Recipe: CHEESELESS Cheesy Potato Balls

I found this recipe online listed as a side dish that could be made for St. Patrick's Day. I am 50% Irish and therefore had to consume SOMETHING that day that would make my ancestor's proud! I have seen these little numbers called "Colcannon Puffs" on Fat Free Vegan. After trying out the recipe myself, I was brought back to the days I used to eat Twice Baked Potatoes...the flavor of cheese! So, I have renamed them Cheeseless Cheesy Potato Balls and edited the recipe slightly to my personal liking.

The secret ingredient in making these potatoes so cheesy delicious is Nutritional Yeast, flakes that you can buy in the bulk section of your local co-op. Kale is added as well, which helps us get our daily calcium needs and the little bit of green that you are looking for on such a holiday. Of course, this side dish can be made any day of the year and I plan to make it again in the near future. My husband, who consumes real cheese daily, said that he thoroughly enjoyed these potatoes and would eat them again in a heart beat.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes (peel them if you desire...I didn't)
6 ounces kale leaves
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons soymilk
2 tablespoons corn starch

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Start by cutting the potatoes into little chunks and boil them until soft. Remove the potatoes from the boiling water and replace them with the kale. Boil the kale for 6 minutes. Put the potato and kale into a large mixing bowl and mash it together until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until it is well mixed.

Take out a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Shape the potato mixture into 1 inch balls and put onto the baking sheet. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Take the sheet out and turn the balls over. Place into the oven for 20 minutes more.

Learn to Bake Dairy/Gluten Free at Whole Foods

Delicious Gluten and Casein Free Desserts

Saturday, March 21st
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon $30
With Robin Asbell, local chef and author

"Join local chef and author Robin Asbell for her amazing gluten and casein free recipes! Chef Robin is an experienced and knowledgeable culinary expert with a repertoire of heavenly dishes. She will demonstrate her recipes for apple crisp, chocolate walnut cookies, quick peanut butter cookies, and a white cake with easy frosting, perfect for that birthday party cake!

Pre-registration for classes and select events required. Call or visit our customer service desk to pre-register (612-927-8141.) Classes and events are subject to change or cancellation."

Recipe: Angel hair pasta with roasted vegetable sauce

Once you start looking at product labels, you begin to realize just how often dairy is a surprise ingredient. I have been frustrated to find cheese, often Parmesan cheese, added to sauces and I am left with only a few choices. So, instead of griping about the lack of options, I decided to try making a sauce of my own...and boy did I come up with a winner!

Roasting brings out delicious flavors in many vegetables and mixing them with pasta makes for a wonderful, filling meal. For a delicious, healthy alternative to cheesy pastas, try this recipe!

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of vegetables of your choice (eggplant, red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes)
- Angel hair pasta
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- garlic salt
- fat free olive oil spray

Cut the vegetables up into 1/2 inch chunks and toss them into a oven-safe dish. Spray the vegetables with olive oil until well coated. Sprinkle the vegetables with the garlic salt and stir. Pre-heat the oven to 425 (on the roasting setting if you have it). Roast the vegetables for 25 minutes, stirring and respraying the vegetables every 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta for 4 minutes. After you've drained the pasta and the vegetables are done roasting, toss the pasta and the roasted vegetables together in a pan, adding the 1/2 tsp of olive oil to the mixture. Heat just a little until everything is warm and serve immediately. You'll be amazing how flavorful this dish is without a thick tomato sauce. If you have some soy Parmesan cheese, you may choose to sprinkle a little at the top.

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Chocolate: My Search Continues...

Have you seen these bite-sized chocolates by the cash register at your local grocery? I came across this product at The Wedge in uptown and I was curious to try it since it claims itself to be "vegan" and therefore, dairy-free. That day, I bought the dark chocolate mint flavor.

I am sorry to report that to this day, I am still missing my chocolate. It wasn't HORRIBLE... It wasn't even BAD, but it wasn't satisfying the way milk chocolate is when it melts into a creamy liquid in your mouth. This product stayed very hard and crunchy. Without the creamy melt that I'm used to, it was hard to actually taste anything. By the time I was done crunching the whole thing, I had a SLIGHT taste of chocolate in my mouth but I had to really focus.

To me, the amount of satisfaction that I got was not worth the fat and sugar I had ingested. I have read in online reviews that the Endangered Species brand does have a few different dairy-free options and that many people seemed to enjoy the chocolate bar that pictures a monkey on the front. They don't sell that particular one at The Wedge or Whole Foods (that I have seen!) but I've been told that it has been spotted at Cub. Have you tried this one? If so, please share your review and where you bought it!

For more information about Endangered Species products, visit: Endangered Species Chocolate