Sweet Potato Love

Growing up, sweet potatoes were a vegetable that merely made an obligatory appearance in my house at Thanksgiving. I was probably unaware for the first 13 years of my life that they could be consumed without marshmallows, and outside of a casserole dish. I was a sheltered child.

Today, however, these golden taters make a regular appearance at our dinner table. We bake them into "fries," add them to burritos, and base entire stew recipes on their flavor (you just wait until stew season arrives, my friends. I know you'll be counting the days down on your calendars).

I should note that amongst many lists, sweet potatoes are considered a "superfood"--one of those awesome foods with high nutrient content that boasts lots of health benefits. No, I'm not getting paid by the "superfood" people to tout their list as the panacea to a healthy life. But I do love incorporating as many of these little nutrient powerhouses into our weekly menu as I can.

What's your favorite superfood? (I think mine might actually be blueberries. or walnuts...toasted of course).

Tonight's dinner recipe is a tasty little sweet potato number that incorporates one of my true loves: natural peanut butter. I could eat that stuff straight from the jar. Wait, I do. And the kids at work think I'm very strange for it.

A few things to take note of:

• The recipe calls for the sweet potato pockets to bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. We baked ours for the full 20 minutes, and they had still browned very little--just at the edges and on the bottom. You may want to let yours bake longer to get a browner top. Or, consider upping the temperature to 400 degrees (I think we're going to try that next time).
• You MUST make the peanut sauce. It's not optional. Because I said so.
• These are best when eaten the same day.

Sweet Potato Pockets with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Pockets

• 2 small to medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 TBSP minced, fresh cilantro (or, you can add up to 1/4 cup)
• 1 TBSP lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ground pepper to taste
• 3 -4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 8 - 10 egg roll wrappers

Peanut Sauce:

• 2/3 cup all-natural peanut butter (we use Smucker's chunky)
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2-3 TBSP lime juice
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup water

Directions:

1) Peel and dice the sweet potato. Place in a medium -sized pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until sweet potato can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain sweet potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork or potato masher.

2) OPTIONAL: If you like onion, and don't mind it raw, you can skip this step. However, if you're a wimp like myself and can't handle it raw, you can saute the diced onion in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes at this point.

3) Add onion, black beans, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic to the sweet potatoes. Mix well.

4) Now it's time to stuff your pockets! Lay an egg-roll wrapper on a dry surface and place approximately 1/3 cup of the sweet potato mixture in the middle.

5) Fold over 2 opposite sides of the pocket. Dip your fingers in the bowl of water, and gently moisten the edges of the wrapper. This will serve as the "glue" when you do the final folds on the pocket.

6) After you've moistened the edges of the wrapper, neatly fold over the other two sides of the pocket and seal.

8) Place the pockets on a greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Coat the tops of the pockets with cooking spray.

9) Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown all over. (Again, ours didn't really get crispy tonight, the way I would have liked. You may want to experiment with baking them longer or trying the temperature at 400 degrees).

10) To make the peanut sauce: Place all peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and well-blended.

11) Dip your sweet potato pockets in peanut sauce and love the food you're eating.

Blue Ribbon Baking: Part 1

Well friends, I will put the more humble part of myself aside for the evening to announce, with great surprise, that I brought home two blue ribbons at the county fair last week. The winning treats? S'More Bars in the bar cookie category and Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Blondies in the brownie variety category. There were numerous incredible submissions by bakers all over the county, and I'm only sad that I missed seeing (and tasting!) all of their fabulous treats, since (as you know) I was out of town.

Let's begin with the S'More Bars. Who amongst us doesn't have a fond memory of standing around the Girl Scout or Boy Scout campfire (or sitting on our homemade sit-upons?), roasting marshmallows and making these gooey, crunchy, summery treats? They're genius!

In fact, after my mom called me on vacation to relay the blue ribbon news, Adam and I decided to make the "real deal" s'mores over our campfire to celebrate, as pictured at the right (I know, I know, we're so dorky it's embarrassing sometimes).

At any rate, I hope you will delight in trying these bar cookies as much as we did. I found this recipe in one of my mom's Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazines, and instantly knew that it had to be shared. I re-made them tonight to mail to a friend, and to photograph for you all :)

So tonight, make some S'More Bars and reminisce about those long-ago nights at scout camp when you tripped at the evening flag ceremony, and ate so many Gob-Stopper jawbreaker candies that you cried from the advanced stomach cramping that resulted. Wait. Maybe that was just me.

Forget scout camp. Just make the brownies :)

S'More Bars

(from Taste of Home: Simple & Delicious magazine)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (NO substitutes!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz. each)
• 1 cup marshmallow cream

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, and set aside 1/2 cup for the topping.

2) Press remaining mixture into an 8 inch baking pan. Place candy bars over the crust in one single layer. Spread marshmallow cream on top of candy bar layer. Crumble remaining graham cracker mixture over top.

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (or 25 - 30, depending on your oven), or until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack, and cut into bars.

4) Bust out your sit-upon and your scout badge sash and dig in! Or, just enjoy them on the couch while watching a rerun of America's Got Talent (it's just as much fun. seriously.)

Asheville: Dinners in Review

Asheville, NC was amazing!

Enjoyed the art, the mountains, the bookstores, and of course, the food!

As you all know, I'm a sandwich girl at heart. If it wasn't painstakingly obvious before, picture this: I ordered a sandwich for EVERY DINNER on vacation. Yep, I pretty much have no shame. In my defense, we were fortunate enough to find several restaurants that only serve vegetarian food, making the options creative, scrumptious, and plentiful.

And, adding to my shameless sandwich streak, I was certain to enjoy dessert every night--can you imagine a city that is crawling with pastry chefs that specialize in vegan desserts only? Heaven...sweet, sweet heaven.

Enough rambling though. Tonight, in lieu of a recipe, I'm posting a sampling of my vacation dinner specialties and their ingredients. Which one sounds best to you?

Sandwich #1

Vegetarian Havana Cuban

The Laughing Seed Cafe

My mind = Blown.

This loaded sammie is designed for someone who is hungry (and when am I not?) Herb and spice battered organic tempeh, crispy house-made pickles, black bean spread, tomatoes, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, mustard, and grilled Cuban bread.

I can't lie: I ate the whole thing :)

Do you like Adam's hungry eyes peering over the top?

Sandwich #2

House Veggie Burger

Rosetta's Kitchen

When I read that this baby was voted the best veggie burger in the city of Asheville, I knew I had to weigh in. It came with lettuce, tomato, white cheddar, and sliced avocado on a house-made whole wheat bun. The light, crumbly texture was a nice change from the traditional density of a bean burger, and the avocado added a creaminess that just can't be beat.

Sandwich #3

Spicy Peanut Wrap

The Green Light Cafe

Honestly, I ordered a vegetarian reuben at the Green Light, which closely mirrored the Havana Cuban from the night before (What can I say? I'm a sucker for anything with swiss cheese and homemade sauerkraut). But, since Adam and I shared every meal, I thought you should feast your eyes on his vege-head feast for the night.

Marinated tempeh, sauteed onions, bell peppers, lettuce, and a house-made peanut sauce. Organic tortilla chips complete the meal :)

Heaven #1

The World's Best Carrot Cake

(yes, this is really the bakery's name!)

Do yourself a favor and drive to Asheville, NC to have a piece of this cake. Seriously. Now.

They make every carrot cake daily, by hand, using a family recipe and all organic ingredients.

Decadence doesn't describe this cake, and pictures don't do it justice. I've pictured our piece of chocolate carrot cake here, but (oops!) we also decided to split a piece of the vegan citrus carrot cake. No regrets :)

Heaven #2

Coconut Cream Tart with Blueberry Compote (vegan)

The Laughing Seed Cafe

Creamy, vegan buttery, crunchy, nutty, sweet....the list goes on. When our sweet waitress at the Laughing Seed saw me taking pictures of the food (I'm sure she was thinking, "Weirdo alert!"), I let her know that I'd be posting them on the blog. She immediately suggested we try the house specialty dessert: A heavenly vegan coconut cream tart (don't be deceived: even vegan food in this rare form can be sinful).

Asheville-Bound!

Vacationing the rest of the week...will return on Sunday for more food adventures :)

Greetings, Friends! I will be leaving you blog-less for the remainder of this week, as we're heading out on vacation tomorrow morning. Why, you might ask, aren't I taking the laptop and documenting along the way? As much as I would love to include you in the daily happenings of our travels in Asheville, we will be camping most of the time, and I can just see the disasters that could erupt with me and the computer (i.e., roasted marshmallows + MacBook keyboard + Kylie = trouble).

We will be camping in Kentucky tomorrow, heading down to Asheville on Wednesday, and spending the remainder of the week and weekend reading, relaxing, exploring, and eating (in particular, I cannot WAIT to eat at The Laughing Seed again, as well as find another huge slice of the World's Best Carrot Cake). We're also going to spend some time at Mt. Mitchell State Park and Pisgah National Forest.

I will return to the blog on Sunday, August 15, with plenty of food pictures for your hungry eyes, and your hungry spoon :)

In the meantime, tonight's dinner recipe will hopefully hold you over until then. This amazing dish is courtesy of the Moosewood Collective (can't remember which cookbook--by now we've transferred the recipe to a tattered piece of paper since we reference it so frequently). Loaded with lots of green goodness and crunchy walnuts, this is a perfect summer pasta dish that's ready in under 30 minutes. As always, feel free to increase the garlic, onion, or other seasonings to taste, and make sure you toast the walnuts (it brings out all the flavor!)

Now, eat up and enjoy your week!

Broccoli Walnut Pasta

Ingredients:

¾ lb. penne pasta

2 TBSP olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 to 5 cups broccoli florets

1 ½ cups frozen edamame, thawed

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup fresh basil

1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Grated parmesan cheese--or gorgonzola (we were out of parmesan tonight so we used gorgonzola instead, and it was equally as tasty)

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to directions on the box.

2) In the meantime, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, broccoli, edamame, salt, and ½ cup of water. Cook on low-medium heat until the water is gone. Toss with pasta, basil, walnuts, and cheese.

3) Enjoy with a small tossed salad and toasted baguette (better yet, make a quick tomato bruschetta by mixing chopped, fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and fresh basil. Top baguette slices with tomato mixture, broil for 5 minutes in the oven, and top with grated parmesan).

Snacks (and Memories) for the Road

Who amongst us doesn’t have a humiliating story from a childhood car trip? As Adam and I prepare for our summer vacation this week (Asheville, NC: a food-lover’s dream come true), I’ve found myself reminiscing (traumatically recalling?) my long car-ride antics of more youthful days.

Being the “special” child that I was, on a family trip to Williamsburg, VA, I created a musical instrument I called the “Gui-String” with which I could serenade my family. This pitiful creation involved my sister’s hairbrush, a piece of yarn, and the hook used to hang your dry-cleaning in the backseat of the car. And let’s not forget that I always toted my Fisher Price voice recorder/cassette tape player on road trips, so I could maintain a running commentary on the happenings inside the car.

Food has always been a disaster with me in cars. On the 4 hour car-trip to my sister’s college graduation I unknowingly sat on two M & M’s. Take a moment to picture what the back of my yellow and cream sundress looked like upon arrival. I shudder at the memories.

At any rate, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of the tasty car food I’ve packed for our trip to Asheville this week (departure on Tuesday). There’s nothing worse than loading your stomach down with heavy food during a long drive, so we usually pack our lunches for car trips so we can truly enjoy a nice dinner when we get there.

Are your car trip memories popping up now? Just try to beat the Gui-String :)

My Asheville Road-Trip Car Snacks

Seriously yum...even the picture is making me wish we were leaving today. These are the tasty treats we'll enjoy on the road this week:

• Tortilla shells with natural peanut butter (I just might have to take some blueberry preserves to add in there as well!)
• Nature's Path Organic Granola with Sunflower Seeds
• Nectarines (ripe as can be!)

Perfect Weekend Dinner

Let's be honest, we've all done it: At the end of a long work-week, you head to your favorite restaurant on Friday night with the company of your choice, chow down (perhaps drink down?), and revel in your full-bellied, non-working self for the rest of the evening.

I couldn't lie if I tried: my Friday night chow-down made my week :) We were fortunate enough to celebrate a friend's birthday at one of my favorite Morgantown restaurants, Black Bear, and I may or may not have polished it off with a Blueberry-Golden Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen (I need to meet the genius who suggested using Golden Oreos at Dairy Queen. Whoever she/he is, they made my summer).


As much as I loved my full-bellied self Friday night, I knew I needed a delicious and healthy dinner to kick off my Saturday evening... and that, my friends, brings us to today's recipe.


I urge you to try this dinner this week, and I promise you'll go to bed feeling good. We picked it out in the Vegan Planet cookbook (amazing!), and paired it with a tossed salad with romaine, fresh broccoli, grated parmesan, and sun-dried tomato dressing.


Be creative with the spices--feel free to increase amounts to your taste (we decided we would add curry powder next time and possibly more turmeric).


Now get over your full-bellied Friday feeling, and start your week off RIGHT! Our dinner last night is your dinner tonight:


Chickpea & Green Bean Tagine
(From the Vegan Planet Cookbook)
As with many stews, this recipe tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have had time soak in.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup chopped, dried apricot
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 8 oz. fresh green beans, cut into 1" segments
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 can (14.5 oz) chickpeas
• 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Fill a medium sized pot with approximately 3 - 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove water from heat, place dried fruit in the water, cover the pot, and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

2) In a large pot, saute onion with a little olive oil until soft, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and allspice, and saute for a few more minutes.

3) Add green beans, can of tomatoes, stock (chicken or vegetable), brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer until beans are tender (10 - 15 minutes).

4) Drain water from the apricots in a collander. Add apricots and chickpeas to the green bean mixture. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

5) Stir in almonds, parsley, and lemon zest.

6) Yum-O!

A Blueberry Morning

Morning! With our ongoing do-it-yourself "yard renovation" and our upcoming vacation looming overhead, there is much to be done today. What better way to start the morning than a batch of Blueberry Banana pancakes?

For those of you who dream of light-as-a-feather, fluffy pancakes, you'd better head to IHOP and forget breakfast at our house (unless, of course, you're coming on a carrot cake pancake morning, in which case you will get the light, airy texture you crave).

At any rate, pancakes at our house are more of the heavy and dense variety, peppered with chunks of fruit and nuts...sounds appetizing doesn't it? Oh, but it is!

Our basic pancake recipe, from which we build upon, comes from Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. As an originally vegan recipe, these pancakes are egg-less, which contributes to their dense nature. In addition, with all of the "extras" that I like to add in, these pancakes could easily top the quarter-pounder mark (hold the cheese, please).

The recipe I'll post below is our basic recipe, but feel free to go wild with your own creations and add-ins--try any kind of fresh or dried fruit, combinations of nuts and seeds, and the toppings are endless. Another variation I recommend:

• For the fruit, use apples and add cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans. Use all-natural peanut or almond butter as a topping.

A quick side note: Due to all of the fruit and the yogurt, the water content of these pancakes requires that they cook longer than you're used to with a traditional pancake. You be the judge. Also, If you use less fruit, you will have a lighter, more cake-like pancake (which might be your preference)

Blueberry-Banana Yogurt Pancakes

(Adapted from Nava Atlas' recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached flour (you can sub in up to 3/4 cup whole wheat flour if desired)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 cups non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1 small, very ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 to 1 cup of blueberries (or whatever amount you please!)
• Optional: chopped, toasted nuts
• Butter for greasing the griddle
• Sauce Ingredients: 2 cups blueberries, 3 TBSP water, 3 TBSP brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. corn starch, and grated lemon peel

Directions:

1) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gently stir in yogurt, milk, vanilla, and seasonings until just combined. Gently fold in mashed banana, blueberries, and nuts (if using).

2) Heat a nonstick griddle (or skillet) on medium heat (350 degrees) and lightly coat with the butter. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon the pancake batter onto the griddle. Cook until golden brown on the bottom (approximately 5 minutes) and flip. Cook until golden brown on the other side and cooked through in the middle.

3) For the sauce, combine blueberries and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, cornstarch, and lemon peel. Stir constantly as blueberries heat and sauce thickens. Add additional ingredients to taste (some people like their sauce sweeter, and may want to add more sugar or real maple syrup. You can also add more or less blueberries, water, etc.). You can mush some of the blueberries if you prefer a more textured sauce!