Sweet Potato Fries

Ever since sweet potato fries started popping up on menus everywhere as an alternative to french fries, I've had a hard time resisting them.  It was only a matter of time before I had to try my hand at making a healthier version at home.  Here they are.

There's no fooling anyone - these don't taste "fried" - but they do taste fantastic.  Starchy and sweet and tangy and spicy, these fries will definitely satisfy your sweet potato fry itch.  Serve them with sandwiches, burgers, or just eat them on their own.  You can avoid the guilt of the deep fried sweet potato and get all the same rewards.

Sweet potatoes are in abundance right now, so stock up and give these a try.   If you want to be fancy, you can make some kind of herb aioli to go with them, or just have them with ketchup, or even straight up.

Sweet Potato Fries

adapted from Food Network Magazine

serves 2+

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium-small garnet sweet potatoes, peeled

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

pinch cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Cut sweet potatoes in half length-wise, then into wedges (about 6 to 8 wedges per sweet potato).

2.  Toss the wedges with remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Lay out on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping them all once about halfway through, until browned and crisp on the outside.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (CEIMB)

Any excuse to use pumpkin in a recipe, and I'm there.  This week's Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe was for delicious, moist, delectable, and yet miraculously healthy pumpkin pie muffins.  I made them Wednesday night so we could grab them on our way to work Thursday morning.  It's like eating dessert for breakfast, only without any guilt whatsoever.  The usual magic from Ellie.

These muffins are spicy and fantastic.  Thanks to the pumpkin and yogurt (buttermilk in the original recipe), they maintain their moisture so well.  I made some minor modifications, namely using all whole wheat flour instead of half and half, pumpkin pie spice instead of the assorted spices (which are basically the same thing), reduced the molasses so they wouldn't be too intense, and the aforementioned yogurt instead of buttermilk.  I also omitted the pumpkin seed topping that Ellie recommended, mostly out of laziness.  They came out beautifully.

Above you see them fresh from the oven.  I'm guessing by the end of the day they will be mostly gone...

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown)

2 tablespoons unsulphered molasses

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Line a muffin tin with re-usable liners, or paper liners if you're not so eco-friendly.  (Otherwise spray with cooking spray).  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spice.  Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, canola oil, and one egg until well combined.  Whisk in remaining egg until combined.  Add pumpkin and vanilla and whisk thoroughly.

3.  Add half the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.  Stir in the yogurt (or buttermilk), followed by remaining flour mixture.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups so each cup is about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let cool 15 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Enjoy!

Late Season Tomato Veggie Soup

This is the time of year when the weather has taken a turn for the cooler side, but we still have some remaining summer produce at the local market.  This recipe is the perfect way to make the most of both of these situations.  Warm, comforting soup that is hearty and filled with flavor and nutrients, but features beautiful late summer tomatoes.

It is hard to resist making tomato soup during the summer, but in southern California, the summers are not so conducive to soup.  Now that we have nice cool fall weather, I'm giving tomato soup one last hurrah in my kitchen, combined with sweet carrots and licorice-y fennel.

This soup is simple and vitamin-packed.  Another one to add to the list for cold season.

Late Season Tomato Veggie Soup

adapted from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors

serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3 small leeks OR scallions, thinly sliced

3 medium sized carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

1 small fennel bulb, cored and finely diced

2 tablespoons diced pimientos

pinch saffron threads

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

4 medium sized ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom if available

salt and freshly ground pepper

chopped dill or basil for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat.  Add leeks, carrots, fennel, pimientos, saffron, garlic, and parsley.  Stir and cook for about 1 minute.  Add 2/3 cup water and cover the pot.  Turn heat to low.

2.  Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes (plunge in boiling water first if necessary) and squeeze out the seeds into a mesh strainer over a bowl to catch all the juices.  Place remainder of tomatoes in a food processor.  Use a spoon to press the juices out of the seeds through the mesh strainer.  Discard seeds, and add juices to the food processor.  Puree until smooth.

3.  By now, the vegetables should be getting tender.  Add the pureed tomatoes and salt to taste.  Puree about half the soup until smooth.  You can puree it all if you wish, but I think it's nice to leave some vegetable chunks for texture.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.   Season to taste with salt and pepper as necessary

4.  Serve soup garnished with fresh herbs of choice. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Pork Noodle Bowls

We don't eat a lot of pork in our house, but occasionally I have the urge to make it.  I especially enjoy it in the venue of Asian food.  There is something unfailingly satisfying about a noodle bowl, and lean pork seems like the perfect protein to feature in such a versatile dish.

This is one of those throw-together-on-a-weeknight dishes that is healthy and incredibly delicious.  Try not to scarf it down as quickly as I did, so you can actually savor the incredible combination of spices, and just the right degree of saltiness, with a backdrop of buckwheat soba noodles and hearty kale.

I think it's pretty obvious, but this is one of those recipes you should follow loosely according to your preferences.  The options are literally endless.

Spicy Pork Noodle Bowls

adapted from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

salt

4 oz. buckwheat soba noodles

3/4 lb. thin cut boneless pork chops, trimmed, cut into 1/4" slices

freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 bunch kale, stems and tough ribs removed, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha or other hot chile sauce

1 scallion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Cook soba noodles according to package directions until al dente, usually about 3-4 minutes.  Drain.

2.  While noodles are cooking, season pork with salt, pepper, and five spice powder.  Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.  When hot, add the pork and stir fry.  When pork is almost cooked through, add kale, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot sauce.  Stir and cook until pork is cooked through.

3.  When noodles are cooked and drained, add them to the skillet and toss to combine everything.  Serve topped with sliced scallions.

Enjoy!

Savory Pumpkin Bread

There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread.  Especially when that bread contains strong hints of pumpkin pie.  Imagine it, if you can - wafts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, as well as that warm bread scent, mingling together throughout your house. 

Okay, now you officially need to make this bread.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this recipe.  Usually when you think of pumpkin bread, you think of the moist, cakey loaf of gooey cinnamony sweetness.  But not this, my friends.  There is the slightest hint of sweetness, but it is definitely a savory bread.  You can enjoy it warm with a thin layer of butter, or slathered with fruit preserves, or even as a vehicle for a great turkey sandwich post-thanksgiving.  There are many possibilities.

If you don't have a bread machine, you might want to invest in one.  They are so inexpensive, and they make the bread-making process laughably easy.   Mine is not a particularly fancy one, but it gets the job done.  And this bread is a testament to that fact.

Savory Pumpkin Bread

adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook

makes one 1 1/2 pound loaf

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup water (plus more if needed)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

3 cups white whole wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine or quick active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Depending on your bread machine instructions, add all the wet ingredients followed by the dry ingredients, or vice versa.  (Mine requires wet first, then dry).   Set the machine to do a 1 1/2 pound loaf on the Sweet or Basic cycle, and use the light crust color setting.  Push start.

2.  When the machine is done (probably about 3 hours later), remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Arugula Quesadillas (CEIMB)

This meal took me back to my college days.  It's the pick for this week's Craving Ellie in my Belly,  and it is a much healthier and more flavorful version of what I used to make in school when I was too lazy to make anything else.   It's every 20-something person's best friend in the kitchen - the quesadilla.

Granted, this is a much more sophisticated one.  Ellie's version features chicken, but I opted to make it a vegetarian dish.  There isn't that much cheese, there are veggies, there are spices, and there are whole grains.  Who knew you could cram all that into a quesadilla?  Well you can. 

I made my usual tweaks, some based on preference, and some based on what I had on hand.  I used baby arugula instead of baby spinach to bring a bit of extra punch to the meal.  I used cremini mushrooms instead of white button, because they are more meaty and compensate for my omission of the chicken.  I used jack cheese only, because, well, that's what I happened to have a lot of.

Also, I'm sure I'm not the only CEIMB-er who turned Ellie's 2-portion into a 1-portion.  Who ever ate just half a quesadilla?  No, no.  But if you feel like being dainty and calorie-conscious, by all means, share it with a friend.

This is tasty and easy, just what we always want from our supper.

Mushroom and Arugula Quesadillas

adapted from Ellie Krieger

serves 1-2

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

generous handful baby arugula

salt and pepper to taste

2 medium-large whole wheat tortillas

1/2 cup finely shredded Monterey jack cheese

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high.  Add the onion and mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until browned and mushrooms release their moisture, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir for about a minute. 

2.  Add cumin, chili powder, and oregano, and stir.  Add arugula and a pinch each of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until arugula is wilted.  Turn off the heat.

3.  Lay one tortilla on a flat prep surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.  Top with the vegetable mixture, followed by remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  Top with the other tortilla.

4.  Preheat a clean medium-sized skillet  over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Cook the quesadilla for about 3 minutes, then flip carefully with a spatula.  Cook on the other side for about 3 minutes, until both sides are lightly browned and the cheese is fully melted.  Cut into quarters and serve.

This is great with salsa, or if you really feel bold, fresh guacamole.  Enjoy!

Chicken Orzo Casserole

I think I've found my culinary calling, and its name is the casserole.   Something about the cooler (relatively speaking) fall weather makes it so enticing.  This casserole comes from the current issue of Everyday Food, publication of the matriarch Ms. Stewart, and constant source of easy and delicious recipes.  Case in point:  a smooth, creamy casserole without any cream, featuring a medley of Greek flavors.

You may think you don't like feta cheese, but if you buy the fresh stuff in a block from your grocery store and make this casserole, you will grow to appreciate just what it can do.  It marries with dill and lemon so well, it's like they were born to be together forever.  They envelop tender, delicate little orzo pasta pieces and the whole thing just melts in your mouth.  Delicious.

You know a recipe is great when you're already looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken Orzo Casserole

adapted from Everyday Food

serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup orzo

2 oz. feta, roughly chopped (or crumbled)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the broth, 1/4 cup water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil.

2.  Meanwhile, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice in a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Pour the hot broth mixture over it and stir once, gently, to incorporate.

3.  Bake until bubbling and starting to brown, and the cooking liquid is creamy, about 30 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes prior to serving.

Enjoy!