Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes

I always thought that I wasn’t a big fan of sweet potatoes, but I had primarily eaten them in a sweetened casserole at Thanksgiving and I’m still not a fan of that type of preparation.  Sweet potatoes are so healthy, one serving is a mega-dose of Vitamin and full of fiber.  Their flesh is, of course, slightly sweet, but they go well with a savory spice.  This particular spice combination added a delicious, but not overpowering flavor.  Roasting sweet potatoes is quick preparation, just allow plenty of time for cooking.

Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes

printable recipe

• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1/2″ x 2″ sticks
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400º.  Combine all ingredients in a baking dish, 9″ x 13″ is a good size.  Place dish in oven.  Stir after about 15 minutes, when coconut oil has melted and you can stir to coat the sweet potatoes.  Cook for approximately 45 minutes longer, until sweet potatoes have begun to brown.  Stir several times during this time.  Serve warm.  These still taste delicious the next day, but their semi-crispy outside is best right after they are cool enough to eat.

This week our CSA share included:  over-wintered greens mix, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, leeks, and onions.

• Beef, Rutabaga and Cabbage Stew (rutabaga, cabbage, carrots, leek) [I altered this recipe, to use beef instead of lamb and more rutabaga, but didn't really change much else]
• Dirty Rice; Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Roasted Broccoli (sweet potatoes, broccoli)
• Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken; Dill Roasted Potatoes and Beets; Sautéed Cabbage and Carrots (potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots)
• Johnny Marzetti; Green Salad (carrots)
• Bean, Potato and Chicken Enchiladas; Mexican Rice; Easy Vinaigrette Coleslaw (potatoes, carrots, cabbage)
• Leek, Feta, Mushroom and Sausage Pizza (leeks, mushrooms)
• Ribollita; No Knead Bread (carrots, over-wintered greens mix)

What are you eating this week?

Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes

I love beets.  I love potatoes.  And I love dill.  Why did it take me so long to put the three together?  Beets and potatoes are both root vegetables, so it seems like a logical combination, but apparently not a common one.

I think dill weed is an under-appreciated herb.  Sure, fresh dill heads or dill seeds are well-known since they are in dill pickles, but I’m talking dill weed.  Fresh is obviously a much better choice than dried, but there’s no local, fresh dill to be found this time of year, so dried works well, too.  Dill weed has a fresh, light, grassy flavor with almost lemony notes.

The combination of the beets and potatoes was a really lovely contrast.  The beets are sweet and slippery, while the potatoes are soft and starchy.  Combined with the fresh, subtle flavor of dill, this dish was a real hit.  As with most roasted vegetable dishes, it’s a snap to prepare, but requires at least an hour of baking.

Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes

printable recipe

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes*, cut into 1/2″ cubes (use whatever variety you have on hand)
• 1 1/2 pounds beets*, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 2 teaspoons fresh dill weed)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• several grinds of pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400°.

Gently combine first five ingredients and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a baking dish.  A 9″ x 13″ baking dish or 12-14″ cast iron skillet will both work well.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until tender.  After you remove from the oven, drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix gently.  Serve warm.

*I don’t generally peel most root vegetables unless they have very blemished/bruised areas, but this is a personal preference.  Feel free to peel the potatoes and beets if you like.

This week our CSA was taking a pre-scheduled break, so we didn’t receive our regular share.  We did, however, receive some beets and onions as a gift from friends and with some vegetables that I’ve been holding onto in anticipation of not getting our share this week, I’ve still got some local vegetables on hand.  I’ve tried to stick with what I have in the fridge and pantry this week so that I don’t have to spend a lot on groceries this week.

• Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Chicken; Dill Roasted Beets and Potatoes; Creamy Cabbage (beets, rosemary, cabbage)
• Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon; Castelfranco Chicory Salad with Warm Maple Bacon Dressing (Castelfranco chicory, carrots)
• Beef, Rutabaga and Cabbage Stew; No Knead Bread (rutabaga, cabbage, carrots)
• Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Stew with Dandelion Greens (dandelion greens) (loosely based on this recipe)
• Spicy Lentil and Rutabaga Soup; Garlic Naan (carrots, rutabaga)
• Veselka’s Cabbage Soup (carrots, cabbage)

This week in our CSA  share we received:  Brussel sprouts, Castelfranco chicory, collard greens, rutabaga, leeks, onions and garlic.

Soups and comfort food still dominate these wintry meal plans!

• Real Spaghetti with Meatballs; Castenfranco dressed with Warm Maple Mustard Dressing (Castelfranco chicory)
• Chinese Five Spice Chicken with Cabbage and Carrots; Steamed Rice (cabbage, carrots)
• Green Chile Pork Stew; Rosemary Roasted Rutabaga (rutabaga)
• Cream of Broccoli Soup; No Knead Bread
• Thai Rice Noodles (carrots)
• Bacon, Leek Quiche; Roasted Tumeric Spiced Rutabage; Roasted Brussel Sprouts (leeks, rutabaga, Brussel sprouts)
• Creamy Garlic Vegetable Soup (carrots, collard greens, garlic, leeks)

This week in our CSA share we received:  winter greens mix, cabbage (enormous!), carrots, winter squash (ambercup and butternut), leeks, onions and garlic.

After I planned  my meal plan, I realized that it was particularly heavy on pork items, but I have a lot of cabbage and potatoes on hand and I think that pork goes particularly well with those ingredients.

• Chickpea and Mustard Green Curry; Steamed Rice (mustard greens)
• Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash, Bacon, Onions, Three Cheeses and Pine Nuts; Garlicky Collard Greens and Carrots (butternut squash, collard greens, carrots)
• Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Pork Chops; Baked Potatoes; Sautéed Leeks and Cabbage (rosemary, leeks, cabbage)
• Bubble and Squeak; Roasted Winter Squash and Carrots (cabbage, winter squash, carrots)
• Stir-fry with Winter Greens and Leftover Pork; Rice (winter greens mix, carrots)
• Gratin of Cabbage and Lentils in a Provençal Sauce; No-Knead Bread (cabbage)
• Bratwurst; Colcannon; Spiced Carrots (cabbage, leeks, carrots)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I love this soup.  It’s creamy and earthy, rich and filling.  It’s great to eat as soup and it is also wonderful used in dishes that call for canned cream of mushroom soup, because who wants all the junk in those canned soups?  It freezes beautifully, so it’s very practical to make  a double batch, eat half and freeze the other in pint-sized containers.

This has wheat and cream in it, so it’s not suitable for gluten or dairy-free, but a friend recently told me that her daughter made cream of mushroom soup using coconut milk with excellent results.  It would certainly have a different flavor than this one, but a great idea for those who don’t consume dairy.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

printable recipe

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream

Slice half of the mushrooms (8 ounces) and chop the other half (8 ounces).

Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add sliced mushroom.  Sauté until golden.  Remove mushrooms and juices and reserve.  Add remaining butter to the same pot and then add the chopped mushrooms, onions and salt.  Cook, stirring frequently until onion is soft.

Return sliced mushrooms and juices to the pan.  Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add broth while stirring.  Simmer, stirring often, until thickened.  Add nutmeg and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Add heavy cream and remove from heat.  (Do not boil or you will risk curdling the cream.)  Ladle into bowl and garnish with chopped parsley if you wish.

Our CSA is back!  For our first week we received:  Castelfranco chicory, mustard greens, purple top turnips, ambercup winter squash, popcorn, leeks, yellow onions and garlic.

• Barley and Leek Soup (leeks, carrots)
• Teriyaki Lentils; Brown Rice; Sesame Sautéed Cabbage and Carrots (carrots, cabbage)
• Cream of Mushroom Soup; Chicory Salad with Warm Maple Mustard Dressing (mushrooms, chicory)
• Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken; Potatoes Anna; Collard Greens and Cabbage; Roasted Ambercup Squash with Brown Sugar, Spices and Cream (rosemary, garlic, collard greens cabbage, ambercup squash)
• Chicken Tacos with Guacamole (using leftover chicken); Mexican Rice; Turnip Slaw (turnips, carrots)
• Chickpea and Mustard Greens Curry; Steamed Rice (mustard greens)

This is the last meal plan that I will need to do without my CSA share (until mid-December, that is).  I’m so excited to begin receiving freshly harvested veggies again.  It’s great having an organic vegetable vendor at our local Saturday market, don’t get me wrong, but it seems their produce doesn’t last as long as Oakhill Organic’s before it starts to get brown spots, which leads me to believe it’s not picked right before market.  I still think it’s far better than buying at a supermarket, both in quality and price, but a CSA share or your own garden is the very best, in my opinion.   I did pick up dandelion greens, collard greens and cabbage at the market.

• Pork Liver Pâté; Olive Oil Crackers; Green Salad with Shredded Beets and Feta (beets) [I used pork liver, which is very mild for liver and everybody in my family ate some; we don't like pâté the second day because it gets a more fulsome flavor by then]
• Keema Mattar; Rice; Easy Vinaigrette Coleslaw (cabbage, carrots)
• Mediterranean Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables; Green Salad (dandelion greens)
• Warm Beluga Lentil and Rice Salad; Grated Carrot and Beet Salad; Chinese Scallion Pancakes (carrots, beets)
• Salmon Croquettes; Roasted Butternut Squash; Roasted Brussel Sprouts (butternut squash, Brussel sprouts)
• Coconut Curry Noodle Pot with Collard Greens and Dried Zucchini; Sesame Cabbage and Carrots (collard greens, cabbage, carrots)
• Roast Beef; Roasted Potatoes and Carrots; April’s Green Beans with Feta (carrots)

Potato, Leek and Dandelion Soup

This soup is basically a variation of my old stand-by, Potato Leek Soup.  This soup warrants its own post because of the addition of dandelion greens and extra alliums, in the form of garlic and onions.  This soup is so earthy and humble, with just a small touch of decadence, courtesy of the cream.

Dandelion greens are familiar to most people as invasive weeds, but their culinary popularity is increasing.  You can now find them at many farmers markets, or you could harvest them from your own yard in the early spring, before they flower or in the late fall after a frost, when they aren’t so bitter (provided you haven’t used chemicals in your yard).  Dandelion greens are wonderfully nutritious, with high levels of Vitamin K and A and respectable levels of Vitamin C, calcium and iron.

They are more nutritious when eaten raw, however many Americans would probably find their bitter taste slightly disagreeable the first couple of tries.  Cooking them mellows their bitterness significantly.

Potato Leek and Dandelion Greens Soup

printable recipe

• several tablespoons of cooking fat
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
• 2-3 pounds potatoes, 1/2″ dice (I leave the peel on mine, but you can peel yours if you prefer; you can also use any variety of potatoes you have on hand)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
• 1 quart of stock (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 bunch of dandelion greens (approximately 8 cups chopped); chop stems roughly and keep them separate from the greens which should also be chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream

Heat cooking fat in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven on medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes.  Add leeks and cook until all vegetables are tender, about five more minutes; the leeks should still be bright green at this point.  Add potatoes, sea salt, pepper and mustard.  Stir to combine and then add stock.  You may need a little more than 1 quart.  It should cover the potatoes mixture by 1/2″ inch.  Bring the soup to a simmer and add the chopped dandelion stems.  Simmer until potatoes are tender.  When potatoes are tender, add the dandelion greens and cook just until they have wilted.  Remove pot from heat and stir in cream.  Check seasonings and adjust if necessary.