While I would rather have my fingernails ripped out, one by one, than become vegan, I do appreciate the cuisine when it's done well and the dedication that vegans have to their chosen lifestyle. And these days I find myself looking more toward vegan and vegetarian recipes to add a larger variety of vegetables and healthy protein substitutes to my continually evolving diet.
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is on the top of my go-to list of cookbooks, especially when it comes to desserts that don't include dairy or eggs. But last night I wasn't looking for sweets. I wanted something crunchy and bad. What I really wanted was something that had been battered and deep-fried to within an inch of its life...but I settled instead on the Parsnip-Scallion Pancakes in Moskowitz's book. If you know how to fry something properly, and then drain it adequately, there is no need to feel dieter's guilt about eating it.
I don't believe these pancakes would work well if baked.
Moskowitz calls for 4 cups of shredded parsnips to be mixed with 1 cup of scallions, flour, canola oil, salt, pepper, and water. I cut out the oil, since I was going to be frying the pancakes. I just didn't want the extra oil in the batter. In this case, both the oil and water were there to act as a binding agent in place of eggs...and since I enjoy eating animal products, I had no problem substituting a couple of eggs. I could easily have added milk. And to my mixture, I added a couple of minced garlic cloves...because most things are better with garlic. It's a simple fact.
Shredding the parsnip was the biggest problem I faced. I bought a big one and my hand-held grater wasn't strong enough to handle it, which to me is more dense than a carrot. I had to bring out my stainless mandoline and hand guard or my fingers would have been shredded faster than the parsnip.
I also didn't make nice, neat little balls, as the recipe instructs you to do. I dropped the spiny looking mixture by the heaping tablespoon into the heated oil and I watched them bubble and fry until golden.
I served two pancakes up with a scoop of chicken salad I made out of a leftover roast from the day before. I mixed diced chicken with apples, celery, onion, curry powder, prepared mustard, and a dollop of mayo. I had a leafy, green salad on the side.
The sweet parsnip and the mild onion flavor of the scallions worked surprisingly well together.
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is on the top of my go-to list of cookbooks, especially when it comes to desserts that don't include dairy or eggs. But last night I wasn't looking for sweets. I wanted something crunchy and bad. What I really wanted was something that had been battered and deep-fried to within an inch of its life...but I settled instead on the Parsnip-Scallion Pancakes in Moskowitz's book. If you know how to fry something properly, and then drain it adequately, there is no need to feel dieter's guilt about eating it.
I don't believe these pancakes would work well if baked.
Moskowitz calls for 4 cups of shredded parsnips to be mixed with 1 cup of scallions, flour, canola oil, salt, pepper, and water. I cut out the oil, since I was going to be frying the pancakes. I just didn't want the extra oil in the batter. In this case, both the oil and water were there to act as a binding agent in place of eggs...and since I enjoy eating animal products, I had no problem substituting a couple of eggs. I could easily have added milk. And to my mixture, I added a couple of minced garlic cloves...because most things are better with garlic. It's a simple fact.
Shredding the parsnip was the biggest problem I faced. I bought a big one and my hand-held grater wasn't strong enough to handle it, which to me is more dense than a carrot. I had to bring out my stainless mandoline and hand guard or my fingers would have been shredded faster than the parsnip.
I also didn't make nice, neat little balls, as the recipe instructs you to do. I dropped the spiny looking mixture by the heaping tablespoon into the heated oil and I watched them bubble and fry until golden. I served two pancakes up with a scoop of chicken salad I made out of a leftover roast from the day before. I mixed diced chicken with apples, celery, onion, curry powder, prepared mustard, and a dollop of mayo. I had a leafy, green salad on the side.
The sweet parsnip and the mild onion flavor of the scallions worked surprisingly well together.
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