Hanukah - fat free potato latkes

I survived Hanukah. I didn't lose any weight, but did maintain it. One thing I made was fat-free potato latkes. They were not too difficult and were tasty with unsweetened applesauce.

5 cups grated potatoes
1 medium onion, grated or chopped finely
1/2 tsp salt (or less, you can always put some on at the table)
1 tablespoon dried parsely
2 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp matzo meal
1/8 tsp black pepper (optional)


Potatoes should be either grated. You can chop them finely in a food processor (the bits should be fine, like rice if you chop it), but you will need to add more mato meal then. Add the onions, corn starch, and matzo meal, parsely, salt, and pepper. If it seems too dry, add up to 1/4 cup of water. If it seems too moist to form patties, add a bit more matzo meal.

Form into patties and fry on a non-stick skillet at medium heat. You may use a bit of non-stick spray if you wish. Let cook for 8 minutes before turning and cook 8 minutes on the other side.

This is not core, but when made with amounts above, 1/2 the recipe is 8 points. If you divide it into 4 servings, then each is 4 points. You could possibly make this core by using corn meal to bind it in place of the mazo meal.

Mom's baked corn bread

The below recipe is the veganized version of my mom's baked corn bread. Mom was from Kentucky. Mostly, she ate fried corn bread, but occasionally baked.

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
1/4 cup beet sugar
2 tsp baking powder (Rumsford)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup soy milk
1/4 apple sauce
1 egg worth ener-g egg replacer as directed on the package, wisked with a fork

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together. Put the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients. Bake in a square (8 x 8) baking dish at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean.

This is great with chili or pintos or just by itself. It is not Core, due to the flour and sugar. Makes 9 servings. When made with whole wheat flour, each serving has 182 calories, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber (3 Points)

Enjoy!

Thai Green Beans

This recipe is adapted from Keo's Thai Cuisine. I made it healthier and used ingredients I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1/2 package frozen cut green beans, or one package fresh green beans
1 medium onion, cut in half length-wise then cut into strips
2 Tbs water
1/8 tsp salt
one dried hot chili, crushed
1 tsp dried lemon grass
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or try rice milk)
1/8 tsp coconut flavor (optional)
scant 1 tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon grated ginger (fresh or jared)
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

Put the 2 tablespoons of water in a nonstick skillet or wok, add the onion, ginger, lemon grass, and chili pepper. Heat and saute in the water for 30 seconds. Add the green beans, and cook for about half their cooking time, adding a bit of water as needed. Add the coconut flavor to the soy or rice milk, stir and add to the skillet. Heat until it starts to bubble. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, salt, and the soy sauce. Stir. Cook, stiring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the green beans are tender crisp and the sauce is thick and bubbly.

This is mildly spicy and absolutely delicious.

Core

My Goal

It has been a while since I posted. Life is like that sometime. Since my last post, I reached my official goal of 128. My unofficial goal is still a bit away. At my last weigh in, I was 127.4. I want to reach 120-123. This would make my official weight loss 40-43 lbs, but my total weight loss 47-50 lbs. Progress is made, but slowly. Still, I must remember, slow and steady wins the race. Even now, my weight and BMI are in the healthy range. That is something to celebrate.