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A reader said, “I wish I could see your grocery list”  Well, here it is!  Can you read it?? Yeah, me neither. I actually have nice handwriting when I’m not rushing….

No, seriously, I never make a list unless I’m determined to cook, which I was this week. 

If I don’t make a list, here’s what I usually pick up (as I go through the store):

• Broccoli crown or broccolini bunch or green beans
• Spinach or salad mix with herbs
• Herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil)
• 1 tomato
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 avocado
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 honey crisp apple
• 1 pineapple
• 2 small bananas
• Fresh OJ - medium
• Fresh Green Juice - small
• Grapes or clementines or strawberries or blueberries
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups granola
• 1/2 cup of roasted (no salt) nuts I’m in the mood for
• 1/2 cup Thompson raisins
• Dark chocolate
• 1/2 chicken with bones and skin or in-store roasted turkey slices
• 1 filet white fish
• 1 serving of flavored organic yogurt
• 3-4 Justin’s almond butter packets
• 1-2 Gnu bars
• Terra sweet potato chips, no salt
• 1 bottle white wine
• 1 awesome beer
• Cookies of some sort (the healthiest that sounds appealing)
• A couple pre-made deli stuff: broccoli crunch, butternut squash, green beans, edamame, a soup

This week I’ve made two recipes from publications. But really, nothing special.  You can see them for yourself.

Roasted Talapia with EVOO and herbs.  Spinach using the Whole Foods recipe I posted last week.  Brown rice with lime and cilantro.

This didn’t turn out as I had hoped.  Island pork recipe from Clean Eating magazine and green beans with sesame oil.

Apple-potato latkes with maple-cinnamon yogurt from one of my favorite sources: Melissa Clark’s column “A Good Appetite” in NYTimes Dining section on Wednesdays.  (I fell in love with her making this Chicken Adobo.  Then I found THESE BAD ASS RIBS!) I’m sure hers were MUCH better, but my circumstances were not great.  I had to make the mix and then put it in the fridge for an hour before frying them. Ideally, I’d like to broil them!  I’ll try that soon.  Until then, see my healthy substitutions below and see what you can do with them.  Here is the recipe:

Apple-P0tato Latkes with Cinnamon Sour Cream

From Melissa Clark, NYTimes Dining

• 6 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored
• 1 large russet potato, peeled
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Olive oil, for frying.

MR used: Nonfat Greek yogurt. Wheat flour. Whatever apples I had in the fridge.  Whole Foods brand agave syrup, both Maple and Cinnamon (in addition to ground cinnamon). 

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, cinnamon and syrup. Cover and chill until ready to use.

2. Coarsely grate the apples, potato and onion. Put the mixture in a clean dish towel and squeeze to wring out as much liquid as possible. For the crispiest pancakes, you want the least moisture.

3. Working quickly, put the mixture in a large bowl, add the flour, eggs, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.

4. In a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, cooking 3 to 4 latkes at a time. Use a spatula to flatten the scoops into disks. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes, flip them. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with dollops of the cinnamon sour cream on top.

MR notes: I know nothing about oil except their benefits.  EVOO was too thick to fry in.  Test a latke in the oil before making all of them.  I had to add additional potato and apple because my batter had too much flour.  And the yogurt is unexpectedly amazing; you need it.  I used it instead of ketchup.