Hey there, you beautiful reader, you. Welcome to Friday! Good morning!

I thought I’d start off today by giving you that Paleo Latkes recipe that I promised everyone for Chanukkah. I know that Chanukkah’s done for this year, however, tasty potato (or zucchini, or parsnip, or yucca) pancakes are delicious all year long!

I was searching for paleo recipes yesterday when I saw that Mark over at Mark’s Daily Apple had already created his own Vegetable Latkes Recipe. The comments section gives some very apt suggestions for folks who are looking to create a more authentic taste.

Not to be dissuaded from creating my own stuff, I chose to continue with recipe-making. See, not everyone in the paleo community is in agreement with concerns to potatoes. Some people say that the tuber grows in the ground naturally and that paleolithic man ate his fair share of potatoes. Others consider it forbidden. In either event, traditional latkes are always made with potatoes.

Epicurious.com has a great traditional recipe that is, by all accounts, paleo-friendly! So does About.com, if your preferred taste for potato pancakes includes the homogenized kind of gooshy-smooshy middle. (For me, it’s a must!)

I’ve made a few changes with my recipe to make the latkes a little less dependent strictly on potato for starch, and to give a creamy parsnip flavor that I love in the winter. I also incorporate extra virgin coconut oil for frying the latkes because it has a better flashpoint for frying and is a more friendly fat for those of us on the diet.

Rae’s Paleo Latkes

Ingredients
3 potatoes
2 parsnips
1 large sweet onion (or a 1/4 c. of onion powder)
2 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. arrowroot (or you can try almond flour – no promises)
1/2 c. extra virgin coconut oil for frying

Preparation

1. Peel potatoes, parsnips, and onion.
2. Grate potatoes, parsnips, and onion with a cheese grater or food processor.
3. Place in a bowl of cold, salty water until you’re done with all of them, so they won’t turn brown.
4. When ready to prepare the latkas, drain the potatoes and parsnips by spreading grated potatoes, parsnip, and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.
5. Reserve about half of the shredded vegetables in a bowl.
6. Place the other half of the shredded vegetables in a food processor fitted with a knife blade.
7. Pulse until smooth, and drain mixture well.
8. Pour potato mixture into a large bowl, and add beaten eggs and the rest of the vegetables as well as salt and pepper and arrowroot.
9. Pour oil into a very large, deep frying pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
10. Carefully drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the hot oil.
11. Flatten the pancake slightly so the center will cook.
12. Fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
13. Drain on paper towels.
14. Serve and Enjoy!

I love Latkes!!! 🙂

Good Luck Cooking Tips

Now here are some good luck kitchen tips for making these!

• Use a bigass cast iron skillet if you possibly can. The more space you give yourself to work with when making latkes, the better.
• Have your stuff ready to go before you start dropping pancakes in the pan, and work in a pattern. Going clockwise always seems to work for me.
• These things cook much more quickly than you think if you’ve pressed em down to make them thin, so you can drop one in the oil, then make the next one, then drop it in, and then move the one you previously dropped into the position AFTER the one you just put down, but flip it over.

As for Leaving Behind Negativity…

I am on an indefinite social media hiatus to protect myself and the folks I love the most from the awful effects of my PTSD as it relates to the political climate in America right now. What can I say, the Prez did a good job of scaring the everloving bejezus out of me by signing the NDAA. He lit my crazy candle. 🙂 And while I’m putting a lid on it, I figure it’s better for me and for everyone else if I realign with reality somewhere less embarrassing than than the permanently recorded media outfits.

I miss the hell out of Facebook, though, because I think, all day long almost, “I wonder how THIS friend or THAT friend is doing.” So, I’ve decided to conquer that by writing an email every time I think of someone – just pinging a, “Hey, what’s up? I was just thinking about you and sending love.” And really, if anyone truly minds, then they’re not a quality friend to have anyway, right?

I mean, how much would I hate it if people were emailing me? NOT AT ALL. Heck, if I get really lonely, I might even re-learn the social skill known as talking on the phone. (Don’t tell anyone.)

Hope everyone’s ready for a good weekend. I know I am. 🙂