Traditional Polish Latkes are given a healthy makeover into these Vegan Potato Pancakes – perfect for Valentine’s Day breakfast with the one you love.

My mother’s side of the family is Polish and while we didn’t get a ton of Polish culture when we were young, we did get a lot of the classic Polish food like Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Pierogies (basically big raviolis), and Latkes. You probably know Latkes by the name of Potato Pancakes. So, I decided to take the classic Latke and give it a little makeover into these Vegan Potato Pancakes made with red potatoes.

Full disclosure – I definitely did not go into the kitchen intending to make these vegan. I thought I had one last egg left for this recipe, but when I remembered that I had used it to make breakfast for my daughter, I was immediately glad to be given the push I needed to turn these into a healthier Vegan Potato Pancake. There was a bag of chia seeds hanging out in a cabinet, so I used those to make an egg replacement, and it worked out beautifully!

Even if you aren’t vegan, you should definitely add chia seeds to your diet. They may be tiny, but they are among the most nutritious foods on the planet, laden with omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein, and they are almost always grown organically.

Instead of the traditional big brown guy used for most potato recipes, I chose to use red potatoes. And since most of the nutrition is found in the thin red skin, I left the skins on. Red potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamin B, iron and potassium. So, while you are pretty much eating a bunch of potatoes as a meal, with these Vegan Potato Pancakes you are basically eating the healthiest potato meal of your life. You’re welcome.

Look how brown and crispy they are. The inside, in contrast, was perfectly soft and creamy. Just the way you want a potato pancake to be.

The recipe is perfect for two, so give these Vegan Potato Pancakes a try with your honey and then let me know what you think!

These Vegan Potato Pancakes are the perfect Valentines Day breakfast for your love.

Vegan Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

Traditional Polish Latkes given a healthy makeover into these Vegan Potato Pancakes - perfect for Valentines Day breakfast with the one you love.

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Servings: potato pancakes

Author: Vanessa Price

Ingredients

2 large red potatoes
1/2 medium onion
1 Tablespoon Chia seeds
4 Tablespoons water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tablespoon flour
Coconut oil for cooking
Apple Sauce or Sour Cream for serving optional

Instructions

Grind the chia seeds into a meal using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. Add the water, stir together and then set aside to thicken.
Wash the potatoes well and dry them on a clean towel.
Into a bowl, grate the potatoes with the skins on using a cheese grater.
Into the same bowl, grate the onion.
Take a clean kitchen towel and pile the grated potatoes and onion onto the center. Gather the towel around the potato and onion and, over the sink, squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can. Return the potato and onion to the bowl.
Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and chia seeds to the mixture in the bowl and mix to combine it well.
Add the flour to the bowl and mix again.
In a large pan, heat about a tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, drop large spoonfuls of the potato mixture onto the pan and spread it out a little using the spoon so that it is round and flat. I cooked 3 at a time.
Cook the pancakes on each side for 5-6 minutes, until they are very brown. You can push down on them every so often with a spatula to make sure they are crisping up.
Serve with sour cream or apple sauce.