The Engine 2 Challenge Week 3: Making Lasting Lifestyle Changes

Let's just start this post off with a huge thanks to Rip Esselstyn himself.  He is touring the country and making lots of stops.  I was lucky enough to catch his appearance at the Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, earlier this week.

I have to admit, the crowd that was there, was pretty difficult.  I mean, like hecklers at a comedy show, there were people arguing every point he made.  "But what about raw milk?" "What's wrong with lean meat?" "What about the specific vitamins you can get from bison and not anywhere else?"  I mean, seriously?  Why would anyone come to a lecture and appearance by a VEGAN, PLANT STRONG, lifestyle promoter and ruin it for the rest of us trying to get and stay inspired on what is a very difficult journey for many.

Wonderful Weekends: Loaded Baked Potato

All the usual suspects...Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Cream, Daiya Pepperjack, and chives.   Yeah, that about sums up my weekend.

Sunday Breakfast

Geez, with breakfast being my favorite meal of the day, you'd think I'd make it more often! I took advantage of a few free moments this morning to make myself a BIG hearty breakfast.



Let's start with the scramble. A basic crumbled tofu-turmeric-garlic-onion-salt and pepper combination with some Daiya tossed in at the end for good measure. The potatoes were just some frozen shredded potatoes fried up and served with ketchup. The tempeh bacon was simply marinated in about a tablepoon of liquid smoke mixed with about 1/4 cup of maple syrup and then pan fried until crispy.

Sometimes, a big ol' bowl of taters is all I need.

And by big, I mean really big. These taters were just a plain box of instant potato flakes, doctored up with garlic powder and chives...and yes, that is an insane amount of Earth Balance.

Old Fashioned Amish Mashed Potato Candy

Yep. Candy made from mashed potatoes. Actually, there is so much sugar in these, no one would ever guess that you made them from mashed potatoes. This is an old family recipe that has been passed down for generations. It's naturally vegan, so no subs were necessary. It's a fun way to use up your leftover mashers, or you can whip up some fresh ones just for the occasion.





For years, my mom and I have been making it according to the following recipe:

"Mix powdered sugar with mashed potato to form a dough. Roll out dough and spread on peanut butter. Roll up and slice."

That really is all you need to know. You can use instant mashed potatoes for these too. Today's batch used almost 6 pounds of powdered sugar. It made about 200 pieces.

For those of you who need a bit more instruction, here it is, using instant potato flakes:
3 cups (8oz or 227g) dehydrated potato flakes
2 cups (474 ml) water
1 cup (237 ml) vegan milk like soy, rice, almond, or coconut (vanilla or plain)
6 pounds of powdered sugar
Peanut butter for spreading

In a LARGE mixing bowl, add potato flakes. Bring water and soy milk to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from heat and mix into potato flakes. Stir well, and allow to cool. Mix in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time (6 pounds equals roughly 18 cups) using an electric mixer. As the "dough" begins to thicken, you will have to abandon the mixer and knead with your hands. Keep adding sugar until your dough is workable, and no longer sticky. Once you achieve a workable dough, divide it into 10 pieces.

On a well sugared surface, roll out one piece at a time.

Spread on the peanut butter.

Roll it up.

Slice and enjoy! I like to wrap mine up individually in squares of wax paper to give them that old fashioned home made look.

Yield: 200 pieces

My first home made meal in the country!

Finally deciding to tackle something other than pasta on that electric stove, I made some Garlicky Roasted Reds and Garlicky Ranch Potato Patties for dinner tonight. These are testers for the burger book, but it's been so long, I thought I'd share the garlicky potato love!

These are carb-o-licious...If you are looking for low carb, or low cal...don't make these. They work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Furthermore, they don't even need a bun!

Serving Suggestion
No bun, just a schmear of good old fashioned ketchup. If your having them for breakfast, serve with a nice tofu scramble. For lunch or dinner, try to serve with a nice green vegetable to balance out the carb-o-load. Or go crazy and serve with a nice side of Garlicky Roasted Reds (see below) and run a marathon the next day.

Before cooking.

Ready to eat!

Ingredients (makes 4 patties)
2 cups of grated/shredded potatoes (tightly packed)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp paprika
Sea Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp ground flax, mixed with 3 tbsp water
1/3 cup canola oil
additional oil for frying

Directions
In a mixing bowl, mix together potatoes, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until all of the potatoes are well coated. Add in the panko, flour, flax mixture, and oil. Mix well, using your hands until a nice dough forms. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form intopatties. Preheat a generous amount of oil in a skillet and pan fry about 3-5 minutes per side until golden and crispy.

Garlicky Reds
No real recipe here. You all know how to roast potatoes. For these, I cut up a bag of baby reds into bite sized chunks, spread them into a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet, with the skins down, sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, parsley, and fresh minced garlic. Then I drizzle a bit of olive oil over the whole thing and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.