Sweet Potato Empanadas!

I think I should start a feature called 101 ways to eat a sweet potato - I've been cooking with them so much lately. They are my new favorite food, which is funny since for 30 years I HATED them with a passion. Oh well - I've heard that your taste buds change every 7 years!!

So while trying to find something different to do again, I came across a recipe on FoodNetwork.com from Melissa d'Arabian for sweet potato empanadas. Hmm.... I like sweet potatoes, and I like empanadas, so why not try it out! The original recipe is here, I omitted the sweet part of it so I could eat them with dinner.

Her recipe is good (and INCREDIBLY easy), but I did not enjoy working with the crescent rolls because it made them too tiny with not enough filling. In fact, I have some filling leftover, so I need to decide what to do with it! I think when I make these again, I will find bigger shells so they will have more filling and be all the more tastier. Or else I won't cut the crescent rolls so small as suggested.

I also think I would add a pinch of paprika for a little something extra!

So without further delay - the recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sweet potatoes, mashed or pureed (1 small sized yam)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
1 tube refrigerated ready-made crescent rolls (uncooked dough)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F and pierce your sweet potato with a fork. Place potato on rack in oven and let cook for 45 minutes to an hour to soften.

Once softened, let cool for 5-10 minutes, peel the skin off and mash the inside in a bowl.

Lower oven to 350 degrees F for later.

In a small bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, brown sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt until creamy.

Remove the dough from the tube and separate into 4 rectangles. Working with 1 rectangle at a time, roll over the perforated lines in the dough to seal together.

Cut the rectangle in half and then cut the halves into 2 triangles.

Place a heaping teaspoon of sweet potato filling in the center of each of 4 triangles.

Fold the dough over on each, as if you were making ravioli, and pinch the edges together. Note: Use a tiny bit of water if the dough is too dry to seal.

Continue making little triangle empanadas with the rest of the dough, 16 total. Place the triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the preheated oven.

Bake the empanadas until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes!

It's grillin' time!! Summer is (almost) here, but grilling season was kicked off this past holiday weekend. We finally dug our grill out from last July, surprisingly, since my husband is our main griller and he had major shoulder surgery last July, and couldn't grill for the rest of the summer. Luckily it still worked after a harsh, snowy winter (it better, since we bought it last year!), and we planned a little Memorial Day feast for the two of us.

One of the things we grilled up were some sweet potatoes, which are quickly growing on me the more I eat them. I used the seasoning inspiration from Mr. Bobby Flay's recipe here, but I did the base preparation a different way. I also used a mixture of honey mustard and yellow mustard since we were out of the honey Dijon I usually keep in the house. Next time I might just use the yellow mustard, or make sure I have a Dijon because the honey mustard paired with the maple syrup did get a little sweet if you ate too many potatoes. I also added a dash of cinnamon to the base mixture, but literally just a pinch.

The result? DELICIOUS!! They were nice and tender with an amazing taste. My husband and I both really enjoyed them, and he is already asking me to make these again.

This recipe was very easy, but took about 40 minutes total time from start to finish. We used a grill pan instead of placing the sweet potato circles directly on the grill.

These are definitely here to stay in our family!

Ingredients:

2-3 sweet potatoes, either cut into wedges or into circles 3/4" thick (I cut mine into circles)
canola or olive oil for brushing
kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 to 3 tablespoons of mustard (Dijon recommended in original recipe, I used 1 tbl honey mustard, 1 tbl yellow mustard)
pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of poultry rub


Directions:

Cut sweet potatoes into 3/4 inch slices (or length-wise wedges).

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add potatoes. Boil until potatoes are just starting to soften.

Cool and peal.

Brush the potato wedges with oil and season with rub, pinch of cinnamon salt and pepper.

Grill, turning once, until nicely marked.

Whisk the syrup with the mustard.

Brush the potatoes with the glaze and turn a few times to caramelize. <-- My husband and I used this marinating tool we got from Pampered Chef for my bridal shower and it worked so well!! Probably one of the best grilling tools we own.

Serve warm and enjoy - this is a fantastic grill recipe.

Happy unofficial summer, everyone!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi!!

So, I told my boss today that I made sweet potato gnocchi last night. His response? "What's gnocchi?" REALLY? I didn't know that people didn't know what this was!

Well, in case anyone doesn't, this is what it is: Small dumplings made from potato, semolina, or flour, usually served with a sauce. It is usually an Italian dish and many Italian restaurants have at least one gnocchi dish on it. (I hope I didn't get this information wrong and offend anyone!!)

And it's delicious!!

So, we had a few sweet potatoes lying around the kitchen that I didn't know what to do with. My husband is getting sick of the one way I like them - in the balsamic vinegar glaze. So I went to the Net. I was planning on searching for a fry recipe or something, but then stumbled upon the gnocchi recipe. With just a few ingredients and steps, I decided I HAD to try it.

It started out easy enough - but let me tell you - this is a messy, messy project, unless I did it wrong. I had flour and sweet potato all over my hands and kitchen counters. I probably made some gnocchi's too fat or too thin, but in the end, it came out tasting fantastic and both my husband and I really enjoyed it for tonight's dinner.

He melted some margarine to put on his - it was good, and I could also see putting a little Parmesan cheese on that as well. I used Ragu's Light Parmesan Alfredo Sauce and it was really good.

I highly recommend making this. It's easy, but not something to make quickly after work. One reason is because you need to bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for at least 40 minutes. Rolling and cutting the dough took some time for me as well, but I might have just been having stupid difficulties. It cooks up very fast in boiling water though!

So give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) sweet potatoes
1 clove garlic, pressed (or 1/2 tsp minced garlic)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake sweet potatoes for at least 40-45 minutes, or until soft to the touch.

Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool. (If they aren't getting soft fast enough, pop them in the microwave for another minute or 2 and then let them cool. They will be soft after that!)

Once the potatoes are cool enough to work with, remove the peels and mash them into a large bowl.

Blend in the garlic, salt, nutmeg, and egg. Mix in the flour a little at a time until you have soft dough. Use more or less flour as needed. (I needed to use both cups).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While you wait for the water, make the gnocchi.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out in several long snakes, and cut into 1-inch sections.

Drop the pieces into the boiling water, and allow them to cook until they float to the surface.

Remove the floating pieces with a slotted spoon. Serve warm with butter or cream sauce!!

Sweet Potato Sauce on Grilled Chicken

Sometimes I get this e-mail from cooking.com with different recipes due to whatever ingredient they pick for the day. One day it was chicken, and one of the recipes was a chicken with a sweet potato sauce. It sounded really interesting, and despite me really only finding one way to enjoy sweet potatoes, I figured I'd give it a go.

Well, let me tell you - the sauce was soooooooooooo delicious!! I think I made mine a little too thick, but instead of correcting it per recipe instructions, I kept it that way. It was sort of like a creamy mashed cauliflower consistency and it tasted really good. Plus it was filling!

I definitely would make the sweet potato part on its own for a side dish. That was the part that really made the meal...the rest was seriously just a piece of grilled chicken - nothing special.

So, here is the recipe... I actually made it a while ago, but haven't posted in a bit because I was 1) lazy (sorry, Melissa), and 2) I didn't cook over Passover at all so I had nothing else to post. I should be starting too cook again this week.

I didn't change the recipe much...instead of apple cider, I used apple juice. And instead of mace, I used nutmeg, which is pretty much the same thing and totally interchangeable (I looked it up online!). I also omitted the celery (I hate it) and used dried parsley instead of fresh, so you always use like, 1/3 of the fresh ingredient if using dry.

It did take me a while to make this, so it's not a quick after work meal.

Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg)
1/8 cup honey
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potato
1 cup apple cider
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and split
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.

Add the celery and onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until softened.

Add the cinnamon and mace and stir to distribute. Stir in the honey and sweet potato. Add the cider and chicken stock. Bring to boil over high heat, then lower to medium heat and cook for 30 minutes.


Puree the mixture in a food processor. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thin, place in a saucepan and cook it down over medium heat until the sauce is the desired consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add more chicken stock and heat through. Set the sauce aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Preheat a stovetop grill or rigid frying pan.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. When the grill of frying pan is very hot, grill the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side. Then, remove them to a baking pan and place them in an oven for 10 minutes, or until they're finally cooked. (If the breasts are thin enough, they can be cooked entirely on the grill, about 5 minutes on each side. A charcoal grill or regular cast-iron skillet may also be used.)

To Serve, pour some sauce on each of 4 plates and sprinkle with pecans, parsley, and red bell pepper. Place the cooked chicken over the sauce.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Apple Skillet

So, today's recipe comes to you from the place where I am employed. Every quarter, we get a company wide newsletter. It talks about what goes on in our two facilities in New York and North Carolina, has some random tidbits of information, news about employees, etc. Recently I noticed they have been including a recipe as well.

I am not sure who comes up with the recipes, or where they get them, but the one in April's newsletter seemed interesting.

It was for a chicken, sweet potato and apple skillet. I knew I would have to change it up a little because the original recipe (see picture below) called for bacon and brussels sprouts, two foods I do not eat. I figured I could substitute broccoli for brussels sprouts and just leave out the bacon entirely.


I also knew I would substitute green apples for the golden delicious because I only like green apples.

So, over the weekend I purchased the ingredients I didn't already have in the house and set about making this dish. In my opinion, unless you are a wiz at chopping and dicing, leave a good hour and a half for this recipe. I wouldn't make it after coming home from work! It was easy enough once everything was peeled, chopped and diced though.

I decided to make some whole wheat couscous to serve with the meal. In the end, it came out okay...I don't know if I let something cook a little too long or if it needed the bacon for the extra flavor...but to my husband and I, we really felt like it needed some sort of sauce. I know, I know. This was a recipe for heart health (or so said the recipe in the newsletter). But, it needed a little something extra. I'd really have to sit down and think about what I could put on top of it if I ever make it again.

So, here is the recipe that I used (the modified one) - enjoy! And if you make it, tell me your thoughts on what I can add to it!!

Ingredients:

1 LB boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 medium sweet potato (abt 8 oz) peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4" cubes
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

Season chicken lightly with salt and heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked through - about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Add broccoli, sweet potato and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.


Stir in apples, garlic, thyme and cinnamon. Cook 3 minutes.


Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add reserved chicken and remaining 1/2 cup broth.


Season with salt and black pepper as needed. Cook until hot, about 2 minutes.

Balsamic Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Let's get one thing straight... I HATE (hated?) sweet potatoes. Never would touch them, don't like the taste of them plain.

But give them to me in the way the recipe describes and I'll eat my weight in them. The balsamic and brown sugar glaze is so delicious!

I got this recipe from my mom's best friend who is like my other family. We were over her house for Rosh Hashanah and she made this as one of the sides. As I sat at the table, shoveling piece after piece into my mouth, my husband and parents stared at me like I had 4 heads.

"I thought you didn't like sweet potatoes..." my husband commented and my mom quickly nodded in agreement. I shrugged - this recipe was super tasty.

I made them on Sunday night because we were going over to our neighbor's house for dinner - the entire bowl was demolished between the 4 of us. Success! (Thanks for the recipe Iris!)

It's pretty easy to make these - takes a little over an hour but most of that is baking time for the potatoes.

Ingredients:

6 medium sized sweet potatoes - peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F


Divide the potato wedges between 2 jelly roll pans.


In saucepan, heat sugar, vinegar, butter and salt with 1/4 cup water to a boil over high heat.

Divide mixture between 2 pans, toss with potatoes to coat.

Make sure the potatoes are spread evenly on the pans.

Roast potatoes 45 minutes until tender and the glaze is thick.

AND EAT!!! YUM!!!

The only thing I had a problem with was cutting the raw sweet potatoes. Anyone have a good way to cut these suckers? They are pretty tough.

Otherwise, these will be a staple in my house from now on!!

Marbled Stuffed Potatoes

This recipe is courtesy of the October 2010 Food Network Magazine Issue


When I saw the following recipe in my Food Network Magazine, I couldn't wait to try it out - even though I am still not a huge sweet potato fan.

Well, the result was amazing. It was SO good - and both my husband and parents agreed and gobbled it up!!

The only bad thing about this recipe is the time it takes to make it. It's definitely an hour and a half to two hour project, so it's good for a weekend day you are home or if you have a day off. You can make this at night for the next day - I made it the day before I served them and they turned out just fine!

I used these as part of the Yom Kippur pre-fast dinner I was hosting for my husband and parents because it would be a filling component for dinner and my husband was fasting the next day for the holiday. These were definitely filling!

Here are the ingredients: (this was for a serving size of 4)

4 large russet potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (I actually just used ground nutmeg I had in the spice cabinet)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the russet and sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake 30 minutes.

Pierce each potato a few times with a fork and continue to bake until tender, 15 to 20 more minutes for the sweet potato and 20 to 25 more minutes for the russet potatoes. Let cool slightly.

Peel the sweet potato. Transfer to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork until almost smooth.

Trim a thin slice off the top of each russet potato, cutting lengthwise. Scoop most of the flesh into another bowl, leaving the shells intact.


Add the sour cream and butter to the russet potato bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the scallions, 1/2 cup cheese, the nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.

Gently fold in the sweet potato.


Brush the potato skins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Generously fill with the marbled potato mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, 25 to 30 minutes.



Since I made these the day before I was serving them, I actually only baked them for about 22 minutes and then let them cool. I put them in a covered tupperware and refrigerated them overnight. When it came time to serve them, I stuck them in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes until hot. I was worried they would get dry but they didn't due to the cheese and sour cream in the stuffing portion.

I also ended up having too much stuffing so I set it aside in another tupperware for us to eat as mashed potatoes one day!!

One change I made was using freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese. I was using a lot of Parmesan in other foods I was making for Yom Kippur dinner so I wasn't to keep it consistent and I thought the taste would mesh well. It did!!

I know these are a lot of work but I honestly can't tell you how delicious they are - coming from someone who never liked sweet potatoes and is just now starting to eat them in certain forms.

I give this a thumbs up and encourage you all to try it one day when you have some extra time. It's worth it!!