Potato Pancakes with Condiments, My Way

2012 is almost over, and there are so many things from this year I have yet to post. Meaning you will probably not see everything I have concocted. I have failed many a time, but still succeeded a fair number of times.
2012 for me has been a year of beginning my blog. While I started as mainly a fashion blog, I have developed a passion for food.  I would say I am now a food blogger.
Thank you all for following and caring about what an odd sixteen year old does!!!

So, latkes. Actually sweet potato-zucchini pancakes with strained yogurt sauce and spiced apple-pear compote (which is really a dessert). Yum, yum, yum.

Potato pancakes with the yogurt sauce,
apple-pear compote on the side, and a slice of slightly-
burned garlic bread (garlic + basil + olive oil on bread, toasted)

Potato Pancakes

makes about 32 small pancakes, about 4 servings (main dish) or really unique little cocktail snacks if served with the yogurt dipping sauce (see below)

Ingredients

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, shredded

1-2 zuchinni, shredded

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp arrowroot powder

2 spring onions, minced

other spices of your choice (think crushed garlic, oregano, parsley, anything at all)

3 tsp olive oil

1.Combine everything bu the arrowroot powder.

2. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the mixture.

3. Add the arrowroot powder. 

4. Create small patties, about 1 inch in diameter and fairly thin.

5. On a lightly greased skillet or pancake griddle, cook patties until crisp.

potato pancakes with the yogurt sauce on top

Zingy (yes, I did say that) Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Plain, fat free yogurt (my mom makes yogurt at home really easily by boiling milk and mixing some old yogurt into it and letting it set. No machine needed.)

1 scallion, chopped in rings

Some cilantro, minced

1. Strain the yogurt to make it as thick as sour cream. The yogurt we make with skim milk is super watery, so straining is necessary. You need quite a lot of yogurt to end up with one cup of thick yogurt if it is watery. Just drink the water you get from the yogurt if you are using thin, homemade yogurt. It is delicious. Store bought yogurt does not need to be strained.

2. Mix the scallion and cilantro in. Serve with the warm potato pancakes.

Apple-Pear Spiced Sauce 

(ok with the potato pancakes, like apple sauce, but better as a dessert by itself or on vanilla ice cream)

Serves 4

1 small apple, diced, peeled if you feel like exerting the effort doing so

1 small pear, diced

ground cinnamon (to taste)

ground cloves (1-2)

a pinch of nutmeg

a pinch of salt

1/2-1 tsp balsamic vinegar (trust me)

1/2-1 tsp brown sugar (to taste)

1. Cook apple with about 1/4 cup water and all the spices, sugar, and balsamic until soft.

2. Add the diced pear and cook more until everything is cooked down.

3. Cook out some of the water. 

4. Enjoy!