Squash Soup with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

I have finally found THE squash soup! I have been searching high and low for a squash soup that I really enjoy.  I have made several over the years that just were bland and boring and I did not care to ever make them again.  I think I love this soup so much because It's not just the typical squash and broth.  The carrots, sweet potato and apple really add to the flavor and it's just lovely.  Although pepitas are delicious and my favorite garnish, you could also garnish with a little pureed chipotle in adobo, creme fraiche, smoked cheese or even some fresh parsley or cilantro.

Squash Soup with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 pounds hard winter squash/pumpkin, peeled and chopped (I used 2 sugar pumpkins)*

1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 crisp apple, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cinnamon

salt and pepper

4 cups chicken/veggie stock

1 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. lemon or orange juice

 

In a large stock pot, drizzle a good amount of olive oil (2-3 Tbsp.) and heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add apple, garlic and ginger, as well as the cumin, paprika, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Cook for about a minute or so.  Add chicken or veggie stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until very tender. 

Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. You can also puree in batches in a blender or food processor.  Check for seasonings and add salt/pepper and honey to your liking.  Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon or orange juice in the soup right at the very end.

Serve warm and garnish as desired:
1-2 tsp. chipotle in adobo (pureed)
creme fraiche
pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)**
smoked cheddar or other smoked cheese
chopped cilantro or parsley


*Sometimes it is difficult to peel hard winter squash.  Alternately, you can split the squash/pumpkin in half, remove seeds and bake on cookie sheet, cut side down, until tender.  Allow to cool slightly and scrape out flesh from skin.  Add to soup near the end when ready to puree.

**To toast pumpkin seeds, make sure you have the green ones to begin with.  Add a tiny bit of olive oil to a small skillet, a handful of seeds and a pinch of salt.  Toast over medium heat, gently moving them around to prevent burning, until they start popping and turning golden.


SOURCE: Lightly adapted from Rachael Ray

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

I know it's not fall and sweet potatoes are kind of a fall thing, right along with butternut squash, but burgers and things that come in patties are kind of a summer thing and I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals that pack a nutritional punch and are full of flavor.

Enter sweet potatoes and quinoa. Sweet potatoes, besides being slightly sweet and absolutely delicious are high in fiber, vitamins A, C and B6 and quinoa is high in protein, iron and calcium (nutrients found often in animal products). So, I can feel good about having a meatless meal and not having to worry about my kids not getting the right nutrients.

My husband and I both really enjoyed these "griddle cakes," if you will. I even fed some to my 8 month old and she couldn't get it in her mouth fast enough! I didn't venture to give them to my other two because that would have been all out war, but I'm ok with that for now. Baby steps. The salsa is a great accompaniment and makes for a great combination of flavors.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes
1 medium sweet potato (about 6 oz), peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, plus more for frying cakes
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil. Add in sweet potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, stir, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potato is soft. Remove lid and add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.

Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl (slightly mashing potato with a fork) and add quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, remaining salt and pepper and mix well. Once combined, add in egg, then mix until moistened. Using your hands to bring it together, form four equally-sized patties. Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with blackberry salsa.


Blackberry Salsa
1 pint fresh blackberries, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix.


SOURCE: How Sweet It Is

Coconut Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Ok, last Thanksgiving leftover-ish post because it is now December and we want to move onto December things right?

Remember this post where I said I hardly ever had leftover sweet potatoes after Thanksgiving? Well, I've been lucky this year because I had lots of sweet potatoes. I did end up making those Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins I mentioned in the other post, as well as some Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting which, by the way, were to die for, but that's another post for another time.

Even after all that I still had some sweet potatoes left so I looked for another way to use them up. I love sweet potatoes just about any way I can get them, but I also like to try new things and change it up a bit once in a while. I found this slightly non-traditional recipe for mashed sweet potatoes and marshmallows that I really enjoyed. Coconut milk and warm spices with just a hint of brown sugar really make this dish. Then to top it off toast some marshmallows on top! You can either serve this dish in a 2-quart baking dish or or 4 1-cup ramekins.

Coconut Spiced Sweet Potatoes
2-2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Scrub the sweet potatoes and boil or steam until very tender. Remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the sweet potatoes. Alternately, you can peel and dice the sweet potatoes then boil them until tender.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash with salt, brown sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon and coconut milk until very smooth. Spoon sweet potatoes into baking dish or ramekins. Top with coconut and marshmallows. Bake until marshmallows and coconut are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.


SOURCE:Slightly adapted from Whole Foods Market

Stuffed Portobellos with Mashed Potatoes

If any of you have a Costco membership, this may look familiar. I guess recently they handed out a Costco cookbook and this was one of the recipes in it. I don't have a membership but my parents do and I happened to be at their house right after they got the cookbook. After thumbing through it and finding so many yummy recipes to try, my mom let me take it home. I'm so glad she did because I've already made several recipes in it and I love it.

I wanted to try this recipe because I love mushrooms, especially portabellos, and we also had a big bag of potatoes from our produce co-op basket that we needed to use up. Well, when I say big bag, I guess it's relative because I think it was only a 5lb. bag. But, we don't eat potatoes very often so, for me, that's big.

Anyway, I thought these stuffed mushrooms were wonderful. The potato mixture was great on it's own, and I really loved the flavor the feta cheese brought to it. And, who can complain about bacon? Really. The combination of the potatoes and mushrooms was great, one I'd be willing to use my potatoes for any time. I served this as a main dish but it could also be served as a side.

Stuffed Portobellos with Mashed Potatoes
6 fresh portobello mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups mashed potatoes
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives (I used about 1 Tbsp. dried)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 + 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
8 slices bacon, crisp, cooked & crumbled
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove stems from mushrooms and set caps aside. Finely chop stems.

In a skillet, saute mushroom stems and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until tender.

Rub mushroom caps with oil and set in a greased baking pan.

In a bowl, combine mashed potatoes, pepper, salt, thyme, chives, feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, bacon and sauteed mushroom stems. Mix until well blended. Stuff firmly into the mushroom caps.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining melted butter, bread crumbs, Parmesan and parsley. Sprinkle over the mushroom caps.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until heated through. Serve warm.

Makes 3-6 servings.

SOURCE:Adapted from the Costco cookbook

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Sweet Potato Pancakes w/ Pecan Butter

Ok, so I'm a little obsessed with pancakes. Because my daughter recently kept asking for pancakes all the time, I can't get them off my mind and I'm still collecting new recipes to try and thinking up others to create. How does orange buckwheat pancakes sound or strawberry sunrise pancakes? Or even peanut butter or egg nog pancakes. Seriously, the possibilities with pancakes is endless.

I usually try to make pancakes as healthy as I can by using all whole wheat flour, only adding a little bit of oil and sugar and making my own syrups or jams or using fresh fruit. I've been pretty lucky in that my girls have eaten every kind of pancake that I've thrown at them. Now, if I could only be so lucky at dinner time.

Well, on to these sweet potato pancakes. They are perfect for this time of year and highlight some of the wonderful flavors of fall. If you have any leftover sweet potatoes from your Thanksgiving feast, these would be a great way to use them up. The pecan butter really adds to the depth of flavor and takes them up a notch. If you're into fall fare, you've gotta try these!



Sweet Potato Pancakes w/ Pecan Butter
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 1/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Pecan Butter (recipe below)
Maple Syrup

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix together and whisk until smooth. Cook in batches on an electric griddle or in a buttered skillet on medium high temperature until bubbles form on the surface; then turn over and cook until golden brown. Serve with pecan butter and maple syrup.


Pecan Butter
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted and cooled
1/2 pound butter (8 Tbsp.), softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Mix all ingredients together. Roll in parchment paper and freeze. Cut into slices and top sweet potato pancakes.


SOURCE:Pecan Butter from Food Network

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence and Walnuts

Sweet potatoes, in some form or another, make it on to just about any Thanksgiving menu. Growing up we always had the Betty Crocker candied "yams" with marshmallows and brown sugar and they were, and still are, so good! That used to be the only time of year or pretty much the only meal that we would eat sweet potatoes at our house. Now, I use them a lot through the fall and winter months. They are delicious and wonderful and very versatile.

If you're looking for a great sweet potato side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner, then look no further. These sweet potatoes are packed with healthy goodness and bursting with flavor. They are not too sweet and the orange is just subtle enough to not be over powering.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used almond milk to make it dairy-free)
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS butter

Garnish:
chopped walnuts
brown sugar

Boil or steam potatoes in a large covered pan until they are tender (about 8 minutes). In a large bowl mash potatoes with the buttermilk, orange juice and butter. Stir in zest, salt and nutmeg. Serve the potatoes topped with a little brown sugar and chipped walnuts.

SOURCE:Perkins Recipes

Looking for more sweet potato recipes?
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Pecan Butter

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Baked Potato Soup

Sunday Soup

When I was pregnant with my first daughter I craved baked potatoes a lot, which was funny because I hardly ever bought potatoes or ate them and most especially not in that form. It's not that I didn't like them, I just think I was going through a phase or something. Baked potatoes are simple, nutritious and a quick meal. The only thing that could be better than that is in soup form! This will warm you right up on a cold day and give you all the luvin' you need from some home-cooked comfort food.

Baked Potato Soup
4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
2/3 cups flour
6 cups 2% milk
1 cup (4-oz)extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
1-2 Tbsp. seasoned salt (more or less, to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, plus more for garnish
1 lb. bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake for 1 hour, or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.

Place flour in large pot; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk, until blended. Cook over medium heat untiil thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Taste for seasoning. Do not undersalt.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).

Garnish with shredded cheese, green onions and bacon.

Source:Adapted from Cooking Light

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Whipped Sweet Potatoes

A few years a go when we lived in Logan, we ate at Hamilton's Restaurant several times. If any of you are familiar with Hamilton's, you'll know of their famous whipped sweet potatoes. They are so yummy! One of the times we were there, my friend asked the manager for the recipe and he gave both of us a copy. I can't believe I have waited this long to actually try it; I really love sweet potatoes. I made some adjustments in size for our family and ommitted some of the butter and sugar, which there seemed to be a lot of, and it didn't lack in flavor one bit becaue of it. This is an easy side dish to "whip" up and you can even use your leftover cans of yams from Thanksgiving or Christmas.

For the potatoes:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2-1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into tiny pieces

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Put them in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Put potates, sugar, butter and vanilla in mixing bowl with wire whisk attachment. Whip. Add egg and whip to combine. Layer potato mixture in a baking pan. Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes. Dot with little pieces of cold butter. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. About 6 servings.

Serve with Cider-Roasted Chicken

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Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins

*Updated 12/5/13 I've made a few modifications to these muffins to make them lighter and fluffier and with half the sugar! They are better than ever!
 
When I think of fall, I think of these muffins. I absolutely love them! I got this recipe a few years ago from a friend of my mom's and have made them so many times since. They are a perfect little breakfast treat on a fall morning, or a quick and easy afternoon snack. I have experimented with using less sugar and they still turn out ok. You can get crystallized ginger at your local good earth store or fresh market.


Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins
makes about 9 muffins

1/2 cup sucanat (or other sugar)
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or light olive oil)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place liners in muffin pan or spray with cooking spray. Combine sugar, sweet potatoes, oil, egg and milk.  Whisk until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in ginger. Divide batter evenly among 9 muffin cups. Bake 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from pans.

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Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen.
This Week's Cravings @ Mom's Crazy Cooking

Sliced Steak with Roasted Poblano Gravy, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle and Green Onion Green Beans

This dish packs some heat! But I like it and it's different. I love the smokey heat from the chipotles in the sweet potatoes and the firey heat from the poblanos in the gravy. The gravy is probably my favorite part of this meal. It is so tasty and goes wonderfully with the steak. This is a Rachel Ray recipe so it comes together relatively quickly, as long as you can run all your burners at the same time! I love to cook the steaks on an outdoor grill because of the flavor, but whatever you have available will work.

3 large or 4 to 5 small poblano peppers
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup chicken stock (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles packed in adobo, seeded and finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 New York Strip steaks (about 1 1/2” thick and 6 to 8 ounces each)
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and cut in thirds
4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock (eyeball it), divided
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
1 teaspoon (about 1/3 of a palmful) ground cumin

Preheat a broiler or turn a gas burner on high heat and roast the poblano peppers until they're soft and the skin of each pepper has charred. Place the roasted peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let cool.

While the peppers are cooling, place the sweet potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add some salt and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, drain and return the potatoes to the pot they were boiled in. Add 2 tablespoons butter, chicken stock, brown sugar, chipotle pepper and adobo to the potatoes and mash until well-combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and reserve.

While the potatoes are boiling, season the steaks with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook under the broiler to medium, about 5-6 minutes per side. Once cooked, transfer the steaks to a platter and cover with aluminum foil, allowing them to rest for about 5 minutes.

While the steak and potatoes are cooking, fill a straight-sided sauté pan or saucepot with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil along with a large pinch of salt. Add the green beans to the boiling salted water and cook until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain the cooked green beans and return them to their cooking pot. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the scallions to the green beans, toss them to coat, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reserve.

Once the poblanos are cool enough to handle, unwrap them and peel the skin off from each pepper (it should come off very easily), then remove and discard the stem and seeds. Puree the roasted peppers in a food processor or blender with 1/4 cup of beef stock and reserve.

In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and add the flour. Cook flour and butter for about 1 minute then whisk in the remaining beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and pureed peppers. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, slice the steak into slices 1/4 inch thick and arrange them on a plate with a helping of the mashed sweet potatoes and green onion green beans. Top everything off with some of the poblano gravy and enjoy.