Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Bread

Sweet potatoes are such a great, versatile food. Is it healthy? Is it a dessert? I got a request for an interesting twist on sweet potatoes a while ago, and to me this is pretty interesting. We feed Oscar canned pumpkin with his food, and sometimes this leads to leftover pumpkin. Since the two are both orange, both sweet, and both technically healthy, why not combine them into a delicious dessert bread? This is great when spread with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It's even good plain :)

I started with the Joy of Cooking's recipe for pumpkin bread. A few changes here and there.....

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoon butter softened

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin 

2/3 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

When I mashed my sweet potatoes, I left it a little chunky. This gave it wonderful color when cut, and great burst of flavor as well. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a bowl add flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves, baking soda, and baking powder.

2. In a large bowl add sugar and butter. Beat together until fluffy.

3. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin/sweet potatoes.

4. In three batches add flour mixture, mixing after each addition until just combined. 

On the left : Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, and butter. On the right : after dry mixture is added with milk mixture

Spoon into a prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook! I find it super easy to overcook thick dessert breads like this but I think it might just be my gross, burnt bread loaf pan. 

Even Oscar knew I used his food to make my dessert! 

Gluten Free Baked Chicken Strips

A while ago I got a request to do a gluten free meal. Surprisingly, when I though about it, I actually knew quite a few people who had a gluten sensitivity. I actually have a ton of gluten free recipes on this blog, but this is really one to center a meal around. While I don't eat them, I make these for my husband all of the time. They are just as crispy and tender and deep fried chicken strip, but with no guilt after eating them. While the combination of pecans, soy milk, cornmeal, and rice cracker may seem random, they are a unique and delicious way to coat your chicken!

Gluten Free Baked Chicken Strips

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

2 eggs

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup crushed rice crackers

1/3 cup ground pecans

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken breast. Cut in strips about one in thick. In a bowl add soy milk and eggs, whisking together to combine. Add chicken and refrigerate for about an hour, or as much time as you have. Marinating the chicken in the soy milk makes it tender and using vanilla flavored soy milk give it a hint of sweetness. 

While chicken is marinating, pour rice flour in one bowl. In a separate bowl add corn meal, ground pecans, a crushed rice crackers. Season with garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper to taste. Mix to combine.

Remove chicken from refrigerator. Remove chicken from bowl and place on a plate of cutting board. Dip chicken strip into rice flour, then into milk mixture again, then into cornmeal/ pecan mixture. Repeat with all chicken strips and place onto baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until juices run clear. 

Spinach, Mushroom, and Caramelized Onion Pizza

This hearty pizza is so delicious, you might not even know it is vegetarian. Three different kinds of cheese (none of which are mozzarella), spinach, and caramelized onions compliment each other so well, you will forget you are missing your meat. Perfect for meat-less Monday.


Spinach, Mushroom, and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Pizza Dough  - I always use THIS recipes

Pizza Sauce

1 cup Spinach

1 large Onion

1 cup Mushrooms

Parmesan Cheese

Herbed Havarti Cheese

Herbed Goat Cheese

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Start with your pizza dough. A little time consuming, but I think it is worth it. You know exactly what is going in it, and no fillers or preservatives. I used whole wheat flour for this pizza, but I might not do that in the future. It doesn't make a very bubbly crust. Store bought dough works too :)

Cut you onion evenly into slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. When oil is hot add onion slices, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Saute until onions begin to soften, then reduce heat to low. Occasionally stir, careful not to burn. This takes a while. At least 30 minutes, but if you are in a hurry you can add a little brown sugar so they are sweet like real caramelized onions. But then you are a cheater. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice mushrooms and set aside. 

Always sneaking into my pictures!

After your dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out. I tried the whole, "throw it in the air like a real Italian"..... let's just say I am not Italian. Roll out the dough and place on a pizza or cookie sheet. 

Spread pizza sauce evenly onto dough. Top with a few spinach leaves.

Add sliced mushrooms. Shave some parmesan cheese, then top with more spinach leaves. Layering is key with spinach. This way when you bite into your slice, all the toppings don't slide off leaving you with a cheese ball, and some dough with sauce. 

Add caramelized onions, crumble herbed goat cheese, havarti cheese pieces, and more shaved parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven for 11-14 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. 

Remove from oven a slice into huge pieces. Eat it all before your husband comes home and tries to make you share. 

Garlic and Beet Juice Pickled Eggs

When I was home last week, my dad had some pickled eggs in the fridge. I obviously made a gross face and asked what they were, never having pickled eggs before. But after I tried one, I had to learn how. I love hard boiled eggs plain, pickles, and the color pink. What could go wrong? After tweaking the standard beet pickled egg recipe, this is what I have come up with. Tangy, garlicky, and a little kick. Just perfect!

Garlic & Beet Juice Pickled Eggs

1/2 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 can sliced beets

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek chili paste

Lets not forget the star of the show....EGGS! You can use as many eggs as you would like. This recipe makes enough liquid to cover about 5 eggs, so if you wanted to make more just double it! 

To make the perfect hard boiled egg: To boil the eggs, place in a pot and cover with cold water. Heat over high until water begins to boil. Once water boils, cover eggs, remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and let cool before peeling. 

Open beets and drain liquid into measuring cup. You should get around 1 cup. Add this juice to a saucepan, along with vinegar, sugar, and hot sauce. Bring pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Roughly chop onions and garlic and place in a bowl, along with beets from can.

Peel hard boiled eggs and place in a dish with the beets, onions and garlic. 

Pour the hot mixture over the eggs, beets, onions and garlic. Allow to cool before covering and placing in the refrigerator.

Now we wait. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to get some flavor. They are best when left for 2 days. The longer you wait the more flavor they get, and the pinker the insides turn. Below is a 2 day picture, opposed to the first picture which is a one day picture. 

Apple Berry Crisp

You could almost, ALMOST, pass this dessert off as healthy. There is so much fresh fruit in it and a cup of oats. You almost have a bowl a hearty oatmeal.....but you don't :) I love apple crisp, and berry crisp. So I thought, "Why not just have the best of both worlds?" Then I did. The main difference you will notice in this recipe is the apples. They are still slightly crisp, because of the short baking time. You can definitely cook it longer, but I like my apples with a little bite to them, instead of mush. You also may run the risk of burning the delicious, not-so-good-for-you, topping. The other difference in the layers of topping. Usually in a crisp I will pick off the top, because it is sooooo good. I got this idea from a recipe on allrecipes.com, to put a layer of topping on the bottom before topping with fruit. It turned out amazing, and I got my fill of crumble topping. 

Apple Berry Crisp

1 large apple

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

3 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cold butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apple and chop into bite sized pieces. Remove tops from strawberries and slice into quarters or eighths, depending on size. Add apple pieces and strawberries to a large bowl along with blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Top with 3 tablespoons of white sugar and mix to coat. Be sure to not over stir the berries, because you want to keep them nice a whole!

In a food processor add flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Like this:

In your baking dish, add crumb mixture until bottom is totally coated and few centimeters thick. 

Next add your berry and apple mixture, spreading evenly over crumb mixture.

Top fruit with remaining crumb mixture and spread over fruit so it is evenly coated.

This is what your final product should be before you pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until crisp topping is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool (only a little!) before you enjoy you nice, warm, sort of healthy dessert.

Seeds of Spring

I cooked 2 different things today for the blog, but they both took too long to make, and soon I lost all the good natural light. So instead I wanted to share my little project with you. A few weeks ago I planted some basil seeds for two reasons.

The first was that I love using fresh herbs in my cooking. They trump dried herbs any day. My problem is that it is winter here 7 months a year which mean I can't always walk outside to my herb garden and snip away. So since fresh basil may be one of the most commonly used herbs I thought I would plant some!

 The second was that it was March and still winter, so I really needed some sign of life! Just a little green in my life is all...... I do have a orchid plant, but right now it is just a skinny green stalk with no flowers. There is a mystery weed in the orchid's pot that is growing great. My green thumb on the other hand.... not so healthy.

So today I took a picture of my basil plant which I am pretty sure is 3 weeks along now, just to share a little spring with you, if it hasn't quite reached your neck of the woods yet :)

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

This was a necessity recipe. I had to use some cilantro in my fridge, so I built a recipe around it. Also I had to work until 8, which means I wouldn't have time to make dinner so I wanted something I could thrown in the crock pot. And when I say throw in the crock pot, I mean meticulously chop ingredients, take pictures, and arrange a final dish that looks pretty. Hopefully a crock pot is a little more grab and go for you LOL! 

Lentils are an amazing source of protein and fiber!

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

1 cup dried lentil

2 cups waters

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup light coconut milk

2 cups small yellow potatoes

1 cup mushrooms

1/2 large yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of ginger

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoons yellow curry powder

1 teaspoon chili paste or hot sauce
Squeeze of fresh lime

1/2 cup fresh cliantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Gather your ingredients and take a pretty picture :)

In a large pot, or  crock pot place 1 cup of lentils, water, and stock. I know you are suggested to rinse and soak the lentils, but who has time for that? Plus, I don't think it make a difference. Dice yellow potatoes in quarters and add to pot.

Did I mention I needed to use these potatoes too? A lil' wrinkly.....

In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Chop onion and garlic and add to pan, sauteing until onions begin to sweat.  Peel and mince ginger and add to pan for about 2 minutes, or until very fragrant. Remove from heat and add to pot. 

Now it is time to make this soup more ethnic! (and not in the Zumba kinda way)  Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Be sure to shake the can before or stir the can when you open, because the solids will all be resting at the top.

Light coconut milk is better for you, but next time I might use regular.

Add cumin and curry powder, along with salt and pepper. 

Chop half of the cilantro and add to the pot, stirring to combine. At this point the soup should look like this:

Let simmer for for 1-2 hours, or at least until potatoes are tender and flavors have had a chance to come together. Then remove 3/4 of the soup from the pot and add to a blender or food processor. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one.... I do not. (Insert Christmas present hint here) Blend soup until smooth and return to pot.

Cut mushrooms into quarters and add to soup. Bring to a boil and cook until mushroom are tender. Squeeze in fresh lime. Chop remaining cilantro and add to pot, saving a few sprigs for garnish. 

Roasted Tomato and Corn Pico de Gallo

A while ago on foodgawker.com I found a recipe that claimed to be the best salsa ever. I obviously had to tried it, because I eat salsa by the spoonful. It called for roasting the tomatoes, onions, and garlic before using a food processor to make smooth. Well turns out they lied. Roasted garlic is amazing, just not in a salsa. Roasted onions are amazing, but made the salsa really sweet. Roasted Tomatoes were delicious, no complaints there. But I love a nice chunky salsa. You know, the kind that breaks chips. My mom makes a killer "salsa" which is really pico de gallo. (P.S. direct translation of pico de gallo = beak of rooster. Unless my Spanish has failed me)  So I combined her recipe with some roasted tomatoes to create what I think is the best salsa ever. 

Roasted Tomato and Corn Pico de Gallo
5 Plum or Roma tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup frozen white corn
1/2 cup packed cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4'teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano 
Salt and pepper to taste

Oscar checking out the goods :)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take 2 tomatoes and cut in half length wise. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up and place in oven 15-20 minutes, or untill cooked through and beginning to char. Remove from oven and let cool.

 Place cooled roasted tomatoes in a food processor or blender and pulse until almost smooth.

Dice remaining tomatoes and add to large bowl. Dice onion and mince garlic and add to bowl. Add thawed corn and stir to combine. 

Chop cilantro and add to bowl, stirring to combine.

Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

 

You can devour right away, but it is more delicious if you let rest in the refrigerator for a few hours. Enjoy with your favorite crackers or chips!