S.C. 2.4-2.6: Parsnip Chips and C.C. #8 Parsnip Potato Latkes with Nut Roast and Dill Tahini Sauce

I admit -- I was skeptical about the brain-sized (and, with some, brain-looking) parsnips.  They looked like they survived the winter, but did they taste good?

YES!

Although I was sad to lose my parsnip club/talisman/baton/horcrux?, its subsequent dissection was in the name of love and the future of happy tummies (uh oh...allusion central today).  On Thursday, I made mushroom burgers (since the hub didn't get to have them the other week) with parsnip chips (blurry picture thus none here).  I simply roasted the chips on 400 degrees for about 40 min. a la homefries (which is pretty much what they looked like).  Some of the thinner slices were more chip-like; next time, I'll have to get out the mandoline. On Saturday night for Couple's Cooking #8, we made seared Nut Roast (a testing recipe for Carla's newly revised and contracted Slow Cooker Cookbook!!!) with Parsnip Potato Latkes with Sauteed Kale and Dill Tahini Sauce (from Veganomicon).

In the Nut Roast recipe, Carla suggested kale as an accompaniment, so that was the inspiration for this side (though I didn't see or use her recipe).  I sauteed a head of cleaned, destemmed (throughout), thinly sliced kale with half of a red onion (thinly sliced) in a tad of olive oil.  Heat the oil over med. and saute onions for about 3-4 min. Then, add kale, salt, and pepper.  Saute until kale is softened but still vibrant green -- about 3-4 min.

No recipe for the Nut Roast for obvious reasons.  However, there are gluten-free, soy-free, vegan recipes on the internet that I think could substitute for this roast.  I saw a quinoa roast recipe in my reader the other day that sounded intriguing.

The Dill Tahini Sauce is from Veganomicon, but I found an adaptation of that recipe here that is closer to my variation.  I used only 1/4 c. dried dill and 1 T. olive oil, but I added 2 T. white balsamic vinegar and black pepper.  Makes a substantial amount of sauce/dressing and works well as a vegetable dip (we initially tested flavor with carrots), as well as latke/roast topping.  We are going to try it on salad this week too.  A little bit goes a long way here.

The Parsnip Potato Latkes -- these were tricky because most recipes called for white/wheat flour, egg, or both.  I ended up taking some guidance from this recipe, because I wanted to be sure that chickpea flour could work here.  If you haven't used this flour before, it is gross in the raw.  Although the latkes would eventually be pan-fried, I just wanted some confirmation of alleviated flour issues.  I followed the directions in the linked recipe; I just replaced the onion/zucchini with 3 c. grated potato and about 1.25 c. grated parsnip.

I thought this dish turned out to be pretty fancy and one that I'd be proud to serve at a holiday gathering.  It is very filling and diverse in its flavor offerings.

As for yoga, I went to classes on Thursday and Friday.  Thursday was centered around a Chair pose series -- ouch.  Friday included tri push ups, i.e. three-legged dog to plank to push-ups -- ouch again.  Both were challenging but exhilarating as always.  Yesterday, I started the "Couch to 5k" running series, now that it is nice enough to run outside (YAY!); then, I closed a lovely day (which included a trip to Loving Hut vegan restaurant!) with a quiet self-directed relaxation practice.  In a few minutes, I'm off to class again!

One quick final note: I tried to use that Yoga Free app to program my own routine the other day (one of two that I noted in a previous post but promised a report on).  It crashed repeatedly while I was creating a program, so I deleted it.  I continue to use and enjoy 101 Yoga Poses.

50 again here today -- WOOHOO!