Asian Sweet Potato Wedges

This is gonna be a short and sweet post; just like the recipe!

I've made these Sweet Potato Wedges three times in the past week.  They are incredible, and super duper easy.

Basically, you cover sweet potatoes in soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil and then bake 'em to perfection.  I'm telling you, something magical happens in the oven.

These wedges are delicious on their own, there's not doubt about that, but if you want them to taste like absolute heaven, I have two words for you: Peanut Sauce.  I've said it before and I'll say it again; Peanut Sauce makes everything better.  These are no exception.

Make them and you just might eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Asian Sweet Potato Wedges

• 4 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place cut sweet potatoes in a large bowl.  A soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil, and toss to coat all sweet potato pieces.  Spread wedges into as even a layer as possible on a baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft.  Serve warm and with peanut sauce, if desired.  Store any leftovers in fridge for up to one week.  They probably won't last that long though.

Spicy Roasted Pineapple Sweet Potatoes

What do I make that doesn't contain chocolate?

Well, to be quite honest, not much.  My mom takes care of most of the actual cooking in the house.  I'm bake dessert, she makes dinner.  That's just the way it is.

But sometimes it's good to switch things up.

I made this sweet potato dish all by myself.  I didn't look at any recipes, didn't ask Mom for help, and didn't burn the house down either.  Oh yeah, and it tasted really good too.

Success.

Spicy Roasted Pineapple Sweet Potatoes

• 3 large/5 small sweet potatoes
• 1 20 oz can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (no sugar added)
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice, taken from can
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (if you like things really spicy you can add more)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Peel and chop sweet potatoes.  Remove pineapple chunks from can, making sure not to discard the juice in the can.  Place sweet potatoes and pineapple chunks on a baking sheet.  Add pineapple juice (from can), olive oil, and cayenne on top.  Toss to coat.  Bake for 30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.  Remove from oven to toss every 10 minutes while then roast.  Serves 4 as a side dish/

My whole family gobbled these potatoes + pineapple chunks up.  It's a simple, but incredibly delicious dish.  Enjoy!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips

Caramelized Onions and Bacon Mashed Cauliflower

Go read that title again.  It's a title worth reading twice.

Did you read it?  Did you take it all in? Did you realize that today I'm giving you a recipe with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and the texture + taste of Mashed Potatoes?

C'mon now, that's like everything good in life!

And... this recipe is also low carb, pretty healthy, super easy, and (I'm pretty sure it's) paleo.  I'm still a bit fuzzy on the rules for that one.

But no matter if it's paleo or not, this is one of the best things you'll have tasted in a while.  It's healthy comfort food at it's absolute best.

Caramelized Onions and Bacon Mashed Cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 slice bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• salt + pepper, to taste

Chop cauliflower into florets and place in a casserole dish.  Cover about 1/4 of the way with water and microwave for 5-7 minutes (in 1-2 minutes rounds), until fork tender.  If you prefer, you can also steam the cauliflower.  Transfer cooked cauliflower to a food processor.  Process until a mashed potato consistency is reached.  Add garlic powder and vinegar and process until incorporated.  Caramelize onion in a small saucepan (if you don't know how to caramelize an onion, see here).  Add the onion to food processor along with bacon and parsley.  Process again to mix everything together.  Scoop mashed cauliflower into desired serving dish, and season with salt and pepper.  Please note that this recipe makes only 2 servings.  If you want more, feel free to double or even triple the recipe.

Make this and I can almost guarantee your day will improve.  For real.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe ReDux - Basil Mint Pineapple Salsa

In honor of spring finally arriving, I've got a definite warm weather recipe to share today.  Conveniently enough, this month's Recipe ReDux theme also completely fits the springy bill.

Inspired by both the rising temperatures and the Recipe Redux theme of "Green with Herb Envy", I give you Basil Mint Pineapple Salsa.  Yes, it is as good as it sounds.

If you're part of the Recipe ReDux youself, you may know how I sort of cheated on the creativity for this recipe.  You see, the challenge was to use herbs in an unconventional way, - and don't get me wrong, I was super excited to do so - but then when I sat down to brainstorm some ideas, every single interesting, creative, and delicious thought flew right out of my head.

And you know what I was left with?  NOTHING.

Soooo, I turned to the examples left by the folks at the Recipe ReDux, and, as ashamed as I am to say it, I decided to use one.  The mint salsa one to be exact.

But don't get super mad at me, because I did put my creative juices to work a bit after I had the basic idea of the dish I wanted to make down.  I decided to make a pineapple salsa, and add basil as well as mint.  I threw in some red pepper, cucumber, and lime juice, too, and the result was just fantastic!

Can I just say: I'm sorry I wasn't creative and stole your idea this month, Recipe ReDux people.  May I please repay you with some delicious Basil Mint Pineapple Salsa?

Pineapple Salsa

• 1/2 of a large pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 small Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add bell pepper, cucumber, pineapple pieces, basil, and mint.  Recipe makes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups salsa.  Serve over chicken, fish, or even as a side dish.  Enjoy!

P.S.  It's totally OK to eat this salsa by the bowlful.  I promise.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie -> welcome warmer weather!

Cauliflower Pizza Sticks

I used to hate cauliflower.

Actually, hate is probably too strong a word.  I didn't care enough about cauliflower to hate it.  It was more like cauliflower was just not appealing to me.  I tried it once and it had no taste and since then it just wasn't a desirable vegetable.

Then I tasted it roasted.

Boy was that a game changer.  Who knew cauliflower could be so, well, tasty.  All browned up and crispy like that it was almost addictive.  Next thing you know, cauliflower was going into everything.  I made soups. I made stews.  I even made my fair share of brownies, cakes and cookies. (By the way, every single one those linked up words leads to a different recipe.  Check them out!)

And now I give you pizza sticks.

The cauliflower pizza crust thing has been going around for a while now.  I absolutely love the idea of it, and was super excited when I heard of it first.

These Pizza Sticks are my take on the whole trend.  The crust, which is, of course, made from cauliflower, is very thin, making them a great snack or light appetizer.  And they're also super kid friendly, what with the whole pizza concept and all.  Serve them with or without cheese for a great introduction to the cauliflower craziness!

Cauliflower Pizza Sticks

• 200 g cauliflower
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (this is optional, but recommended for a more pizza-like taste)

Preheat oven to 425F.  Place cauliflower in a blender or food processor and blend until "riced" (broken up into small rice-like pieces).  Place cauliflower in a large bowl with egg whites and oats and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place mixture on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread into a thin layer.  Press another piece of parchment paper on top.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  If any bubble form in crust, just press them down.  Remove top layer of parchment paper top pizza crust with tomato sauce and cheese (if using).  You can also add other toppings if desired.  Return to oven to bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.  Cut into sticks and serve warm if possible.  Pizza serves 2-4 people as a snack or appetizer.

I'm looking for more fun cauliflower experiments to try.  What's your favorite funky recipe?

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Peach, Arugula, and Ricotta Pizza (who else is dreaming of summer?)

Maple Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Cranberries (My Second Recipe ReDux)

Sometimes I forget how great a good challenge is.

It makes you think, it makes you try, and it makes you cook extremely delicious things.

This months Recipe ReDux theme was "Vintage Side Dishes" - either favorite family sides, or a "healthified" version of an old recipe. Honestly, I found it to be a pretty tricky theme to come up with a recipe for.

This probably had to do with that fact that I don't really have any old favorites when it comes to side dishes.  Instead, I prefer to try something new whenever possible.  But, of course, trying something new wasn't exactly the point, unless it was the new version of an older recipe.

With no ideas and the 21st of the month (reveal day) approaching fast, I turned to others, in hopes that they would have a recipe to share that I could temporarily "borrow".  It was my Mom who came to my rescue in the end, recalling that growing up, Potatoes Roasted in Pork Fat were served often.

It wasn't the perfect starting point, but it was something, and I got to "healthifing" it right away.

That was when the second challenge started.  It turned out that making the above dish healthy (or at least healthier) was not easy in the slightest.  In fact, it was very hard.

My goal was the replace each ingredient in the original recipe with a better-for-you ingredient... and have the end result still taste good.  The first switch was subbing sweet potatoes for white potatoes.  That was an easy choice, as I adore sweet potatoes.  Then came the hard part.  What on earth was I supposed to replace pork fat with?

I thought long and hard about what to use.  Long and hard, I tell you. And in the end I came up with... olive oil.  It's sounds boring, yes, but I also added maple syrup.  And bacon.  Bacon istantly makes this dish awesome, right?  Just in case it doesn't, I added dried cranberries too.

All together, it made for one fantastic "Vintage Side Dish" that I am so happy to share today.  I don't know about you all, but I'd prefer it over potatoes and pork fat any day!

Maple Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Cranberries

• 3 pieces bacon
• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes/pieces
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Cook bacon on stovetop over medium heat until some fat has been released, but becon is not yet crispy, about 4 minutes.  Chop bacon into small pieces.  Add chopped bacon, sweet potatoes, and dried cranberries to a deep baking dish.  Drizzle maple syrup and olive oil over top, and toss to coat everything.  Roast 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, taking out halfway through to mix.  Serve warm, or cover and refridgerate until serving time.  If doing the latter, reheat before serving.  Store leftovers in fridge.

Now that you know how to make this delicious side dish, I've but one more thing to say.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope your holiday celebrations tommorow are filled with family gatherings, fun times with friends, and of course, tons of delicious food!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Isreali Couscous with Brussel Sprouts and Cranberries

Honey Flax Bread

I love love love freshly baked bread.

Just one slice of any kind is enough to make me smile, and when the bread has an extremely delicious taste to match, well, I'm usually sent to heaven in an instant.

There's just something that happens when you combine warm, soft, comforting, and tasty. I think it's probably something magical.

Because, c'mon, how on earth could anything taste so good otherwise?

This Honey Flax Bread is no exception. I nearly fainted waiting for my photoshoot to end so I could eat some.

This is, until I discovered that I could sneak pieces from the bottom of the loaf without anyone noticing. After that, everything was fine. Except, maybe, the underside of the bread, which ended up looking a little like Swiss cheese.

Sorry bread, you just tasted too yummy.

Honey Flax Bread - original recipe can be found here
(makes one 2 lb loaf)

• 1 2/3 cup 1% milk (or skim, or almond, or soy)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup flaxmeal (ground flaxseed)
• 2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in order listed, select appropriate settings, and wait for your delicious bread to be ready.

A warning:  The smell is ahhh-mazing.

I'm honestly not quite sure why anyone would still be reading right now.

You have the recipe, mostly likely all of the necessary ingredients, and I've told you how delcious this bread smells and tastes.

So, why are you still sitting at your computer?  Go make some bread!

Alright, maybe that was a bit pushy.

I bet some of you have a really great reason for why you can't make bread this instant (yes, "I'm too lazy" counts).  What I meant was, maybe you should consider pinning/bookmarking/scribbling down onto a random scrap of paper this recipe, because, when the perfect time comes around, I swear you'll be glad you did.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway!  You earn some tea to enjoy with your fresh bread!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Strawberry Banana Bread