Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I made these for Thanksgiving last month and they were a big hit with everyone! So I made a double batch of them Friday to bring to a family Christmas celebration yesterday.  Again, several people requested the recipe, surprised at how much they liked savory sweet potatoes. These are definitely a much healthier alternative to the usual fare of candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, like the ones I ate growing up.  If you like garlic, use the full 4 cloves listed in the ingredients, but if not, feel free to reduce the amount to whatever fits your "Pzazz-ometer". This recipe is an adaptation of one from the blog of Our Savory Life.  


Ingredients:
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
(choose ones that are all about the same size)
coconut oil for coating the potatoes
Additional 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork, then lightly coat them with coconut oil,and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. (One time I coated them first and then tried to pierce them....slippery and dangerous. Yikes!) Bake for 45 minutes or until juice from the potatoes are oozing. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the sweet potatoes are baking, saute the minced garlic cloves in the coconut oil over medium heat until fragrant and turning light brown (about 3 - 5 minutes).  Add the minced fresh thyme and continue cooking for about 3 - 4 more minutes.

Just a note about fresh thyme. Thyme is a very tiny herb and it is time consuming to strip it from the stem and then mince it. To get 2 - 3 Tablespoons of it for this recipe, I used about 10 sprigs. However, if time and energy are at a premium, use the dried ground form --- maybe about 1 -2 teaspoons.  The fresh thyme imparts such an incredibly good flavor, though, that if you can manage it, it is definitely worth the time and effort.


Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes and mash the pulp to desired consistency.  Add salt, pepper, and thyme/garlic oil mixture. Mix until well combined. These refrigerate well so they are a great dish to make a day before your holiday event. Simply warm them up in the microwave. Then be prepared to share the recipe!








Nutrition per serving:  
Servings per recipe: 4            
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 138
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium:  332 mg
Total Carbs: 25 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 3 g

Lemon Balsamic Beets

The beets in Tom's garden are ruby red and delicious!  I relive my favorite childhood memories of planting and harvesting beets with my mom in her garden, then enjoying their sweetness together. Maybe that is why I asked Tom to plant more beets this year.  With each bite, I recall those fine summer days of long ago.  Our Duluth summer will come to a close all too quickly, but fortunately Tom's garden is doing remarkably well, as you can see in this photo from August 18.  That was just a portion of the harvest in a single day. Tom has been busy daily harvesting the bounty, while I have been trying to keep up with processing and cooking it all.  

One of my recent ways to add Pzazz to my food without fat or carbohydrates is to add flavored balsamic vinegar. The Rustic Olive is a new premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar "tasting bar" in Canal Park in Duluth. They carry an amazing line of flavored balsamic vinegar and high quality extra-virgin olive oils. I have never seen such an array of balsamic vinegar!  Blueberry, Espresso, Mango, Maple, Dark Chocolate, Pear, on and on it goes! Their Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar seemed like a good option to try for a variety of summer foods. I splashed some on my finely pulverized beets and let them marinate for about an hour before I ate them. Refreshing and lively!  Definitely my new favorite way to enjoy summer beets.   

As a side note, I read in a diabetes magazine sometime in the past year that there have been studies indicating that about a teaspoon of vinegar can help lower blood sugar for that meal. Fascinating.  I'll see if I can find that article again and do more research into the topic and report back to you.  Meanwhile, check out The Rustic Olive for Pzazz if you are in Duluth! Or stop by my house for an armful of kale, chard, beets, and a variety of summer squash that I will gladly share with you, my sweet friends!

Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and cooked sliced beets
1 teaspoon Sicilian Lemon white balsamic vinegar or more as desired (another type of white balsamic vinegar could be used)


Preparation:
I chopped the sliced,cooked beets in the chopper attachment of my Cuisinart Smart Stick. This gadget minced them so fine! Then I added the lemon balsamic vinegar and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. I garnished them with a sprig of lemon basil. Of course, a couple of flowers from the garden also added some Pzazz to the meal!

Nutrition per serving:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: About 3/4 cup
Calories: 57
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 75 mg
Total Carbs: 14 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 2 g

Cardamom-Ricotta Squash

I have more leftover food than leftover energy today.  So I made something really easy and yet tasty.  Cooked squash mixed with ricotta cheese spiced with cardamom created a delectable and healthy vegetable dish.  Our son, Caleb, who shares my love of cooking, is the one who told me that cardamom and ricotta are good companions.  A friend had given Tom several Sweet Dumpling winter squash, which was a new variety for both Tom and me.  We were delighted with its sweet, dry, nutty flavor, and glad to find the seed in the 2012 Pinetree Garden Seed catalog that arrived a couple of weeks ago so we can plant some next year.  I had cooked some of this squash for Thanksgiving and had a bit left.  I have mixed winter squash with ricotta and cardamom before, and used it as filling in egg-white crepes.  I didn't have the energy to make crepes today, so just scrambled some egg whites for protein and had a cracker to go with it.  Maybe another day I will make the crepes and post that for you to see.  It really looks lovely.   

Ingredients:
3/4 cup mashed/pureed cooked winter squash
1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
Sprinkle of freshly ground cardamom, to desired taste

Preparation:
Thoroughly mix the squash and ricotta cheese. Add freshly ground cardamom and stir.  Serve as a vegetable side dish, or use it as a filling in crepes. 

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 142
Total Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 19 mg
Sodium:  81 mg
Total Carbs: 18 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 8 g

Pureed Yams with Ginger, Star Anise, and Cinnamon

The original recipe was from the November 2010 Country Living magazine, but it contained butter and brown sugar, so I modified it to meet my needs.  I love cinnamon and ginger, so it was a hit with me!  A nutritional bonus is the 975 grams of potassium.  I served this as a side dish for a pureed kale soup with ground turkey in it, and some yogurt for dessert.  Tasty!

Ingredients:
1 medium yam, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup of cubes)
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger

Preparation:
In a medium pot, add yam, star anise, cinnamon stick and enough water to cover, about 2 cups.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook yams until soft, about 10 minutes.
Drain, reserving liquid and discarding spices. Add Smart Balance, soy sauce and ginger and puree with an immersion stick.  Add some of the reserved liquid, if needed, to achieve a smooth consistency.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and serve hot. 

Nutrition:
Serving Size: 1 large serving of about 1 1/4 cup
Calories:  219
Fat:  6 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium:  273 mg
Total Carbohydrates:  40 g
Dietary Fiber:  6 g
Protein:  3 g