sweet potato casserole

 https://www.loveandlemons.com/sweet-potato-casserole/

4.92 from 58 votes

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 1hour hr 20minutes mins

Total Time: 1hour hr 40minutes mins

Serves 6 to 8

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This sweet potato casserole features a crisp, savory pecan crumble instead of a traditional marshmallow topping. Delicious and healthy, it's a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. Find make-ahead instructions in the blog post above.
Used plain soy milk, olive oil instead of butter, added fresh grated nutmeg to the topping. didn't have rosemary.  Taste is very good.

Ingredients:

    5 large sweet potatoes, 3 pounds

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter, plus more for drizzling
• 1¼ cups milk, plus more if necessary
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Crumble Topping

• ⅔ cup whole rolled oats
• ½ cup pecans, plus more for garnish
• ½ cup walnuts, plus more for garnish
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush an 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Use a fork to poke a few holes into the sweet potatoes. Place on the baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 60 minutes.
• Make the crumble topping: In a food processor, place the oats, pecans, walnuts, garlic, maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and pulse until just combined. Remove and set aside.
• Scoop the cooked sweet potato flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor. Add the olive oil, milk, ginger, salt, and pepper and process to combine. Spread the mixture into the baking dish.

Peanut Chaat - cold salad with Indian spices

From WaPo 12/4/24. By Ellie Krieger

Really good, cold, crispy, tasty.  Mixed my own chaat masala (didn’t have it in Indian store) and only used 1 tsp of it, plus some Aleppo pepper from Shafa spices. 

This easy, no-cook peanut chaat, a type of Indian snack or appetizer, is crunchy, sweet, spicy, tangy and salty. With this recipe from food writer Khushbu Shah’s cookbook, “Amrikan,” you can substitute any crunchy vegetables you like, such as carrot, jicama or radish, or use diced apple instead of the pomegranate.

Storage: The chaat is best eaten as soon as it’s made; it does not store well.

Where to buy: Chaat masala, a spice blend, is available at Indian markets and online.

Adapted by cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger from “Amrikan” by Khushbu Shah (Norton, 2024).

Ingredients

measuring cup

Servings: 6 (makes about 4 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds
• 1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber (any kind)
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons chaat masala (see Where to buy and Notes)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• Fine salt (optional)

Directions

Time IconTotal: 15 mins

1. Step 1

   In a medium bowl, gently stir together the pomegranate seeds, peanuts, bell pepper, cucumber, onion and cilantro until combined. Add the lemon juice, chaat masala and chili powder, and gently toss to combine. Taste, season with salt, if desired, and serve right away.

Substitutions

Bell pepper or cucumber >> any crunchy vegetables you like, such as carrot, jicama or radish.
Pomegranate seeds >> diced apple.
White onion >> red onion.
Peanuts >> chopped unsalted, roasted cashews.
Kashmiri chili powder >> conventional chili powder.

Notes

To make your own chaat masala blend, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder, 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (black salt), 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup from KindSoups 11/11/24

 Another KindSoups success!  

This particular one was make in preparation for World Kindness Day 11/13/24.  I’ll be donating mine to people I know personally, as there were already enough donations for the community event.

Would use the full complement of spices but I only used one jalapeño and I think that was about right.  Add more if you like the spice.  The lime (or vinegar if you don’t have lime) really enhances the taste, and a little salt helps as well.  For this triple recipe, I only used one cup of lite coconut milk, and that was enough for me.  I made it vegetarian and just used the 3 cans of black beans.  You can sprinkle sunflower seeds or hemp seeds on it for more protein if you wish. 

I accidentally went out for a walk thinking I had turned off the stove - I only turned off the timer!  So the soup was on a low flame for an extra half hour or so, but I actually think it was better - softer, creamier.  Fortunately, my husband was home, the pan didn’t burn and the smoke alarm didn’t go off! 

Ingredients

CHICKEN optional

• 3 8-ounce chicken breast (boneless, skinless, organic, and pasture-raised when possible) OR Shredded Mexican Chicken Breast (if vegan, omit and double up on beans!)

SOUP

• 1/3 cup avocado oil (or sub water)
• 4.5 cups diced white or yellow onion (or sub shallot or red onions)
• 9 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 3 medium jalapeños, minced (seeds and stem removed)
• 3 small sweet potatos, diced (skin on)
• 3 (15-oz.) can diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 4 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp chili powder (or add more to taste) (also, I used my favorite - cocoa chili)
• 1  tsp ground coriander 
• 3 (14-oz.) can light coconut milk (or sub full fat for a creamier soup) (I used 1 cup)
• 3 cups canned pumpkin pureé (or add more for more pronounced pumpkin flavor)
• 3 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained (if not using chicken, double the beans for more protein and fiber!)
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• Sea salt to taste

Otpiontal toppings

• 9 cups chopped greens (such as kale or spinach)
• Fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Optional (if adding chicken): Fill a large saucepan with 15-16 cups water and bring to a boil. Add boneless, skinless chicken breast, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain water and let sit to cool slightly. Using two forks (or a hand mixer), shred chicken. Alternatively, prepare 1 serving (as recipe is written) Mexican Shredded Chicken Breast and set aside.
• Heat a large pot (or Dutch oven) oven medium heat. Once hot, add oil and onions and sauté until translucent — about 4-5 minutes — stirring occasionally.
• Add minced garlic, ginger, and jalapeños and continue cooking for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add diced sweet potato and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add diced fire roasted tomatoes, broth (starting with lesser amount), cumin, chili powder, and coriander (optional) and bring to a low boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5-10 minutes).
• Add coconut milk, pumpkin purée, drained black beans (option to increase amount if not using chicken), and cooked chicken (if using). For a soupier consistency, add more broth. Cover, return to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
• Add lime juice (starting with lesser amount). Taste test and adjust as needed, adding more lime juice for acidity, chili powder for heat, cumin for smokiness, coriander for floral notes / depth of flavor, or salt to taste.
• Stir in chopped greens (optional), cover, and cook on low until wilted (about 3-5 minutes).
• Serve as is, or with your favorite grain of choice. Optional: Garnish with chopped cilantro. Store cooled leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot, adding more broth, water, or coconut milk to thin as needed.

Eggplant recipe

Recipe from Tali - dish she brought to postcard party today.  Delish with crackers/ pita chips.

 Here is the eggplant recipe. I'm not sure I can call it a recipe since it's just throwing things together. How does one teach kids to cook with "a little bit of this, and a little bit of that?" 

- sauté diced eggplant until they are really soft and browned. 

- add fresh or canned dices tomatoes and tomato paste (see photo below) 👇

- add cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, salt, and sugar to taste 

- I like it cold. I mentioned to Holly about my clever neighbor who put feta and egg on it, like shakshuka!

Outrageous Brownies

Recipe from Chef AJ's 2024 book - Sweet Indulgence

As a previous presenter on Chef AJs podcasts, I was invited to preview a few recipes from her new book, Sweet Indulgence, due to hit the stands this week.  

First I tried almond date bliss balls, which were delicious, especially when rolled in cinnamon.  Today's quest was the Outrageous Brownie recipe, which is delightful.  The brownies are really fudge from a combination of date paste, made by soaking dates in unsweetened soy milk and/or water, and black beans.  Texture is added by the addition of rolled oats, and I highly recommend the optional topping of nuts and chocolate chips.  I substituted walnuts for the pistachios, mainly because I was out of pistachios, but what goes better with brownies than walnuts?!

The interesting thing about these brownies is that they are filling and taste good, but are not cloyingly sweet.  They smell just like any other brownies while baking, then have the right level of chocolate taste for me, due to the unsweetened cocoa powder. The second time I made them, they tasted much more like black beans than chocolate, so I might try increasing the date paste:black bean ratio to have a little more sweetness; and add some chocolate chips to the batter ;-)

Serves 16 

INGREDIENTS: 

15-oz can of salt-free black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1.5 cups cooked)

1.5 cups Date Paste (see recipe below - allow a few hours ahead of time; don't use store-bought)

3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (I used soy)

1 tsp vanilla bean powder

1/2 tsp aluminum and sodium-free baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats or oat flour

1 cup unsweetened or date-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips, optional

1/2 cup finely chopped raw, unsalted pistachios, optional (I used chopped walnuts)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place beans, date paste and plant milk in a food processor fitted with the 'S' blade and process until smooth.  Add the vanilla bean powder, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder and process again.  

3) Add the oats and process very briefly, just until combined.  It's ok if the oats stay whole.

4) Pour the batter into a 10" square silicone baking pan. Sprinkle with nuts and/or chocolate chips, if using, and gently press the toppings down with the palm of your hand.

5) Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 20 minutes) until the middle does not jiggle and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool before cutting, or you'll have to eat all the fudgy insides that come out on your knife!  Chef AJ enjoys these with a cold glass of her homemade Vanilla Almond Mylk (recipe in the book).

DATE PASTE:

This recipe makes 2.5 cups, so you'll have 1 cup left over to use on a muffin or cracker of your choice.

Combine 1 pound of pitted dates (~ 2.5 cups) with 1 cup of liquid (water, unsweetened plant milk or juice) - I used soy:water about 2:1)

Soak dates for hours or overnight until much of the liquid is absorbed (after a few hours in the fridge, hardly any was absorbed, but the recipe worked well)

Process until completely smooth.  Store any leftovers in the fridge or freezer.  

Spicy Black Bean and Beet Burgers

 From The No Meat Athlete Cookbook - Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine

Very good recipe - made quickly with precooked rice.  Evidently leaving the burgers uncooked in the fridge for at least an hour will help them hold together.  I wasn’t able to do that, and also didn’t pack the burgers by hand, so they didn’t hold together too well.  But the taste was excellent and will definitely try again.  Usually vital wheat gluten or soy protein is used to hold burgers together but this recipe uses all Whole Foods. 

Can serve with lettuce, tomato and onions; or cashew ranch dressing, mustard or ketchup.

INGREDIENTS:

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked brown rice

 1 Tbsp OO or 1/4 cup broth

2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning or Harissa

1 beet, peeled and grated

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

Black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2) Pulse the black beans and rice in a food processor until thoroughly combined.  Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

3) Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, then add the oil.  Add the taco seasoning and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4) Add the beet, carrot, and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

5) Add the vinegar, tomato paste, and garlic and cook until the tomato paste has darkened and thickened, about 3 minutes.  If there is moisture left in the pan, use a slotted spoon when transferring the veggies.

6) Remove from the heat and add the salt; season with plenty of pepper.  Add the vegetable mixture to the bean-rice mixture.  Stir or mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. 

7) Using wet hands, scoop a mold the mixture in to 8 patties (or 24 sliders), each about the size of a tennis ball.  Preferably, refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.  Or can freeze them at this point for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.

8) Bake for 30 minutes, then flip and cook for another 10 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes - they’ll hold together better when they’re not straight out of the oven.

They can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.  

Barbecue spiced cauliflower with peaches, nuts and herb dressing

 From WSJ

4 servings

This was a very interesting mix of flavors.  I’ll probably play with the sauce a bit more next time.  I steamed the cauliflower instead of boiling it - why waste the good stuff?

Photos 8/4/24

INGREDIENTS:

2 heads of cauliflower, sliced thru the stem into 1” wedges

6 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1/4 cup BBQ spice rub or smoked paprika

2 Tbsp sugar

Kosher salt

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra to garnish

1 clove garlic

1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

4 ripe, firm peaches, sliced into 1/4 - 1/2” wedges

1 packed cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (I used toasted sliced almonds)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Steam the cauliflower to just shy of al dente, 3-5 minutes.  Drain and toss dry. 

2) Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium high or an oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 6 Tbsp olive oil, spice rub, sugar and a generous pinch of salt.  Grill seasoned florets until caramelized on all sides and soft throughout, 12-15 minutes.  

3) Prep sauce.  Place green onions, parsley, cilantro mint and garlic in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.  Add vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt and pulse a few more times until chunky.

4) Combine peaches and nuts in a medium bowl and toss to combine.  To serve, arrange grilled cauliflower across a serving platter.  Drizzle generously with dressing and top with peach-nut mixture.  Garnish with extra mint if desired.