Vegan Irish Potatoes

Ever since developing an allergy to milkfat, I've tried to make Irish Potatoes around St. Patty's Day and failed several times. You see, they're pretty much solid butter. And they're delicious.

In case you have no idea what an Irish Potato is, it's a cinnamon-coconut St. Patrick's Day treat that looks like a potato but doesn't contain any. Though they didn't originate in Ireland, they are Irish in the Irish-American sense. In highly Irish neighborhoods in the greater Philadelphia area, every bakery and candy shop carries their own version leading up to March 17th - the grocery store even carries them. The boardwalks of the Jersey Shore carry them all summer because it's always St. Patty's Day down the shore!

I first learned to make Irish Potatoes in 2nd grade. We had a substitute teacher, and we made Irish Potatoes and a green goo science experiment with corn starch and water (I think it has a name - it's both a solid and a liquid at the same time). That teacher later landed a permanent position, but she's always been the Irish Potato lady to me. My grandmother also made them when we were younger, and I picked up the tradition during college.

In the past several years, I've tried using margarine and a mixture of margarine and fat-free cream cheese, but they always ended up too soft and didn't taste exactly right. To compensate for the texture, I would add additional sugar, and then they'd be sickeningly sweet. Enter coconut oil. I LOVE coconut oil, both in the kitchen and out. I can be a little picky about using coconut oil because I don't like the subtle coconut flavor in all combinations, but for something which a strong coconut flavor it's perfect. 

This year, my grandmother actually had two boxes sent to me. I commented that I wouldn't be able to eat them because I'm allergic to milkfat, and she replied that they didn't have any, only sugar, coconut, butter.... Ummmmmm, yeah. What's butter? I was actually glad that when they arrived they were just the grocery store kind and not some fancy variety from a candy shop in the city!

Grocery store-brand Irish Potatoes my grandmother had sent. I'm allergic to them (butter), but it's no big loss, this brand doesn't really compare to the fancy candy shop varieties.

So without further ado, I hope you enjoy my milkless (and therefore vegan) Irish Potatoes!

Recipe (makes 25-30):

1/3 c. Coconut flakes

1/3 c. Confectioner's sugar

1/3 c. Coconut oil (warmed up until it's just about liquid but not quite)

~1/3 tsp. vanilla extract (a little under 1/2 tsp.)

~2 tbsp cinnamon 

Mix the vanilla into the coconut oil directly. Mix the sugar and coconut. Stir together with a spoon, and then put your hands in the bowl and knead it like a bread dough. It should come together easily but also flake easily. If it's too difficult to ball up, stick the entire bowl in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften the coconut oil a bit more. If it's too soft, place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.

Consistency of the Irish Potato "dough"

Individual Chicken Pot Pies for the Carrot and Pea Hater

Every once in a while, I totally crave simple American flavors, like a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup or a flaky chicken pot pie. Unfortunately, my husband hates cooked carrots and any form of peas, which are arguably the best part of a chicken pot pie.

I managed to come up with some tasty substitutions that ultimately required more work but appeased both of our tastes. I've made them twice, once with pumpkin for the orange-colored veggie, and once with butternut squash. I think I prefer the pumpkin, but both are good.

You'll notice that most of my measurements and times listed in this recipe are approximate. You can vary it to your taste - it's definitely more of an eyeballing recipe.

Chicken Pot Pies (6 individual pies)
2 refrigerated pie crusts (like Pillsbury)
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onions
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3-4 cups chicken stock (I use chicken base and dissolve it in water)
~5 refrigerated chicken tenderloins (about half a pack)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2-1 cup chopped string beans
1/2-1 cup sliced pumpkin or butternut squash (I like to bake for 15 mins before slicing)
1-1.5 cups potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

The ingredients, other than the onions

Spicy cauliflower curry

Here's a tasty, healthy dinner (tonight!): Sauté some onions, add ginger, garlic, and hot peppers. Stir in a bunch of curry powder. Add some crushed tomatoes. Add a head of cauliflower, chopped into smallish pieces. Add whatever else you want. Add a splash of lemon juice. Cook some lentils in water with salt and curry powder, drain and stir into your curry dish. Top with parsley (or whatever else you want). I used serrano peppers and canned banana peppers (from my garden a few years ago), and I also tossed in half of a fresh tomato when I added the lentils.

I've never been a fan of cauliflower (because I don't think it tastes like anything), but that makes it the perfect vehicle for whatever favors you want to feature!

Apple cider donuts and donut holes

You know those incredibly perfect donuts you get when you go apple picking on a farm? Well, these are just as good. Enjoy them throughout the fall months! You could use any apple cider, but nothing could possibly beat Trader Joe's Spiced Cider, which is only available for a few months each year. This recipe was inspired by this one and this one. Here's the modified recipe:

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup greek yogurt (nonfat)
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup apple cider
3.5 cups AP flour, plus at least 1 cup reserved
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Cinnamon sugar for coating (~2/3 cup sugar+1/4 cup cinnamon)
Canola oil for frying

Start by pouring yourself a nice glass of apple cider. It's so delicious, and this is the best way to kick off this recipe.

Chili con [un poco] carne

This adapted version of my chili con carne is sure to please, and red meat lovers won't even notice what's missing! If you're a chili lover, you've probably tried using ground turkey instead of ground beef. Here, I took this idea to a new level: I stretched the ground turkey with bulgur. Honestly, I couldn't even tell the difference in the final product.

Here's the general idea: cook the bulgur with a fair amount of salt, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Once it's cooked, brown the ground turkey and stir in the bulgur as you do. Then treat the whole mixture like it's ground beef! In general, 1 cup uncooked bulgur can substitute for 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey. In this recipe, I used ~1.2 "lbs" meat - a little over half of that was actually meat. I got this idea from Thrifty Jinxy, which contains a "stretch your sloppy joe" recipe using the same concept.

Thai Lentils and Cabbage

Inspired by this recipe from Pinch of Yum, I decided to make my own version using ingredients I had on hand. My major substitutions were to use red lentils instead of brown, purple cabbage instead of green, and potatoes instead of squash. I didn't have the tom kha paste, so I tried to incorporate similar flavors with some ginger, coriander, and red curry sauce.

Here is my variation as well as a self-critique for future improvement! I served this with rice.

Garden mint chocolate chip ice cream

I love ice cream. I can't eat regular ice cream because I can't have milk fat, so my ice cream maker is my best friend. I LOVE mint chocolate chip ice cream. Luckily, my mint is starting to grow big enough to trim and use for ice cream. The other day, I discovered that you can buy push pop containers! I got a pack of 24 push pop containers for less than $30 from Amazon. 

I used mint from two different mint plants I have--one I planted from trimmings from my mom's mint, and one that I bought at Trader Joe's. My ice creams are all custard-based (include egg yolks) for creaminess since there isn't any milk fat involved.

Mint plant #1 

Mint plant #2 (rooted from cuttings)

Homemade pretzels

I've been planning to try making pretzels for a long time. It was definitely fun, and worth it. I wouldn't recommend it if you have as little counter space as me (I have about 4 square feet of counter space total). Making the dough into pretzel shapes was the hardest part, so after I had enough for everyone in my lab to have one at journal club, I moved on to little pretzel nuggets. Just a heads up--these taste like movie theater pretzels, not like Philadelphia soft pretzels. Both are delicious, but I'm still looking for a Philadelphia pretzel recipe!

Cheesy Mustard Beer Bread

This post is a bit delayed--I made this bread for the Super Bowl. I saw this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and I got really excited! I modified it quite a bit based on what I had in my kitchen, what beer I like, and what type of cheese I can eat.

This bread made my kitchen smell like a cheesy brewery, just to warn you. It was a really good smell for about two minutes, but then it just kinda smelled bad.

Here's my modified recipe. Visit Smitten Kitchen for the assembly instructions! I also brushed some extra mustard on top after it cooled for a few minutes.

Blueberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread

You know the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl loaves of bread you can get at the store (or make yourself)? Well, I decided to twist it up some and use blueberries instead of raisins.

I made the dough in my breadmaker, then lightly kneaded in some whole, fresh blueberries. I stretched out the whole thing, put some cinnamon sugar on top, rolled it up, and baked it in a loaf pan. It turned out WONDERFULLY, and I ate it every day for breakfast for a week, toasted with some margarine on top.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Freshman year of college, my roommate introduced me to King Cakes, which her parents sent us from New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I've been working on my recipe for years, now! This year's is a chocolate-cinnamon roll--I made two small jelly rolls and twisted the two together before forming them into a ring.

Breadmaker Cinnamon Rolls

This is a lab favorite. The week after I give lab meeting, I provide the food. People get very excited for these! They'd also make a great Christmas morning or New Year's Day breakfast, which is why I decided to post them now. My recipe is for the breadmaker, but you could easily (or not so easily) make it by hand.

There are three parts: the dough, the filling, and the icing. This recipe makes one 9x13 pan.

Tea rolls

Did you grow up eating the little pull apart frozen dinner rolls? The best part was that you didn't need a knife, you just pulled your roll away from the rest. Well, I decided to copy them with my own recipe. And, for some reason I was on a tea kick. My dinner rolls use tea where most would use water or milk!

Pumpkin Granola

I am totally addicted to this. I don't remember what recipes I originally based mine off of. I read a whole bunch before coming up with my own. It's absolutely delicious. A perfect snack, the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Perfect for fall! I would guess it would go well with milk as a breakfast cereal as well, but I've been devouring it too quickly to test that out. I hope you make it and love it as much as I do!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

This super rich, creamy pumpkin ice cream tastes like fall! I have a feeling it won't last long! I was browsing for pumpkin ice cream recipes, and though there were many decent looking ones out there, I didn't end up following one. I did notice a few trends though: 1) Use a lot of egg yolks (I usually use two or three, and most recipes said to use five), and 2) Use brown sugar instead of white. Of course, I also used skim milk!

Amazing apple bread

I went apple picking this past weekend! Now I have a ton of fresh-picked apples, a new apple picking shirt (will post that soon), and lots of things I want to make.

This apple bread is one of my most-loved recipes... by everyone, even random strangers (I entered it in a baking contest once). I came up with this recipe myself, and some of the amounts are a little strange b/c I tweaked them based on a bunch of apple bread recipes online.

Hurricane Bread

My Irene preparations--rich sandwich bread to the left, Italian Bread to the
right, both recipes below!

I had been wanting to make bread for a while. I've also been through a hurricane where we were left with no power or drinkable water for a week and had to leave, so although I was pretty confident Irene wouldn't cause much damage where I was, I bought a flashlight (my old one had broken and not been replaced), filled some pitchers of water, and made some delicious bread!

5K granola

I've been eying this recipe for a long time. I actually tried it once a few weeks ago, but the granola came out as just a mix of oats and the other ingredients with no clumps. I did some research, made some changes, and came out with something that resembles more of a broken up granola bar. I could probably scale back on some of the things I added for maximum clumpiness, but it was delicious! Next time, I'll add a little more salt and maybe a little dry sugar, too, for texture and a tiny bit more sweetness.

Chocolate-mint deliciousness

I've made mint chocolate chip ice cream a few times this summer (and apparently haven't posted it; I'll get on that some time in the near future). I wanted more chocolate, though. When I got back from vacation, my mint plant was out of control, so I needed to put it to use. Hence, chocolate-mint ice cream!

Pesto, my favorite food

My favorite food: pesto pasta with shrimp

Pesto pasta with shrimp has been my favorite food for the majority of my life. It's what I asked for for every birthday dinner. I hold out every summer to have enough basil to make my own, and by combining some of my own with some from my CSA, I made some great pesto last night!

I use basil, garlic, romano cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, and olive oil in my pesto. You could use a different nut or a different cheese if you'd like.

Basil for the pesto: mine on the left, farm share on the right