sweet potatoes and mix well. Set aside.
5. In a separate large mixing bowl, either sift all of the remaining dry ingredients together or combine them in the bowl and combine evenly with a whisk (if you don’t have all of the spices, just use what you have, no big deal).
6. Gradually add the dry mix to the wet mix in small batches.  Thoroughly combining after each time.  The batter will be quite thick- this is ok!
7. Scoop out 1.5 to 2 tbs amounts of batter at a time. Just overfill a tbs measure or a spoon. Roll batter into a ball with your hands, place on cookie sheet and then gently pat down to form small discs (See picture below). I try to make them the same size as they will be paired with each other to make the sandwiched pies. You should be able to fit 12 ‘discs’ per cookie sheet.
8. Place in oven, bake for 15-18 minutes depending on your oven.  They will be ready when the tops bounce back when you push on them or when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow cakes to cool.  While cooling, assemble ingredients for cream cheese icing.  Beat together all ingredients with hand mixer, adding more powdered sugar if you want it to be more stiff.
10. Once cakes are cool, place 1tbs of icing directly in the middle of a cake and place another cake on top.  Gently press down. Repeat with remaining cakes. Place finished “swoopies” in the refrigerator, as the icing needs to set and firm up, and they are even better cold.  Trust me.  They are divine!

After being "patted down"

About to go into the oven!

yummm finished Swoopie Cakes!

...and done! Enjoy!

Vegan MoFo: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Turnips with Kale

*Vegan MoFo Day 3*

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes.  My husband is actually doing very well in recovering.  We are very grateful.  So, thank you again for your thoughts and prayers- he actually wanted me to add that this dish if one of his favorites 🙂

So this is pretty much my go-to dish.  If I am starving, happy, sad, whatever…this is the dish that always seems to satisfy my every craving.  It is SO comforting and so simple.  Even if you don’t like sweet potatoes or turnips or kale….or all three maybe, give this dish a try- it is so amazingly delicious I think it could win over the most skeptical of palates.

INGREDIENTS
3-4 small/med sweet potatoes
2-3 turnips
2 bunches of kale
olive oil
sea salt
Balsamic Vinegar (Optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Dice sweet potatoes and turnips into 1/2 to 3/4″ cubes
3. In a large mixing bowl, lightly coat the cubes with olive oil and place into baking dish
4. Try and spread cubes out as much as possible so most of them will get crunchy (ie delicious)
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until as caramelized and as crunchy as you desire
6. While roasting the root veggies, chop kale as small as possible.  Remove the large inner spine and pile the leaves on top of each other.  Then chiffonade finely and, if desired, chop further until you reach your desired microscopic size.
7. The kale can be made two ways:

• The first would be to place in large open pan with a small amount of water to steam cook. The kale won’t be as crispy this way, but towards the end, when the pan is more dry, the kale can pick up some crispiness with some dry frying.

• The second would be to lightly spritz with oil and bake in oven for less than 10 minutes.   This can make the kale extra crispy.

8. Mix together kale and root veggies
9. You can season this dish with simple sea salt, however, my personal way of eating this dish is to lightly dribble some balsamic vinegar on the finished product right before I eat it.  Not too much, a little can go a long way, but the taste of the balsamic and the sweet potatoes and the kale …YUM

Note:  You don’t have to have the turnips but they add a wonderful additional flavor to the dish that I think really rounds it out.  The kale, too, makes this dish even healthier and more yummy.  But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been completely satisfied with some sweet potatoes with a splash of sea salt and Balsamic if that’s all I had on hand.

The kale... steaming away!

Sweet Potatoes + Turnips + Kale = A Threesome Made in Heaven!

Yum! Really, such a comforting dish 🙂

COMING UP NEXT….

Vegan Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies!

Vegan MoFo: Mini Baby Baked Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

(You’ll have to excuse the pics – my camera was acting up yesterday…pics turned out less crisp and sharp)

Basically, this is your basic sweet potato fry made mini and SPICY. You can eat them with your hands, a fork, chop sticks- you can’t go wrong.  You also can’t go wrong in making this recipe.  I tend to be pretty lax in amounts of ingredients, so this is an approximation.  This recipe would serve 2-4 people depending on their love of fries. You will need:

– Approximately 4 small/medium sweet potatoes (really any variety will do)
– 2 tsp olive oil
– Cajun Seasoning mix
1/2 tsp cayenne (more or less, trust me it goes FAR)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tspgarlic powder
fresh cracked black pepper
*note– you can use just plain salt, fresh herbs, dred herbs, some balsamic     vinegar..basically whatever you have or whatever suits your  tastes.

Additional Points

A. It would also help to have a mandolin or something that juliennes veggies to save time.  I was in a masochistic mood, myself, and decided to cut up each fry by hand.  Don’t ask me why I do these things, I’m just nutty sometimes.
B. You will see I was using my small convection oven with the fries on merely a rack lined with foil.  Ideally, you would use a larger cookie sheet in a larger oven.  You will want the fries to be as spread out as possible.  My large oven is out of commission, so I just made do.

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 450, line a cookie sheet with foil and grease well
2. Cut up sweet potatoes using whatever method you wish (knife, mandolin, food processor)
3. Place mini fries into a large mixing bowl and add 2 tsp of olive oil and spices.  I put on some gloves and just mixed it all by hand…making sure each fry is as coated as possible
4. Sprinkle fries over cookie sheet, try and make sure they are nice and spread out
5. Place cookie sheet on low rack in oven (make sure oven is already hot when you place the fries inside).  These little guys cook FAST.  Seriously.  It will seem like nothing is happening and you turn around to sneeze and they are all burnt…well, that may be an exaggeration, but still, you will have to keep an eye on them
6. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes.  Depending on your oven it may be slightly more or less, and you will want to flip them around halfway through.  Also, bake time depends on whether you like your fries more soft and tender or more crispy and burnt
7. Enjoy! Don’t eat them straight out of the oven- they do get better after cooling a bit and you WILL burn your tongue…I’m just sayin’…

Chop, Chop, Chop

Chop, Chop, Chop

Pre-Bake Shot

Baking! Yum!

And the theme is….

What is Vegan MoFo?

Sorry guys, my husband got sick at the end of the week (nothing too too serious) and has to go in for a procedure on Monday.  It’s why I’ve been a bit distracted from posting for MoFo.  But I am still committed and will post my first post later today.

I definitely got a lot of positive feedback for veganizing Pascha.  If it ends up I have the time, resources this month I surely will do it.  I was going to do it for Russian Easter in the spring, but, that’s so far away!  So, Officially, my MoFo theme is:

I loooooove sweet potatoes.

Obviously.

Nothing can beat their flavor, texture, versatility!  I have met one too many a person who claims their hatred of sweet potatoes. Therefore, I will attempt to do “Sweet Potatoes 20 ways”….They will be in salads, soups, entrées, pies and even desserts! I will prove to the world how the lovely little lumps of vitamin A are not just good for you but delicious and fabulous!

Up next later today:

We start out on the easy/fun side: Mini Baby Baked Cajun Sweet Potato Fries – YUM!

Vegan MoFo

Ok, so this is my first year doing Vegan MoFo and I’ve already fallen down on the job for my first day.  Basically, for the entire month of October, Vegan bloggers everywhere (well, sort of) are committing to post about vegan food every weekday (about 20 posts).  I worked several night shifts this week and have been feeling under the weather, so my first day is starting tomorrow…unless inspiration strikes me in the middle of the night…which it may because my internal clock is alll screwed up.  Ah night shift, how I loathe thee.   Also, I am supposed to come up with a theme, which I also forgot to do, which is going to be a surprise! Stay tuned!

Update:

I am vowing to have my theme figured out before the end of the night….I was thinking of veganizing my Russian grandmother’s old recipes.  I was looking in an old Russian cookbook she gave me called, The Best of Russian Cooking by Alexandra Kropotkin (1964).  The first recipe I open up to is, no joke, “Calves Brains in Mayonnaise”.  Honestly, I don’t know what grosses me out more: the calves brains, the mayo (I have always been a mayo-phobe), or the fact that they are combined together.  Now, I don’t remember my grandmother cooking calves brains when I was little…but I do remember the cabbage pie, Kulichi, Pascha and other yummy dishes.  My dream is to be able to veganize Pascha….if you don’t know what Pascha is…well, it’s pretty much the unhealthiest food in the world.  It is a traditional Russian Easter dessert and when you first hear about it, it sounds absolutely revolting:

a mixture of cottage cheese

farmers cheese

a billion hard boiled eggs

butter

about 5 lbs sugar

cream

I’m not kidding…But it is ohhh so good.  I, obviously, have not partaken in the Pascha since going vegan (I’m probably the better for it, too), but I would love to be able to veganize our old family recipe.  We shall see.  Considering it is almost entirely comprised of animal ingredients it will prove a challenge.  Maybe not for VeganMoFo…but I vow to one day, on the eve of Russian Easter, show up to the Russian Orthodox Church basement and proudly place my rockin’ vegan Pascha next to the other traditional dishes cooked by the Russian Ladies of the congregation.  We’ll see if they can tell the difference!

On a more juvenile note…

Don’t forget to Eat Your Veggies!! 😉

Apologies for my 12 year old boy sense of humor.

(Seriously though, this really is my squash…pretty impressive huh?)  I’m going to chop it up and put it in a butternut squash risotto for dinner tonight.  Any fans of Gobo out there?  As an ex-New Yorker living on the Upper East Side, Gobo was our favorite restaurant, and their butternut squash risotto was my favorite dish.  Oh how I miss it so!

The Argument for Animal Adoption/Rescue

Note: The following may seem a bit judgmental and quite opinionated…and, frankly, it is. It’s an impassioned rant that comes from my heart and from my true convictions…and it’s nothing personal.

I believe in rescuing all animals.  However, this discussion is just centered around dogs in particular.  NO animals should be bought- there are too many out there without homes.  That goes for cats, rabbits, birds and, yes, even hamsters, turtles etc.  Only adopt when you are 100% sure of what is involved in the care of your animal.  Don’t do these beings a disservice by bringing them out of the frying pan and then putting them right back into the fire.  Don’t be part of the problem – they’ve been through enough already!

If you haven’t read about my experience with the Navajo Dog, please do.  This experience only bolstered my strong opinions on rescuing dogs and not buying from breeders or pet stores.  There are soooooo many dogs out there that need to be rescued.  The more dogs that are bought from breeders/pet stores the more are abandoned in shelters.  If there is no market for breeder dogs then people will breed less dogs – it’s really as simple as that.

1.  First of all, as many of you know, many dogs from breeders and especially pet stores come from puppy mills. These dogs, many of them inbred, are much less healthy than their mixed breed counterparts.  In many cases they are less intelligent too.  We humans are the same way.  Civilizations who have not had enough genetic diversity have many health problems….ever heard of inbreeding and the problems that arise there?  It’s the same thing.  One could argue that mutts are actually the healthiest and most intelligent of dogs.

2.  Secondly, it is true that if you are buying a dog, you are literally condemning another dog, who has lived a life of misery, to death.  Here is an opportunity to be selfless…to not be concerned with status and pedigree, but to instead, care for the DOG (or cat etc).  People can be so selfish.  Really think about it: Why is breed so important to you?  How would you like to be passed over at a shelter because you were a mutt and not a pure bred?  How shallow can you get?  And if, for whatever reason, you MUST have a certain breed there STILL is no excuse. For every breed out there, there are at least several rescue leagues devoted to that particular breed.  A simple internet search will put you in touch with these organizations.

3.  Please don’t set your mind on a puppy.  First of all, they are much more work than you can imagine.  Unless you are fully committed to spending almost all of your time with them, you are doing the puppy a disservice.  Crating? How would you like to be placed in a crate for hours at a time, especially as a BABY?  Older dogs are much more mild mannered.  It is true you may not have them as long as you would a puppy, but why not stop thinking about yourself for a change?  Maybe it’s not all about you, yeah you’ll be sad…but you sure gave that old dog the best last few years of her life.  How would you like it if someone didn’t want you because you were “too old”?  Just something to think about.

4.  Please please please, spay or neuter your pet.  NO, you are not less of a man because your dog’s balls aren’t bouncing around behind him and NO your female dog will not lament that she never had puppies when she reaches middle age.  Again, there are enough (MORE than enough) dogs to go around, we don’t need to breed them.  For females, spaying is actually very beneficial to their health.  Having babies actually places a tremendous toll on their bodies and they are generally better off without having to give birth.

5.  Please don’t get a dog unless you realllllly know what is involved.  Right now, we don’t have a dog.  We love dogs and I would LOVE to share my home with one.  But we know that we don’t have the right amount of SPACE or TIME to give to the dog in order to provide it with a Good Life.  You will NOT be able to travel as much! There will be times when you can’t go out because you have to take care of your dog!  This is OK! Sacrifice is GOOD if you are willing to make it.   People these days don’t make enough sacrifices.  Be selfless…Be prepared…Do your research…You will be glad and so will your new friend.  Be a smart and responsible dog owner.  And if you can’t be a good owner now, maybe you will be in the future.  Instant gratification isn’t always a good thing, in fact it usually isn’t a good thing.  Dogs are like guns, if you need one RIGHT NOW, then your priorities are probably not in the right place.

Life as a Dog

How would you like it is you could only pee twice a day….and not when you wanted/needed to,  only when someone else allows you to.  And if you realllly had to go (know that feeling?  It’s awful!) and you just couldn’t hold it in any more you are punished.  If you are really unlucky, you are hit or forced into solitude in your crate and you don’t understand why.  You are a pack animal and yet you are alone most of your day while your owner is at work.  This makes you feel vulnerable and scared.  In the wild, your ancestors would stay together and work as a team to stay safe.

On walks, just when you find the perfect place to pee, or find a really amazing smell, you are yanked by your neck.  How would YOU like to be choked around by your neck?  We are out of the stone ages: buy a harness or a gentle leader collar (and invest in some training lessons while you’re at it!). Here is your one opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and you are kept moving the entire time.  And when your owner takes you out to the park on a really hot day, doesn’t it suck when they sit there drinking their ice cold Evian and offer you no water?

Really I could go on and on…bottom line: People need to be more caring, responsible and thoughtful towards their dogs.  A little bit of putting themselves in their dogs shoes will go a looong way.  Hopefully.

And if all of that wasn’t enough…watch this (*Note* This isn’t my video, but it is one that has deeply touched my heart)