Toasting nuts is easy – there is really nuttin’ to it! Have a stovetop? Have a frying pan? You are golden. Simply heat a frying pan over medium high heat until hot, and then add the nuts into the pan. No oil, no water – this is dry fry. Stir them around periodically to avoid burning. Ideally, they should turn golden brown. As long as they are not black, you should be okay. Always keep an eye on your nuts, especially when toasting.
By now, hearing me describe how I ate an entrée sized portion of a side dish should come as no surprise. My theory is that if you can eat enough of a side to satisfy a meal, it’s going to be one hell of a side dish. (My other theory is that meat is expensive, so I’m saving my money for that Friday night rib-eye.) Goat cheese is a lavish splurge, I know. But cream cheese will give you a similarly luscious mouth-feel for half the price. Like creamy velvet, the cream cheese generously coats the sweet potatoes without smothering them. Sprinkling in green onions added a perky, spring-green bite. Toasted nuts developed the texture of each fork-full, as well as adding to the overall richness.
I could eat sweet potatoes three nights a week. Some weeks I do. This recipe is for those of us who love sweet potatoes and are “in-nut to win-nut”.
Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Hash with Toasted Pecans and Scallions
Ingredients: ¼ cup pecans, chopped 2 T canola oil 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes 1 garlic clove, finely diced ½ to 1 cup water Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups fresh spinach 2-3 oz goat cheese, cream cheese, or both 3 T scallions or green onions, sliced
Instructions:
1. Heat an 8 inch frying pan over medium high heat until hot. Add pecans and toast for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside. 2. Turn heat down to medium low, add oil. (Make sure the oil is not smoking – may need to remove pan from heat source for about 30 seconds.) 3. Add sweet potatoes, sauté for about 8-9 minutes. 4. Add garlic, sauté for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Add ½ cup of water to the pan and cover. Let potatoes simmer for about 5 more minutes (may need to add more water as they are cooking). 6. Once sweet potatoes are fork tender, add in spinach. Cover pan again and wilt spinach for about 2-3 minutes. 7. Add in goat or cream cheese; gently stir to help melt the cheese. 8. Garnish plate with toasted pecans and green onions. Makes about 2-3 cups.
This winter I fell head over heels for a smokin’ hot oven.Asking for nothing in return, it beautifully bronzed my vegetables, and provided heated for my house.But spring sprang right into mid-summer this year, and suddenly I knew my days with this hottie were numbered.Come mid-July, when I am already roasting hot myself, I won’t even want to touch it.For now though, I’m giving my oven some more lovin’.
Roasted vegetables really are the way to go.I can’t say it enough about them.Being able to enjoy potato-chip-like-crunchiness of the broccoli rabe leaves, along with the silkiness of the roasted chickpeas at the same time shouldn’t happen.But with roasting, it does. Roasting rewards you twice by encouraging you to eat more veggies because they are healthy and delicious.Plus, you can keep the vibrant color and flavor that you often lose with boiling or blanching.Simple seasonings upgrade the flavor even further.Rosemary livened up my grape tomatoes with notes of fresh-cut pine and squeezed citrus. The taste was earthy, yet sophisticated.
Although it was vegetarian, you could easily pair this with a grilled chicken breast or tuna steak.Colorful, texturally diverse, and wildly tasty, I toast this roast!
Roasted Chickpeas, Broccoli Rabe, and Grape Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
About ½ a bunch broccoli rabe, remove stems
2/3 cup (about 5 oz) grape tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp – 1 tsp Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2.Rinse and prepare broccoli rabe and tomatoes. Dry off broccoli rabe.
3.Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
4.Toss to coat completely with oil.
5.Arrange mixture on baking/cookie sheet.**If possible, lay leafy parts of broccoli rabe on top of other ingredients (not touching the bottom of the sheet pan), so they will be less likely to burn.
6.Roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until leafy greens are crispy, and chickpeas have a golden shell.
Until recently, I didn’t believe that anyone was immune to mashed potatoes.Unabashedly, they deny heaping dinner platters of soft, pillowy goodness I find irresistible.How could such a quintessential comfort food be overlooked or undervalued?
Under a critical lens, I discovered the void of nutrients and healthful qualities. Mashed potatoes were mostly filler and fluff. For the 33g of carbohydrates you take in from 1 cup of mashed potatoes, you only gain 4g of protein and 3g of fiber. What the fluff?! So, although it may be soul food sacrilege, I gave the classic comfort food a wholesome, healthy makeover using Cannellini beans.
In half the time, using the same food processing tools you would use to make regular mashed potatoes, you can quadruple the protein and fiber simply by substituting Cannellini beans.With 19g of protein and 13g of fiber per 1 cup, it was worth the calories and carbs.Plus, by adding herbs and garlic to the mix, the taste allowed you to forgive the fact that it was non-traditional.
Beans are trendy – hummus, anyone? It’s just chickpeas! So why not try out a new creamy bean recipe.You can have it however you like.I ate it hot, as a side dish to grilled flank steak.I ate it cold, as a dip for julienned strips of crunchy carrot and fresh red pepper.I spread it on toast. I scooped it with chips and pretzels.There’s truly no wrong way to eat it.So whether you’ve only got 20 minutes between classes, or you just aren’t in the mood for ‘taters tonight, this is the go-to for you!
Mashed Cannellini Beans (Dip, Spread, Side Dish…etc.)
Ingredients:
1 can (15oz) cannellini beans, drained (reserve liquid) and rinsed
1-2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ground sage
½ tsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 T fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions:
1.Drain beans, reserve liquid.Rinse beans.
2.In food processor, combine beans, 1 T olive oil, garlic, sage, rosemary, and cilantro.Blend on high speed.
3.Continue to add bean liquid and/or olive oil depending on your preference of texture and taste (olive oil will impart stronger flavor than bean liquid).
A salad made for simpletons.Okay, so maybe the term is a bit pejorative, but you get the idea.This recipe is as easy as chopping vegetables and following package instructions.Yet, the final product is vibrant and delectably gourmet.Plus, quinoa is that magically filling grain that is guilt and gluten free, so it won’t weigh you down or leave you hankering for more.
Tonight’s dinner was one of those “throw-this-together- after-work-because-I’m-starving” deals.When I’m hungry there isn’t time to spare on being hung up on some missing ingredient from an over-the-top recipe.So, while it is no great date meal or anything fancy to impress the folks with, it was just what I needed for dinner tonight.
The texture was a perfect yin yang – the crunchy quinoa contrasted with the velvetiness of the avocado made for textural bliss.The taste was fresh and perky – tomatoes, parsley, and feta are naturally bright and lively flavors that made the salad taste light and refreshing.I’m not a huge fan of salads when they are made up of “rabbit food”, i.e. bags of pre-chopped iceburg lettuce.But this is the kind of salad I’ll have seconds of.
For those days when you are on the go, this is a healthful, tasty salad that would be a perfectly packable lunch or a super side salad.
Simple Greek Avocado Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 avocado, ¼ inch cubes
½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 green onions, sliced
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1.Cook quinoa according to package instructions (I use broth instead of water and add ½ a clove of garlic for more flavor).
2.Prepare all other salad ingredients.
3.Mix together quinoa and salad ingredients, hot or cold and enjoy! Yep, it’s that easy.
Sweet potatoes are the new Russet potato.In the restaurant scene, we have already seen the starchy switch from the traditional French fried potato to the sweet potato alternative.But is this just another food fad? Yet another outlet to feed our secret addiction to all things saccharine sounding?
First, let us dispel the notion that sweet potato implies sugary potato.Although that may have been the best way to convince us to eat them as kids, it is limiting.Now, because of that incriminating description, “sweet”, we automatically assume that sweet potatoes are already sugar soaked.
On the contrary, sweet potatoes have a creative and complex sweetness.Envision her at a masquerade, weaving in and out of various masks and disguises. Discover that beyond her overdone, cloying sweetness, she can be an irresistibly spicy siren.Dressed in adobo sauce and decorated with orange zest, I uncovered the spicy siren side of my sweet potatoes.
The chili sauce gave the sweet potato a vibrant, evocative taste, yet allowed it to retain much of its earthy quality.Sprinkled with the fresh zing of cilantro, and then smoothed out by the creaminess of goat cheese, was the perfect way to finish each bite. My experiments with sweet potatoes have made me appreciate their versatility, and I am encouraged by their rewarding results.
Note about cooking sweet potatoes:Add some fat to that!Sautéing your sweet potato with a small amount of fat, such as olive oil, actually helps your body pick up more of the antioxidant beta-carotene that is found in sweet potatoes.You can also add fats (such as olive oil, nuts, cheese) after cooking to help the bioavailability of the antioxidants.Other recommended ways to cook your sweet potatoes are steaming and boiling.These methods give you the fullest amount of fiber, vitamin A, and antioxidants.
Orange Adobo Sweet Potatoes, Peas, and Quinoa
Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium sized sweet potato, chopped into ½ inch cubes
½ - 1 cup water (when needed to cook potatoes)
½ cup frozen peas
2 T – ¼ cup adobo sauce (depending on how spicy level tolerance)
2 tsp orange zest, grated
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1-2 oz goat cheese
1 cup cooked quinoa
Instructions:
1.Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat until very warm, add olive oil.
2.Add garlic, sauté garlic until browned.
3.Keeping pan between medium and medium high heat, add sweet potatoes, sauté until just soft, adding water when needed.About 7-8 minutes.
4.After about 5 minutes of cooking the sweet potatoes, add the frozen peas.
5.Add in the adobo sauce and orange zest.Stir to coat and combine.
6.Add cilantro, reserve some for garnish.
7.In bowl, spoon cooked quinoa into the bottom.Layer on top the sweet potato mixture. Place cheese on top.Sprinkle with cilantro.
