sweet potatoes... and a really good sauce

I found a recipe online for a yummy looking sauce to go with sweet potatoes.  Aftter a few modifications, we enjoyed it with roasted sweet potatoes for dinner.  The sauce is spicy and tangy, a fun contrast to the starchy sweet potatoes.
I have put the leftover sauce in a quesadilla and drizzled it over tortilla soup - both were delicious.  Eating it with fish tacos or even as a dressing on a salad would be good too.  There are many, many options for using up the sauce.

roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro.jalapeno.yogurt sauce

Ingredients
Potatoes
sweet potatoes
olive oil
garlic salt
paprika
pepper

Yogurt Sauce
1 c. plain greek yogurt
1 c. cilantro, roughly chopped (used both the stems and leaves)
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (this made it pretty spicy - would want to use 1 pepper or less if you don't like very spicy food)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.  Wash sweet potatoes and cut into cubes.  I didn't peel mine because the skin was thin, but if the skin is thick I would peel them.  Put potato cubes on a pan, drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with seasonings.  Stir until potatoes are evenly coated with oil and seasonings.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until they are fork tender, stirring once after 10-15 minutes.  If the potatoes seem too dry or stuck to the pan when stirring, add more olive oil.  Sprinkle with more salt & pepper if needed after baking.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  If too spicy, add more yogurt (or you could sub some sour cream).

apples

The other day (or week) a couple friends and I took our kiddos to an orchard to pick apples, followed by making applesauce at my friend's house... a great fall experience!  We also got apples for apple butter, which was something new for me to make.

Overall making both applesauce and apple butter is very easy.  I made my applesauce chunky and cooked it over the stove.  The apple butter I made in a crockpot.  I decided to freeze both, so I didn't need to can anything (which seems like a complicated process to me).

the little guy helping me pick apples :)

applesauce and apple butter

 Applesauce:
1 large soup pot full apples
several cups of water (or sub some water with apple cider)
cinnamon

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  You can use whatever kind of apples you'd like.  I used mostly Golden Delicious with some Jonathan, a more tart apple, and it was sweet enough that I didn't need to add any sugar.  If you like sweeter applesauce, or use mostly tart apples, you might need to add some sugar.
Put apples in a large pot and add a cup or two of water or juice.  Cover and cook over medium low, stirring often and adding more water/juice as needed, depending on the consistency you want.  Cook until the applesauce is as smooth as you would like it.  If you have a big pot, it may take an hour or two to cook, but a smaller pot may only take 30 minutes to an hour.  Stir in some cinnamon until you like the flavor.
Put in quart ziploc bags, or freezer safe containers, to freeze.


Apple butter:
1 large crockpot of tart apples (I used Ida Red)
1/2 c. water or apple cidar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
sprinkle of cinnamon
a little nutmeg and ginger
1 tsp vanilla
lemon or orange zest (optional)

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  Place in crock pot and add liquid, sugar, and spices (you can always go light on the sugar and spices and add more at end).  The apple butter needs to cook on low overnight.  I started mine on high for a couple hours (making sure to stir it so the apples on the bottom don't stick), and then turned it down to low before I went to bed.  When I got up I cooked the apple butter for a little longer without the lid, and it was done cooking.  If you only cook it on low, I think it will need more like 10-12 hours on low, instead of 8-9.
Once the apples are cooked down, you can either leave it a chunky consistency, or puree it.  I opted to puree it with my hand blender.  Before pureeing, add the vanilla and zest.  Puree until smooth.  Taste and add more sugar/spices if needed.
Put in jars to freeze.

risotto

I always used to think that risotto was this rich, overly creamy and cheesy dish, just by the looks of it.  While it does have some cheese in it, the creaminess is merely from the type of rice and the cooking method, not actual cream at all, making it much lighter than I thought it was. 

There are many different types of risotto you can make, but I love it with a little white wine, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese - the combination is delicious.  My little 22 mo. old loved it and even ate the mushrooms!

Risotto can also get the rep of being a high maintenance and complicated dish, but it's really not bad.  As long as you are in the kitchen and can stir it while it cooks, it's easy to multi-task and do other things while making it.

mushroom, spinach risotto

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. chicken broth (or you can sub a little water for some of the broth)
1/2 c. aborio rice
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 small container sliced mushrooms
1 c. chopped fresh spinach
1/3 c. shredded parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Keep on a low simmer or warm while making the risotto.

In another pan, saute the mushrooms with a little olive oil and salt and pepper until they are tender.

While the broth warms and mushrooms cook, saute the onions and and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat unil the onions are just becoming tender, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the aborio rice and saute a couple more minutes, or until the rice starts to lightly brown.  Stir in the white wine and cook until it is absorbed.  Turn the heat down to a little, just high enough that the broth simmers when it is added.  Add 1/2 c. warmed chicken broth to the rice, stir, and let cook until the broth is absorbed, stiring a couple more times while it cooks.  Repeat this process until all but 1/2 c. broth remains.  Add the spinach, cooked mushrooms, and parmesan cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  Add the remaining broth and stir until combined.  Taste and add more cheese, salt, and pepper if needed.  Sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.

Serves 3-4.

crostini

Dinner last night... kebabs (a summer favorite!), corn on the cob (it was the 4th, afterall), and a tasty variety of crostini.  I had made roasted grapes last week to go over tilapia (which was a new creation and very good - the sweetness of the grapes paired well with the tilapia), and also had sundried tomato jam leftover in the fridge, making these crostini pretty easy to make.  If you had to start from scratch and make the roasted grapes or other toppings, you could go with just one kind to keep things simple.  Multiple kinds would be a good option for hosting...

roasted grape, tomato.basil, and sundried tomato.onion crostini

Roasted grape crostini:

grapes (as many as you'd like)

olive oil

salt & pepper

goat cheese

multi-grain baguette

Drizzle grapes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 for 10-15 minutes until they have started to "pop" and are tender and juicy.

Bake thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte at 400 (could bake while the grapes are roasting) for about 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.  Top with roasted grapes and crumbled goat cheese.  Bake for another 3-5 minutes until goat cheese has softened. 

Basil tomato crostini:

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 T basil pesto

1 clove minced garlic

drizzle of balsamic vinegar (about 1-2 tsp)

shredded or grated parmesan cheese

multi-grain baguette

*this was enough tomatoes for 4-5 slices of bread

 Top thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte with parmesan cheese and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until crispy and golden brown.  While the bread bakes, combine diced tomatoes with pesto, garlic and vinegar.  Once the bread has baked, top with tomatoes and enjoy!

Sundried tomato crostini:

sundried tomato jam **

goat cheese

multi-grain baguette

Bake thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.  Top with sundried tomato jam and crumbled goat cheese.  Bake for another 3-5 minutes until goat cheese has softened. 

** recipe here - my modifications were 1/2 the sugar, spicy oregano instead of thyme (thyme is good too, just didn't have any), no extra olive oil (just used the oil from the sundried tomatoes) and a handful of pine nuts after it was done cooking.  You can also use all water if you do not have chicken broth on hand.

polenta

Polenta is one of those things that I wasn't afraid to try, just never got around to making it... maybe a little worried that it would just be plain and boring?  I had randomly grabbed one of those packaged logs if polenta at Trader Joe's several months ago and then it just sat in the pantry after that.  After seeing a recipe similar to the one I made in a magazine at the dentist's office, (during a visit that turned out to be not so fun.  I found out that I have a cavity!  my first one!  my pride was shattered, as I thought I would forever be able to brag that I didn't have any cavities :) ) I was inspired to finally make that the night we tried polenta for the first time.  

And it exceeded my expectations!  It was even good plain, without the tomato sauce and just a little salt and olive oil after it was cooked.  I will make it again, in a some new way.  Any recommendations?

polenta rounds with tomato basil sauce

Polenta:

1 log of polenta (or you could figure out to make it the hard way using instant polenta :) )

olive oil

salt

You can make the polenta a variety of ways - bake it in the oven, cook it in a skillet, etc... I chose to cook it on a grill pan over the stove.  If using a grill pan, place the grill pan on the stove and turn the two burners it covers onto medium heat.  Drizzle the pan with a little olive oil.

Cut the log of polenta into ~1/2" slices.  I think I got 9 or 10 slices out of one log.  Once the grill pan is hot (it will sizzle when you put the polenta on the pan if it's ready), put on the polenta and sprinkle slices with salt.  Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes, or until each side is golden and you can see the lines from the grill pan.

Tomato sauce:

4 roma tomatoes, seeds removed & cut into small pieces 

1/3 - 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce (I used up a jar of roasted tomato & garlic)

2 cloves minced garlic

large handful of fresh basil, chopped

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Combine roma tomatoes and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil in a sauce pan.  Cook for just a minute or two minutes to warm tomatoes.  Add spaghetti sauce, basil and salt & pepper.  Cook another couple minutes to warm spaghetti sauce.  Tomatoes should be warm and tender but not mushy.  And it should taste very fresh and delicious!

fresh and simple

This dish was so simple, but so tasty.  I think I could eat it everyday.  I love asian food and I love fresh food, so it was the perfect combination for me.

In order to make this dish, you first have to go to Trader Joe's and buy this:

Then you are ready to make this:

Spicy peanut noodles with veggies

Recipe:

1 bag broccoli slaw

1 medium cucumber diced

whole wheat angel hair pasta

spicy peanut vinaigrette (above)

2 T soy sauce

handful of cilantro finely chopped

1 lime

Saute the bag of broccoli slaw in a little spicy peanut vinaigrette for a few minutes until just slightly tender and remove from heat.  Added cooked pasta (I cooked about 3 handfuls), soy sauce, cucumber, cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, and more vinaigrette until moist enough - I used about 1/2 the bottle.  Sprinkle with a little cilantro and eat up!  So fast and so good.

It was room temp when we ate it but it would be good cold too.  Other good additions would be chopped green onions or chopped peanuts. 

a twist on risotto

farro butternut squash risotto

I was going to make butternut squash risotto the other night and spotted a recipe that used farro* instead of arborio rice.  Great idea!  The farro has a hearty, chewy texture to it, and brings much more fiber and protein to the dish than arborio rice would.

Ingredients:
1 c. farro
4 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground curry
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 c. dry white wine (not an absolute must to add this)
2 c. roasted cubed butternut squash (or as much as you like)
cheese
salt & pepper

Instructions:
Bring the 4 1/2 c. chicken broth to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and keep covered.  Saute the onions, garlic, curry and paprika in olive oil 2 minutes.  Add the farro and saute another 3 minutes.  Add dry white wine and cook until wine absorbed.  Add 1/2 c. warmed chicken broth to farro and cook until broth absorbed.  Keep adding 1/2 c. of broth at a time and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally, until all but 1/2 cup of broth has been used.  Add squash and some cheese (if desired - I had a little smoked gouda that I added) and remaining 1/2 c. broth.  Stir in broth until cheese is melted and risotto is creamy.  Be sure to add more salt & pepper, or curry if needed before serving (my measurements are approximates, so season as you wish)!

While the farro is cooking in the chicken broth, coat the cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast 10-15 minutes at 400.  Do not overcook the squash, as it will cook a little more once added to the farro.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

* if you are looking for a place to buy farro, your best bet is a health food store... or I buy mine in big bags at Costco, if you shop there

a staple

cranberry.apple couscous salad

I believe a friend originally introduced me to this recipe and it's become one of our family favorites.  It's lite and flavorful, with the apples and nuts adding a nice texture contrast.  It's a crowd pleasure and makes for a great side that everyone will enjoy .

You can find the original recipe here.

Some ideas and modifications I've tried:

• use walnuts instead of almonds
• add a squeeze of lemon juice to the dressing
• use farro or quinoa instead of couscous (cooking liquid will have to be adjusted)
• add a handful of chopped spinach 
• make it a main dish by adding some chicken 
• use dried herbs if I don't have fresh 
• eat the leftovers over a bed of spinach or mixed greens for a lite lunch