Serves 6 (makes about 30 pancakes)

• 9 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed or peeled and grated
• 1 large onion, peeled and grated
• 3/4 c. wholewheat flour
• OPTIONAL: 1/3 c. nutritional yeast or dairy-free soy Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt (or use seasoned salt or herbal salt)
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper

Mix the onion and potato together well in a large bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix well.

You can cook these on several large, heavy skillets (non-stick or lightly-oiled) over medium-high heat, but the easiest way is to use a non-stick electric pancake griddle-- this accommodates quite a few latkes and they cook evenly. Place 1/4-cupfuls of the potato mixture onto the preheated griddle or skillets and flatten them into thin pancakes with a spatula. Cover them with lids or foil (I use inverted cookie sheets over the griddle) until the bottoms are golden-brown, then flip them over and cook, uncovered, until the second side is golden-brown. Serve hot with applesauce and Tofu Sour Creme (below).

Alternate Cooking Method-- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Flatten the pancakes on lightly-oiled or nonstick cookie sheets. Spray lightly with oil from a pump sprayer. Bake 15 minutes, then turn over and bake 5 or 6 minutes more.

From Bryanna: I could eat latkes every day of the week! This recipe makes delicious latkes even without the eggs and oil. For other occasions, try them with cranberry sauce, or even ketchup. They are great for breakfast, or any meal of the day.

Note about the recipe creator: Bryanna Clark Grogan is a vegan chef, cook, and author of several books, including the bestseller Nonna's Italian Kitchen. For over 35 years, Bryanna has studied cooking and nutrition. Visit Bryanna's website at http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com to get more of Bryanna's recipes, sign up for her newsletter, and more!

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VARIATIONS:

#1: Add to the grated potato mixture 1 c. of cooked, minced greens, squeezed dry

#2: Use only 5 potatoes, and add about 3 c. grated scrubbed carrots, or grated yams or sweet potatoes , or winter squash (peeled), or grated parsnips, turnips or rutabagas (peeled).

#3: Use only 5 potatoes, and add 3 c. grated unpeeled summer squash (zucchini or other) (squeeze dry in a clean tea toel before adding to potatoes).

#4: add about 2 c. grated (peeled) broccoli stems, or radishes.

#5: Add some chopped fresh parsley to taste, or chopped fresh dill, or crushed garlic and other fresh herbs. Other additions might be: chopped chives, caraway seeds, Indian herbs and spices.

There are a lot of variations of this particular dish. For instance, some recipes call for kale and leeks instead of carrots and parsnips. Whatever your pleasure, this is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal!

• 1 Lb Parsnips
• 1 Lb Carrots
• 1 Lb Potatoes
• 8 TBS Earth Balance® Whipped Spread or 1 stick of Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Sticks (1 Stick of Butter if you prefer dairy)
• A few TBS of vegan parmesan to taste
• Salt

1. Scrub veggies clean
2. Cut into one inch cubes (cut the carrots and parsnips smaller)
3. Place in pot
4. Cover with water
5. Salt water
6. Boil until tender
7. Drain
8. Mash
9. Add spread or butter
10. Mash
11. Decant mixture into an oven-proof dish
12. Bake at 350º for 30 min
13. Add a few TBS of vegan parmesan to taste

Serves 8-10

Traditionally, some of the Kutia is placed outdoors for Father Frost, as a bribe to keep him from freezing the crops. And, after everyone has had some, you are supposed to leave the spoon in the pot so that departed spirits may feed themselves if they pay a visit that night.

The head of the household starts the meal by raising a spoonful of Kutia and saying "Khrystos Razhdaiet'sia" (Christ is born). The others respond, answering "Slavim Ioho" (Glory, praise Him). Then, everyone can eat.

• 3 c. whole wheat kernels
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 to 3 c. fruit concentrate syrup, agave syrup, or maple syrup, or a combination (traditionally, this was honey)
• 1 and 1/2 c. ground poppy seeds
• chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top of each serving

Wash the wheat thoroughly with boiling water and drain. Place in a heavy saucepan with 8 c. of boiling water (traditionally, pure rainwater). Cover the pot tightly and simmer for 4-6 hours, or until the grain is completely tender. Toward the end of the cooking time stir in the salt and cook it down until the water is all absorbed.

Add the syrup and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds and chill the mixture. Sprinkle each serving with chopped walnuts.

• 2 green or red bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• 12 oz button mushrooms
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion (scallion), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups arborio rice
• 4.5 cups hot water
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh parsely
• salt, pepper
• grated parmesan or romano cheese (Vegans, omit.)

Grill lightly oiled bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms until tender &
grill-marked. (About 7-10 mins each side.) Coarsely chop veggies. Heat oil in saucepan, add scallion & garlic. Saute about 4 mins. Stir in grilled chopped veggies, rice, and seasonings with 2.5 cups hot water. Cook over low heat 10 mins, stirring frequently to release rice glutins. Gradually add remaining hot water and stir stir stir until rice is tender
and risotto attains smooth body. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan/romano or both. Let stand a few minutes, then serve with toasted garlic bread.

• portabello mushrooms
• sliced spicy bean sprouts
• veggie spicy cheese
• eggs
• flour
• Italian breadcrumbs
• pita bread
• virgin olive oil

Slice the mushrooms about half an inch thick from the top to the bottom. After washing the mushrooms, they need to be breaded. Simply coat the mushrooms in flour first on both sides, then egg on both sides, then breadcrumbs on both sides. Do each mushroom slice individually.
In a frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of virgin olive oil. Once heated, place the breaded mushrooms in the oil on med/low to low heat and fry until a nice golden brown. Do the same on both sides of the mushrooms.
Do not let them get too brown or the breading comes off—a nice light brown is fabulous. Place the mushrooms, after browned, on a paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Place the mushrooms in a sliced pita bread with a slice of veggie spicy cheese and spicy bean sprouts. Wrap the sandwiches and take them on your picnic. They are ready to go!

Wash rice thoroughly to remove processing impurities. Heat oil over medium heat. Add rice and seasonings, stir until rice toasted, taking care not to burn seasonings. Cook rice in your accustomed manner—rice cooker, pressure cooker, etc.

Options:
Add cube of vegetable stock to rice when cooking. Use any combination of seasonings to flavor rice—experiment with what you like. For South Asian accent, use bruised cardamom pods, cumin, coriander, clove,
and curry powder, for instance. For holidays, use sage, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. For creole accent, use ground sasafrass ("gumbo file"), ground celery seed, onion powder, white flour, and cayenne. (Toast really well.)

While the pasta is cooking, soak kasha in egg replacement mixture (ovo-lactos can use an egg) until kernels are coated. Saute in a lightly oiled pan until kernels separate. Add onion and mix with kasha, cooking until onion is tender. Add bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Mix with cooked and drained pasta and serve with your favorite vegetables.

Dice cukes into smallest bits possible. Dice tomatoes into smallest bits possible. (This dicing style is called "mirepois".) Mix tomatoes and cukes thoroughly in bowl with lemon juice, oil, garlic and seasonings.

To serve:
Refrigerate 1/2 - 1 hour, with pita and fritters, as relish.

Wash corn ears. Drizzle with olive oil, dust with salt, pepper to taste. Grill over medium flame until tender and slightly carbonized. Serve on the cobb or sliced into nibblets.

Options:
Coat lightly with honey near end of grilling.
Freeze grilled nibblets for use in soup, stew and cornbread recipes.

Wash broccoli. Heat oil to smoking, toss in broccoli and peppercorns. Stir fry, letting broccoli burn slightly in spots. Serve immediately, with lemon juice sprinkled on.

Options:
Flambe with dry brandy or vodka, sprinkle salt on.

Variation:
Use cauliflower instead of broccoli. Toss in cumin seeds along with
peppercorns. Do not flambe cauliflower.

Wash mushrooms, trim stalks. Blend coriander, chiles, cumin, chile powder, onion wedges, and coconut milk until smooth. Saute mushrooms in oil until golden. Add blended curry mixture, reduce heat, and simmer until mushrooms are tender.

Make the sauce in advance, and this is becomes a quick and easy meal.
8 ounces of tempeh, defrosted (about 1 1/3 cups)
4 servings 15-Barbeque Sauce:
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 garlic clove, minced
• 14 ounces of tomatoes, low sodium, pureed (or tomato sauce)
• 1 TBSP cumin powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp cayenne (or more to taste)
• ¼ tsp ground fennel seed
• 2 tsp ground yellow mustard seed
• 1 tsp ground black mustard seed
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup coffee substitute, brewed (optional)
 (or brewed coffee - regular or decaf)
• 2 TBSP roasted garlic paste
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
• ½ cup barley malt syrup
• ½ cup brown rice syrup
• 2 TBSP maple syrup (optional)
• 2 TBSP dark miso

Sauce (1 hour, 15 minutes):

Gluten note: This recipe contains gluten (from the barley malt syrup). If you want to make it without gluten, simply replace the barley malt syrup with brown rice syrup. This is a low-fat, high flavor sauce that keeps well in the refrigerator.

Heat sauce over medium-high heat and add oil. Saute onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredients, except for the miso. Heat over low to medium-low heat for 40 minutes to integrate and thicken (you may like to use a simmer plate/"flame tamer"). Do not boil. Stir occasionally.

Remove 1 cup of sauce, and let cool briefly. Add miso to this 1 cup of sauce, and dissolve. Add the cup of sauce with the miso back to the sauce pan, and cook gently another 10 minutes.

Makes about 4 cups.

BBQ Tempeh (30 minutes):

Steam tempeh for 20 minutes. Cut tempeh into about 40 cubes. In a skillet, gently cook tempeh in sauce for about 5+ minutes to integrate flavors. If you want sauce to be thicker, cook a few minutes longer.

Mark Foy, chef, IT consultant, and founder of San Francisco Bay Area Vitalita, a technology consulting firm and vegan/vegetarian culinary service, is the author of the free online cookbook titled, "A Taste of Vitality." Mark spoke with Veggilicious in the summer of 2005, and agreed to share some of his recipes with Veggilicious readers. Visit Mark's website at www.vitalita.com to learn more about Mark and his work.