Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Every year on Thanksgiving, I see my beloved Sweet Potatoes / Yams traditionally swimming in fattening things like butter, marshmallows, and brown sugar. Sorry, for the bluntness but I always think to myself, what a terrible way to ruin a perfect healthy food. This recipe I found on the Food Network with Chef Tyler Florence so I cannot take credit for this one. I was thrilled to see this recipe because it is Gluten Free and Vegan. It could be Paleo friendly too, if honey is on the Paleo list. I am still learning the Paleo way so this recipe may not be Paleo friendly. The sweet potatoes sweetened with just right amount of honey and the cinnamon really makes it wonderful. I love this recipe and it is definitely worth keeping.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Created on 11/18/14

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Ingredients
Serves 4 people, Preheat oven to 375 degrees
(Double this, it is worth it for leftovers)

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
¼ cup of olive oil or coconut oil
¼ cup of honey
3 teaspoons of cinnamon

Toss all ingredients well in a bowl and spread single layer on a cookie sheet or a Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan. (Cook Note: invest in the Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan – it is worth it and you will use it all the time). Roast for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until sweet potatoes caramelize from the honey. Serve with any meal. It does not have to be Thanksgiving. Most Excellent!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

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Filed under: Gluten Free, Holiday Recipes, Paleo, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Broccoli Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Sunday was the first day of Daylight Savings Time. The day was a gorgeous, crisp and sunny fall day. Drove around doing errands and showing my friends around Columbus. They wanted to visit the Whole Foods on Route 161 in Dublin. Awesome Store! I had researched earlier on the internet for recipes for the week and to prepare for my dinner party on Wednesday and came across a blog called detoxinista.com and saw some recipes I wanted to try. This one is similar to what we know as Broccoli, Rice and Cheese casseroles. I remember my mom making this with Cream of Celery Soup, frozen broccoli, lots of cheese and white rice. Now that I think about it, ick! I made this recipe and tweaked it some to suit my tastes and was it was amazing! This recipe has no dairy or cream of “something” soup. Tasted just like the real Broccoli and Cheese Casserole. I wish I can take credit for this recipe but I cannot! Most Excellent!

Broccoli, Asparagus Quinoa Casserole
Created on 11/3/13

photo (18)

For the “mock” cheese sauce:
1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (I microwaved mine for 5 minutes)
1-1/2 cups of water
¼ cup of Bragg’s nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon of chili powder

To put the casserole together:
1 cup of dry quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups of water
2 teaspoon of olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups of broccoli florets
2-1/2 cups of roasted asparagus (this is optional, just adjust the choice of vegetables to equal 5 cups)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To cook the quinoa, put water and rinsed quinoa in a pan, bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa was plumped up. Fluff with a fork gently and set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking, in a large sauté pan, on medium high heat, add the oil and onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes till the onions are translucent (shiny) and tender. Add the broccoli florets and 2 tablespoons of water to the sauté pan and mix well. Cover and steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes until tender but not mushy.

In a blender, in order add the water, mashed sweet potato, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder and chili powder until creamy and smooth.

Combine the quinoa and sautéed vegetables in a large bowl and add the sweet potato cream and combine well. Spread in a large casserole dish or deep dish stoneware. Bake for 10 minutes until bubbly and hot. I cooked mine for 45 minutes and the top was a little bit dark but I think it deepened the flavor.

Serve the casserole with a Green Salad.

Filed under: Gluten Free, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Sweet Potato Mushroom Casserole

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
As always, I am trying to cut down on eating a lot of potatoes. I came up with this recipe on one of my searches for good healthy food. I found a recipe on the blog of “Joy the Baker” and I tweaked quite a bit of it as I wanted to be really careful with the fat content of this recipe and add more vegetables. I was shocked at how wonderful this recipe turned out. The first thing that popped in my mind is how warm and hearty this recipe is and what a great side dish or main dish for a Potluck or Thanksgiving dinner. The original recipe used biscuits / dumplings; I chose Arrowhead Organic Herb Stuffing instead. The stuffing had whole grain bread and lower carbohydrates than the biscuits. I imagine you can really use anything for a topping. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Mushroom Casserole
Created on March 11, 2012

3 medium sweet potatoes or yams (about the size of your fist) to equal roughly 2 cups, diced
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz of Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
3 oz of button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 medium sized organic carrots or 4 small sized carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup of organic fresh or frozen baby peas
1 cup of organic corn
3 to 4 teaspoons of fresh Thyme, roughly chopped to release the oils
3 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup of flour or corn starch
3 teaspoons of Balsamic vinegar (I did not really accurately measure I just used 3 generous dashes)
1 (10 oz) package of organic Arrowhead Savory Herb Stuffing (or use some type of your favorite topping)
4 cups of Mushroom broth (you could use vegetable broth – Mushroom Broth really puts out the flavor)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, heat up the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms begin to become soft and caramelized. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan and add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add carrots and sweet potatoes and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes and carrots are soft but firm. Be careful not to cook for a long time because the sweet potatoes will become mush. Add the cooked mushrooms back to the pan. Add the flour or corn starch and stir. Cook the flour for about a minute and then add the 2 cups of mushroom broth to the filling slowly, stir until thickened. Add the peas and carrots. Season filling with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and Thyme.

Prepare the topping. Put the herb stuffing in a bowl and toss with the balance of the mushroom broth. Mix well with a fork, the stuffing should be crumbly.

In a 9 x 13 pan, layer the mushroom and sweet potato filling and top with the stuffing. Lightly sprinkle the remaining olive oil so that you will get some crunchy effect when you bake the casserole. Bake casserole for 30 minutes until the mushroom broth is bubbly and seeping of the top of the stuffing. The stuffing should be a deep brown.

Serve with a nice mixed green salad seasoned with fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Casserole Recipes, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
 
One of my weaknesses is potatoes. I love potatoes. If I could eat potatoes every day I would but I cannot because of my diabetes. So….. looking at other alternatives, I have been searching. Sweet Potatoes are one of the things I eat quite a bit because of the nutritional value and it does not make my blood sugar go nuts. I am always looking for new recipes and ideas to for different things and I have seen things like Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili, Sweet Potato Soup, Sweet Potato Nachos….. interesting and the search goes on. I will eventually cook all of my food searches some day. My first quest to find a recipe that is familiar to me and I do make it often which is Potato Pancakes. Since we know potatoes makes the sugar spike as it is a complex carbohydrate, I tried Sweet Potatoes instead, a simple carbohydrate. Many of the recipes called for sugar, brown sugar, honey, – why add sugar, sweet potatoes are naturally sweetened as it is. Omit sugar. I baked my Sweet Potato Pancakes because I did not want the added fat of frying them like Potato Pancakes. I am in love. What a great turnout, I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Next time I am going to try adding grated an apple – thinking …….

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Created on 02/01/11

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 very large sweet potatoes shredded to equal about 4 cups
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 eggs beaten (you can use any type of egg substitute to suit your diet)
¼ cup of garbanzo bean flour or regular flour (use what will suit your diet preferences)
Salt and Pepper to taste (approximately ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon depends on your taste buds)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Sour cream, yogurt, applesauce whichever you prefer, I added cinnamon to my sour cream for that extra oomph and yum!

Shred the sweet potatoes using a hand held grater (work) or a food processor (easy) with the grater attachment.

Sweet Potatoes Pancake Prep

 
 
Put in a bowl; add the onion, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well using a wood spoon. Using a large scoop equal to ½ cup, to form the lump and then put on a stone or a lightly greased cookie tray, flatten with scoop or wood spoon to resemble a patty. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes depending on your oven, you want the outsides of patties to be really crispy. Flip the pancakes if using a cookie sheet 20 minutes into cooking, continue cooking for additional 20 minutes. A stone will brown the patties thoroughly without flipping the sweet potato patties over. Serve with cinnamon sour cream, yogurt or applesauce. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Sweet Potato Baby Spinach Chicken Stir Fry

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I think this recipe was an unusual twist for me. I wanted rice that day but settled for Quinoa, which is a much healthier grain for me. It was so late in the day and I just threw some things together that I already had on hand. Sometimes I find that putting the simplest things together for a dish can create some amazing results. I sautéed the onions until they were caramelized a deep brown and then added the sweet potatoes to the mixture and created this sweet, warm, satisfying dish that just hit the spot.

Sweet Potato Baby Spinach Chicken Quinoa Stir-Fry

Sweet Potato, Spinach, Chicken Stir-Fry, created on 10/21/2010

1 package of organic chicken tenderloins, cut into chunks
1 large sweet potato cut into 1-1/2” cubes
1 large red onion, halved and cut into half-moon slices
½ package of organic baby spinach
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt / Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons of olive oil

Sauté the chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until cooked thoroughly and is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a bowl – set aside.

Heat the rest of the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan, and add the onions. Cook until the onions are a deep brown color. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and minced garlic. Sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes and then add the vegetable broth. Simmer over medium low heat until 3/4 ‘s of the vegetable broth is absorbed and the sweet potatoes are soft but not mushy. Stir constantly and gently not to break the sweet potatoes so that they turn into a mash. This will take about another 7 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir well. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly heated and meshed well with the ingredients. Remove from the heat, add the baby spinach, and cover for about 2 minutes. The spinach will wilt. Stir once or twice to blend the spinach with the rest of the ingredients. Serve over cooked Quinoa.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

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Sweet Potato Navy Bean Soup

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
The weather is turning colder and the leaves have turned into soft vibrant shades of gold, red and oranges. Frost has appeared on my car window this morning and I thought this is the perfect day for soup. I put a pot of navy beans on the stove to cook in the middle of the week and had the rest of the ingredients on hand. I thought how do I make a healthy and satisfying soup that is not loaded in calories. I hope you enjoy the soup as much as my company and I did. The soup was a hit and I plan to make it often.

Sweet Potato Navy Bean Soup

Sweet Potato Navy Bean Soup, created on October 16, 2010

Preparation for the Navy Beans – this can be done earlier or on the same day.

2 cups of dried beans, picked, cleaned, and rinsed from any dirt or any other object in the beans
Enough cold water to cover the top of the beans in the pot, plus 3 inches over the layer of beans
Cook for 2-1/2 hours on med-low heat and add water as needed to keep the beans covered
Cook until the beans have the right consistency and are of a soft consistency
Drain the beans and store in container in refrigerator until ready to use for a recipe

Most recipes explain the beans should be soaked overnight. I did not do that this time and the beans were fine.

2 cups of cooked Navy beans
2 large sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks
½ bag of organic baby spinach
1 package of Turkey Kielbasa preferably organic, cut in cubes
6 cups water
1 teaspoon of “Better than Bouillon” vegetable base
1 teaspoon of “Better than Bouillon” mushroom base
1 large red onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt / Pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, heat up the olive oil, add the red onion, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are semi-soft and lightly browned. Add the water, sweet potatoes, turkey kielbasa, bouillon, and cooked navy beans and bring to boil and then reduce the heat and simmer over medium low heat for about 40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Remove from the heat and add the baby spinach wait a minute or two and the spinach will wilt and mesh in with the soup.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Simply Healthy Recipes, Soup and Stew Recipes | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

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