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

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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!