Chili Lime Sweet Potato Salad

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I’m on a sweet potato kick. This recipe’s great for picnics or potlucks as it can be made in advance. In fact, it improves if it sits for a day or so. Just don’t overcook the sweet potatoes.

Chili Lime Sweet Potato Salad

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions, sliced finely
Good handful minced cilantro
Grated zest of 1 lime
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper

Toss the sweet potato cubes with 2 tablespoons of oil and some salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast at 425°F for about 25 minutes or until just tender.

Cool slightly, then mix with bell pepper, scallions and cilantro in a large bowl.

Shake or whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the salad, tossing gently to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. Can be refrigerated for several days before eating.

Salmon Sweet Potato Patties

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These are oh-my-goodness good.

1 14 oz can salmon
1 small sweet potato, cooked, cooled, peeled and mashed (prick some holes in it and nuke for 6-8 minutes)
1 egg
4 scallions, minced
Handful of parsley, minced
Zest of one lemon, and half the juice

Drain the salmon. Remove the skin, but leave the bones in. Combine all the ingredients, mashing with a fork. Shape golf-ball sized pieces into patties, and cook in a nonstick skillet with a little olive oil over medium-low heat until nicely browned on each side (a few minutes will do it.)

cooking

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I had to laugh when I put my glass down; this scene looked so staged, that I just had to photograph it. But honestly, the only styling adjustment I made was to rotate the eggplant so its bar code sticker was hidden.

Here’s my new favourite way to eat eggplant:

Smoky Roasted Eggplant Recipe
1 large eggplant
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika (it’s gotta be the smoked stuff)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cut eggplant into approximately half-inch cubes. There is no need to peel it.
Toss in a bowl with the oil and smoked paprika.
Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15 mins. Stir and toss, then roast for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Resist the urge to eat the whole lot. Or don’t resist. Not saying which one I did.

appreciating

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The Boy came over for dinner. It’s been months — maybe a year? — since we have hung out, just the two of us. What an awesome human he is. I am so happy to know, and feed, him.

noshing

Home made lunch at my desk. Turkey-veggie meatballs and a big ass salad.

When I eat well, I eat really really well.

Turkey Vegetable Meatballs
Serves 6 (3 meatballs each)

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1 onion, grated
5 button mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ – ½ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and thyme, but use what you have)
1 egg
Dried red chile flakes, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tbs olive oil

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking dish with foil.
2 Mix all ingredients except the oil with a fork, and a light touch.
3 Shape into 18 meatballs, 1 ½” to 2” diameter.
4 Bake for 25 minutes. They will ooze a lot of liquid, so remove from oven carefully.
5 Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Remove meatballs from baking dish with tongs, and sauté in the oil until browned on all sides.

According to this web site, the nutritionals are:

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crunchy kale salad

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They served us this at work the other day. I brought home the recipe. DEE-LISH!

No quantities on the ingredients. Use as much or as little as you desire.

Kale leaves, julienned, and massaged with lemon juice and honey. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours (according to the recipe), and up to four days (which is what I did, and it was fine.)

Add chopped:

walnuts
dried cranberries
dried apricots
green apples

Toss well, and drizzle with some superb balsamic vinegar*.

* My addition. I used this. It is truly swoon-worthy.

heaven in a bowl

I invented this soup a couple of weeks ago, and the bf said it could possibly be the best soup he’s ever tasted. So I jotted down the ingredients, and tried it again this morning. It wasn’t a fluke. It truly is awesome. So much so, that I’m calling it Heaven in a Bowl.

Heaven in a bowl

Want to make it yourself? Here’s how:

Olive or coconut oil
3 chicken sausages*, fully cooked and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 butternut squash (or similar pumpkin), cut into chunks
Freshly ground pepper
1 can coconut milk (not the ‘lite’ stuff)
2 large handfuls baby spinach

Heat some oil in a large sturdy pot. Sauté the diced sausage until browned; remove and set aside.

Add more oil, and sauté the onion till soft. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the broth, squash and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer till squash is tender. Remove from heat.

Blend with a stick blender until desired consistency is achieved.

Add the coconut milk and stir until incorporated. Add the sausage and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.

You’re welcome.

*I used Aidells, an all-natural brand of precooked sausages. I recommend finding one that includes some kind of fruit. I’ve tried both chicken/mango and chicken/apple; the fruity flavours go perfectly with the other sweet ingredients. If you are starting with raw sausages, cook and dice them before commencing this recipe.

i’m cooking again

Beet, avocado and pear salad.

After eight years of cooking daily for a family, and an intensive year (2009) of feeding weekly dinner guests, I found myself single and not very hungry. On work days, a cheap and delicious cafeteria salad sufficed as the main meal. Scrambled eggs or a Lära bar got me through the evenings. Cooking just seemed too much bother.

But now, I’m cooking again. A new, appreciative audience helps. Because no matter how much I like the experience of preparing a meal (and I do, I really love it), I just don’t feel the impetus to plan and shop and chop and sauté if it’s just me to eat it. I know I am not alone in this. There are millions of you out there who agree. No matter how much you love to cook, you slack off when it’s just you … right?

So yeah, it’s good to be cooking again.

Old friends, you are invited for dinner. Call me, and we’ll set up a date.

march 15

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L requested matzo ball soup from the deli tonight. She declared that it hit the spot.

march 4

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So I spent some time with a top of the line Baby Lock serger today. I actually expected to get all wanty, but I didn’t. If I sewed a lot more than I do, I might covet the automatic threading feature (for which they charge, what, two grand more than the competitors?) When the time comes to buy a serger, I’ll definitely consider Baby Lock, but I’ll be looking at second hand machines for sure. The new price tag is just way too high. Though I admit I did briefly consider calling my sister and asking her if she wanted to go halves :-)

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Back home, I made baked penne with roasted vegetables, pesto chicken and Korean short ribs. It felt good to cook again. I think I need to host a Sunday dinner while I’m here. Make use of the double oven. Care to come? Let’s pick a date.

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