ROASTED SAVORY SWEET POTATOES

 

ROASTED SAVORY SWEET POTATOES

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  IINGREDIENTS3 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon chili powder use cayenne for substitutions
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Cut equal sized cubes. Make sure they are all even size for uniform cooking. Cut them as small as ½ inch cubes to as chunky as 2 inch cubes. You choose!
• Transfer cut potatoes onto a baking sheet.
• Drizzle generous amount of olive oil over the potatoes.
• Add in all the spices along with salt and ground pepper.
• Mix well to coat evenly.

  Note: Use your finger to mix in the spices into the potatoes. It ensures each potato piece is evenly coated.
• Arrange it in a single layer.
• Roast in pre-heated oven at 425 degree Fahrenheit for 45 – 55 minutes, tossing the sweet potatoes every 10 -15 minutes to prevent it from burning and to get even cook and caramelization on every piece.
• Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh parsley.
• Serve immediately with your favorite dish.

Thai Chicken Buddah Bowls

 We loved this today. I tripled it and served 10.

THAI CHICKEN BUDDHA BOWLS

yield: 4 SERVINGS

 

INGREDIENTS:

·    1 cup quinoa or rice

·    1/4 cup chicken stock

·    1 1/2 tablespoons ground fresh chile paste- I used bottled chile paste and decreased the amount

·    1 tablespoon brown sugar

·    1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

·    1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks

·    1 tablespoon cornstarch

·    1 tablespoon fish sauce

·    1 tablespoon olive oil

·    2 cloves garlic, minced

·    1 shallot, minced

·    1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

·    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

·    2 cups shredded kale or spinach

·    1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

·    1 cup bean sprouts (I didn’t use these)

·    2 carrots, peeled and grated

·    1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

·    1/4 cup roasted peanuts

FOR THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

·    3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

·    2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

·    1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

·    2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

·    2 teaspoons ground fresh chile paste

DIRECTIONS:

1.       To make the spicy peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, chile paste and 2-3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside.

2.       Cook rice/quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.

3.       In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, chile paste, brown sugar and lime juice; set aside.

4.       In a large bowl, combine chicken, cornstarch and fish sauce, tossing to coat and letting the chicken absorb the cornstarch.

5.       Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, shallot and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock mixture until slightly thickened, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

6.       Divide farro into bowls. Top with chicken, kale/spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro and peanuts.

7.       Serve with spicy peanut sauce.

 

Butternut Squash Chowder in a bread bowl

Bread Bowl Butternut Squash Chowder

 

            2 Russet Potatoes (I used 5 red potatoes)

1 large Yellow Onion

12-15 oz Butternut Squash, Cubed

4-6 oz Corn Kernels

4 fl. oz. Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Celery Stalks

1/3 Flour mix with cold water

4 Sage Sprigs minced

2 tbl Vegetable or chicken base

4 Garlic Cloves minced

 

 

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbl. olive oil, onion, celery, potato, butternut squash, and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Mix flour with 1 cup cold water.

 

Add the vegetable base and 5 cups of water to vegetables in pot. Add flour and water mixture. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the minced sage and corn kernels and cook for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It's Too Hot Here to Bake It Chicken Divan

 We have modified the Chicken Divan/Chicken Broccoli Casserole recipes in a way that avoids warming up the oven and our house.

Sauce:

Approximately 1 1/2 lb chicken (dark or light or a mixture; can also use canned or leftover cooked chicken)

2 cans cream of chicken soup*

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or more)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Broccoli, steamed

Rice, cooked

You will probably want to start cooking the rice first. If chicken isn't cooked, boil it in a pot or cook it in an Instant Pot (which works great to cook straight from frozen). When it is cooked take out the chicken and shred it. Now is a good time to steam the broccoli. Make a sauce with the chicken broth from the cooked chicken, or if you didn't cook the chicken use some chicken base and water and add the cream of chicken soup (*or alternative or a combination of both), mayonnaise and stir until smooth. Add the curry powder and add back the chicken. When it is warmed through add the lemon juice and decrease the temperature.

Layer broccoli and rice on the bottom (any order is fine) and pour sauce over it. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired and serve. If you don't mind heating up the oven and want to bake it and make it a casserole still steam the broccoli, if you aren't going to put it together immediately you may want to chill the broccoli if you don't want it too mushy. Put broccoli in the bottom of baking dish/pan and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Bake in the oven at about 350 for about 30 min. Serve over rice if desired.

*cream of chicken soup alternative (cheaper and healthier and use food storage) substitute 4 scant Tbsp of powdered milk and 2 heaping Tbsp of cornstarch (ish, measurements don't have to be super exact) with chicken soup base, any other seasonings you may choose to use and 1 1/4 cup water to substitute for each can of cream of chicken soup. I like to mix this separately with an immersion blender and then add it to make the sauce.

I remember Mom making this casserole and we always really liked it. She always baked it in the oven and I don't remember having it over rice, but it's a good thing and you can always make more sauce if you plan to put it over rice. My recollection is that Mom got the recipe from a ward or Relief Society dinner or some such event.

Chocolate Lava Cake in the Crockpot

 Makes 8 servings, Prep Time: 15 min, Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients

1 cup dry all-purpose baking mix*

1 cup sugar, divided

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 1/3 cup, divided

½ cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 2/3 cups hot water

*we always substitute 1 cup flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp oil or shortening or butter (if use shortening or butter cut the fat into the dry ingredients).

Equipment:

3 ½-at slow cooker

Cooking spray

Medium-sized mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

Mixing spoon

Potholder

Toothpick or cake tester

Directions: 

1. Spray inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray

2. In medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the baking mix (or substitutes), ½ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla.  Spoon the batter into your slow cooker and spread it out evenly.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup sugar, 1/3 c cocoa powder, and the hot water together. Carefully pour this mixture over the batter. Do not stir.

4. Cover you slow cooker. Cook the cake on high for 2-3 hours.

5. After 2 hours, use the potholder to remove the lid. Carefully stick a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake and pull it out. If the toothpick looks wet the cake needs to keep cooking. If it has some dry crumbs on it, it’s time to eat.

6. If the cake needs to cook longer, continue to test it with a toothpick every 15 min until it’s done.

7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Top with powdered sugar and whipped cream if you wish.

This is called Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake in the Fix-It and Forget-It Kids’ Cookbook. It is great to make before you head off to a performance and have a treat as you get home. Melissa enjoyed making it for her Activity Days treat. 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad with Garlicky Honey-Dijon Dressing

 I made this for dinner and wasn't able to find pomegranates this time of year so I used raspberries. It was delicious!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Pomegranate Salad with Garlicky Honey-Dijon Dressing

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

·          

·         Squash:

·         2 cups butternut squash diced

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

·         Cayenne pepper to taste

·          

·         Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette:

·         3 tbsp olive oil

·         2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

·         1 tbsp Dijon mustard

·         1 tbsp honey

·         1 clove of garlic minced

·         Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

·          

·         Salad:

·         3 cups arugula

·         2 cups spinach

·         1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

·         1/4 red onion thinly sliced

·         3 tbsp goat cheese crumbled

·         2 tbsp toasted pepitas pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1.             Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.             Roast the butternut squash by tossing it together with the olive oil, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste.

3.             Place on a rimmed baking sheet and place into the oven.

4.             Roast for 8 minutes then gently flip them over and continue to roast for another 7 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Remove from the oven; set aside to cool.

5.             Prepare the vinaigrette while the butternut squash is roasting by combining the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

6.             Whisk until well combined and creamy.

7.             Make the salad by combining the spinach and arugula in a large serving bowl.

8.             Top with the roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, red onion slices, goat cheese crumbles, and toasted pepitas. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

 

Navajo Tacos and Indian Fry Bread

 Tacos:

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 16 oz can refried beans (we use reasonable equivalent amount of dehydrated refried beans and rehydrate them in the process)

1 envelope taco seasoning mix (

1 1/2 cup water

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c water

vegetable oil (for frying)

Toppings:

Sour cream, lettuce (shredded), cheese (shredded), tomato (diced), Onion, chopped, Salsa and/or pico de gallo

In a frying pan with a lid, thoroughly combine ground beef (raw), refried beans (if using reconstituted start the refried beans rehydrating first), taco seasoning mix, and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced and mixture is thick. (Approx 20 min or so while you make the Indian Fry Bread.) In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; mix well.  Add water gradually, forming a stiff dough. Pull off egg-sized balls of dough and quickly roll, pull, and, on a floured surface, pat them out into large, plate-ssized rounds. They should be thin in the middle and about 1/4 inch thick around the edges. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough to prevent bubbles from forming. In a skillet, heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Brown dough circles on each side until golden brown. Use a fork to poke any bubbles that may form. When golden brown, lift from oil, shake gently to remove bulk of oil, and place on paper towels to drain. Spread meat/bean mixture on Indian Fry Bead and top with your favorite toppings. Makes 10 servings.

The first time we made these was for part of Melissa's Personal Progress goal to plan and cook meals. While it is a favorite (and the first recipe she asked for when she went away to college) that first time making it was memorable because in the process of cooking the fry bread Melissa got terrible burns on her hands--she'll show you the scars.

We have made it with pre-cooked ground beef and just mixed it in and while it is different it still works.

Gingersnaps modified by Brett

 

GINGERSNAPS

 

1½ cup shortening

2 cup brown sugar

½ cup molasses

2 eggs

±4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

 

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, molasses, and eggs until fluffy. Stir dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Form into small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place balls evenly spaced on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes.

 

Notes: I usually add the flour one cup at a time until I get the texture I want―firm enough to form into balls but not so firm that it is dry and crumbly. I also usually start with baking them at 9 minutes and then watch them with the oven light to pull them out at just the right moment. They are done when there is a good amount of cracking across the top of each cookie. If you wait until the edges start to darken, they will be overdone, and the bottom will be too crispy.

 

Take a picture of this recipe and make them for your friends. They make the perfect fall and winter treat!