Dukkah-Spiced Carrot Latkes

A cozy season has arrived and we are blanketed in snow. Winter came roaring into the Valley unexpectedly a couple of days before Thanksgiving. Instead of the predicted rain, two feet of snow fell – heavy, wet and fast – and we had some adventures, including hiking in the dark up to our cabin when the car got stuck, a power outage and a tree falling over our road and blocking us in.  I woke the morning after to this view out our kitchen window.

I discovered that losing electricity in the winter is a little easier than the summer since we can melt snow for water and use a snowbank as a refrigerator if we don’t feel like pulling the generator out. I didn’t bake the pies I planned for Thanksgiving, but Sam made it home (hiking the last portion of the journey!) and we were all together, for which I was very thankful. Living here, I am continually learning to adapt and adjust my plans and expectations as I never know what will happen. So now in addition to snow tires and sandbags, we have headlamps and snowshoes in our cars and a chainsaw for fallen trees.  And we’ll keep shoveling!

The snow signaled the start of a festive season and December has quickly become a happy blur of busy days in the store, school concerts, gathering with friends and making holiday treats.  We are well into celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah and before the holiday ends I wanted to share some new latkes I made.

Latkes are small vegetable pancakes that are fried in oil and eaten during Hanukkah. Potatoes are the traditional vegetable to make them with but really, if you can grate it you can make a latke out of it, so zucchini, sweet potatoes, parsnips and even apples appear in latke form, too. With eight days of latke eating, it’s fun to try different varieties!

This year I made some with carrots and seasoned them with dukkah, the ingredient we are cooking with this month in our Tasting Jerusalem group. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend that is popular in the Middle East. The mixes may contain nuts, dried chickpeas, seeds and spices, and they all involve freshly roasting and pounding the ingredients. There are many variations and I’ve shared my own recipe here on Eating Rules, which includes almonds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt.

After grating the carrots, I mixed in eggs, green onions, rice flour and a generous scoop of dukkah.  I heated oil (the main ingredient in Hanukkah cooking!) and fried small patties until they were golden and smelled fragrant.

I served with them with thick, plain yogurt and a pinch of dukkah and we devoured them. The latkes were crispy outside and soft inside, and the warm, earthy flavor of the dukkah blended nicely with the carrots and creamy yogurt.  A true Hanukkah treat!

Wishing you a very happy holiday season!

Dukkah-Spiced Carrot Latkes
Makes 8 latkes

1 pound carrots, scrubbed and grated (no need to peel them)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup green onions, finely diced
2 tablespoons rice flour (can substitute all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons dukkah (recipe here)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Plain yogurt for serving

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, eggs, onions, flour and dukkah and gently stir. Add some salt and pepper and taste. If you use salt in your dukkah mix you may not need anymore.

Line a plate with paper towels to transfer your latkes to when they are fried.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and pour enough oil to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot, add ¼ cup scoops of the latke mixture to the pan (I fried 4 at a time) and lightly press each to form small pancakes. Fry for a few minutes and when golden on the bottom and gently flip to fry the other side for a few minutes.

Remove the latkes from the pan and drain them on the paper towel lined plate (there won’t be a lot of oil, but you want to remove any excess so they don’t get soggy). Fry the remaining latkes and drain them.

Serve hot with dollops of thick yogurt.

Dukkah Spice Blend and October Unprocessed

Today I’m thrilled to be contributing to October Unprocessed! Andrew Wilder created this marvelous challenge on his blog, Eating Rules, and this is my third year to take the pledge and eat only unprocessed food for a month. Each year, I learn something new from the creative, inspiring posts that are shared daily for the month of October, and am motivated to further “un-process” my food while still keeping it delicious.

I’m sharing a recipe today for one of my favorite spice blends, dukkah. You can read the full post and get the recipe here. And please consider joining me in taking the pledge!

Homemade Beef Jerky for October Unprocessed

I am honored and delighted to be contributing to October Unprocessed today! Andrew Wilder created this fun, thought- provoking challenge three years ago on his terrific blog, Eating Rules. It gives us the opportunity to think about our food choices and how we can “un-process” the way we eat for better health (while keeping it delicious). I am inspired by the motivating posts I’m reading during this month-long movement, and am discovering tasty, creative recipes and helpful tips.

Today, I share one of my family’s favorite unprocessed snacks, Homemade Beef Jerky. Click here to read the full post and recipe. And if you haven’t taken the pledge yet, I encourage you to join in!

Velvet Brownies

Chocolate is a necessity. A nibble in the afternoon or a square or two after dinner adds just the right touch of sweetness to the day. Sometimes, though, getting that chocolate fix demands I bite into something a bit more rich and indulgent. At those times, I whip up a quick batch of brownies to hit the spot.

Ah, brownies: cakey, gooey, frosted, plain or everything in between, there is always a place for them. I love brownies with an intense chocolate flavor and a smidgen of flour, landing them squarely in the fudge-style camp.

These velvet brownies are a bit elegant, like a chocolate confection, with a dense, smooth texture. The batter is thick and voluminous, almost like a frosting or chocolate mousse. Eggs are whipped full of air and then mixed with butter, unsweetened chocolate, espresso powder, vanilla, sugar and flour. The finished brownies are not very sweet (think of a dark chocolate bar) and with each nibble more rich chocolate flavor emerges. Cut into small squares, they are little chocolate morsels to savor.

These brownies certainly hit that need-a-chocolate-fix spot. And I love that they are quick and easy to make with quality ingredients. I like my treats to be less sweet, but you can increase the sugar a bit if you prefer. A sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top would complement the chocolate nicely, too.

P.S. October is almost here, which means it’s time for October Unprocessed! Andrew Wilder created this fun challenge which gives us the opportunity to think about our food choices and how we can “un-process” the way we eat. I was inspired last year by the recipes and discussions from the month long challenge and can’t wait to learn more.  I’m delighted to be writing a guest post on Andrew’s website for this year’s October Unprocessed challenge, as well. Come join me in taking the October Unprocessed pledge!

Velvet Brownies
Makes 1 - 9x13 inch pan (the brownies can be cut quite small to feed a crowd)

8 ounces good quality unsweetened chocolate bar or discs, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) organic butter (preferably pastured for those Omega 3s – the pastured butter I use is lightly salted)
1 tablespoon espresso powder
8 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (increase to 1 1/2 teaspoons if using unsalted butter)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and espresso powder together over very low heat, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside to let cool to room temperature.

In a standing mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs on high speed until they are pale yellow and thick, about 2-3 minutes (you can also use a hand held electric mixer). In a separate bowl, stir the sugar, kosher salt and flour together. Add this mixture to the eggs and whisk until mixed. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla and mix on a high speed until the batter is airy and thick, about 3-4 minutes.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The brownies will puff up a bit and a tester should have a couple of moist crumbs on it (be careful not to over bake). Remove from the oven and let cool. The brownies will keep for a few days on the kitchen counter well sealed.