Food Lush

Did Someone Order More Sweet Potatoes?

By Ariel

Apparently the eating plans (*diet* is such a four-letter word, right?) across the board agree we all need to trade in our traditional white potatoes for its less-starchy cousin. I, like Maura, have been eating sweet potatoes in every way, shape, and form. One of my favorite ways to eat potatoes is home fries (and bacon-soaked hash browns, in the name of full disclosure) so I tried prepping sweet potatoes in a way that compliments them while I still get my savory kick.

(Photo by me)

Also in the spirit of full disclosure, I put hot sauce on pretty much everything breakfast related.

Sweet Potato Home Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2 pieces
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs ground savory
Approx 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (personal preference)
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (or omit, but I like the kick)
1 Tbs minced onion
1 cup minced bell pepper

The first time I tried to make these, I cooked them too high as I would regular potatoes. The thing about sweet potatoes is you have to cook them low and slow in the skillet. I start off by tossing some olive oil in a bowl with the potatoes and coating them with the spices. From there, it's a little more olive oil (or nonstick spray) in the skillet over medium low for about 15 minutes until they start getting a little tender. Then you can turn up the heat to medium until they fully cook through and then to medium high for the last 5 minutes or so to get a crunchier outside. 

You can still tell this is a sweet potato, but the spicy kick and the savory spices keep them from being overly sweet. I think tomorrow I'll be trying out this weeks Sweet Potato Chip recommendation and see if I can break a record or something for the many faces of the sweet potato.

What foods are you eating a ton of lately?

Spice Up Your Oven Fries

By Julie

I was grocery shopping the other day, absentmindedly looking for something new and fun to jazz up dinner when I happened upon this:

In the spirit of full disclosure, my oven fries have never been anything special, no matter what I've tried. I have yet to find that perfect crispy-fluffy texture, and the flavor is usually blah. So I picked up a packet and figured with an investment of 89 cents, it wasn't too risky to give this a spin.

I've got to hand it to Concord Foods - this seasoning makes one tasty potato. Bacon is the significant flavor, and even though I got barely a hint of chive, I was OK with that because it highlighted the other flavors perfectly. I couldn't stop eating them.

My eight year old son cleaned his plate, but my four year old daughter wouldn't touch them. In fairness, since she didn't taste anything, her opinion doesn't really count. And my husband ate every wedge that was left. So I'm calling this a win for my family.

Concord also makes dip, soup, and salsa seasoning blends, and I think I will be checking them out in the near future. Such a nice little kick for not a lot of money.

(Photo from Concord Foods)

Lunch on the Run: Bumblebee Tuna Salad Kits

By Nora

I just started a new job recently, and after working full-time from home for 4 years I now have to actually commute to an office 2 days a week and interact with other human beings (Boo-frickin-hoo, I know). Anyway, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to be very busy and that time for lunch would be limited on those days I was in the office. I am sometimes good at preparing my lunch the night before, but often, NOT (it's not that i'm lazy, I just like to spend my few toddler-free hours at night sitting on my butt watching bad TV and not moving).  But you know what? I found a really awesome solution to both my lack of desire to plan ahead and my lack of free time for lunch. 

I've actually known about these tuna kits for a while, but rediscovered them when I was cruising the grocery store aisles for lunch inspiration last week. Since I last had one of these, Bumblebee has actually made them a little more sophisticated by adding a fruit cup and a cookie (although you can buy the kit with just the tuna, mayo, relish and crackers). it's such an awesome, compact lunch option, and I can just throw it in my purse from the pantry and i'm all set. I'm not saying that I eat these every day, but on those days when I haven't planned ahead, they are an afternoon-saver for my rumbling tummy. 

(Photo from Bumblebee)

Quick and Easy Carrot Soup

Editor's note: A quick but very warm welcome to Hillary, a Style Lush writer who will be sharing her delicious recipes and food finds with Food Lush every other week. She's one of the best, as you'll soon see!

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By Hillary

January means trying to undo weeks of indulgent eating (at least in our house it does). It's a struggle to get back to our healthy routine, so I try to make it as easy as possible.

This soup is easy to prepare, is full of flavour, and (when portioned out and stored in glass jars in the fridge) is so easy to grab and go (removing the temptation to hit up a drive through).

Wash, and/or peel, and rough chop the following:

2lbs carrots
2 medium yams
4 - 6 stalks of celery
1 large onion
4 - 6 cloves of garlic
Knob of fresh ginger (I go for a 1-inch to 2-inch knob for a strong ginger flavour)

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (I use olive) in a large soup pot. Add your veg and cook on high heat for 7 - 10 minutes. You want to keep things moving so they don't burn.

Add 6 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable) or water and bring to a boil.

Spice it up! Cumin, dried ground ginger, rosemary, black pepper, orange zest - whatever you fancy.

Cover and simmer until veg is tender (15 - 30 minutes, depending on how large  your pieces are.)

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt (I always leave this until the end because I never know how salty my stock is.)

That's it! I love this recipe because it's so fast. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is the vegetable prep and because it's a blended soup the vegetables don't have to be chopped prettily. I store individual portions in mason jars in the fridge so lunch is just a few minutes in the microwave away.

Roasted Chickpeas

by Jess M

Like many people (most? it seems), now that January is here, I am trying to eat better, healthier, and exercise more. And as I've mentioned in other posts, I have a bad habit of eating terrible, convenient things during the day. It's very filling and super easy.

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas
1 T olive oil
1 t soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Mix olive oil, soy sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper, then toss with the chickpeas. Spread onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until crispy on the outside, still tender on the inside. (You may have to taste test a couple)

I first used this recipe for roasted chickpeas and here on Tasty Kitchen there are several different variations. 

You should probably share these; they make a great happy hour snack with a beer. They are also a really great alternative to plain chickpeas on top of a salad. However, I sometimes just eat them all for lunch. And if you eat a whole can of chickpeas for lunch you likely won't be hungry the rest of the afternoon.

(Photos: me)

Quick and easy Greek pasta salad

by Elsha

I've been visiting my sisters for the last several days (they live in the same town) and I always think it's fun to be in someone else's kitchen to see how they do things. What kind of food do they cook on a regular basis? Which foods do they consider "staples"? How is the kitchen organized? 

Anyway, for lunch one day, one of my sisters threw together this delicious and easy pasta salad. (Something I rarely think to make unless I'm taking it to a potluck.)

Here's what she put in:

Bow-tie pasta

Garbanzo beans

Chopped orange bell pepper 

Cucumber

Kalamata olives

Green olives

Cubed chicken (we baked chicken breasts, but you could use leftover chicken too.)

Feta cheese

Greek salad dressing

We didn't measure anything, just added until it looked good, and used enough dressing that everything got a nice coat. It was delicious, fresh, and even better the next day.

Do you have a favorite pasta salad recipe? 

Bread Pudding

By Jessica

In my opinion, dessert is the one food item that shouldn't be polarizing. It's DESSERT. It's the thing that you were the most excited about ALWAYS as a kid. It's the thing you bargained for and your parents bargained with, the thing that got you through that most hated vegetable (whatever your particular flavor of vegetable might happen to be). And yet, strong opinions abound. Are you a chocolate person? Are you more of a fruit person? Do you consider anything containing raisins an abomination? This is where I contradict my own opening premise. Because, raisins are the fru-its of the de-vil, raisins are little chewy, dried bits of evil. Do you happen to be a hater of bread pudding? Because apparently there are a lot of those out there as well.

I think the thing with bread pudding is that it can go right or it can go VERY WRONG in the texture department. It should never be the texture of baby food. NEVER. You should be able to clearly make out the torn (or cut) bits of bread. It should be a bit crusty on the top and the edges. You should have some degrees in softness. 

It should be GOOD.

And if it avoids raisins? Hey, that's as it should be.

The above bread pudding is a modification I made to this recipe. Essentially, I followed it as written but removed the raisins (OBVIOUSLY) and subbed the zest of a tangerine, you could add more if you want it more heavily scented, and a handful of good quality chocolate chips. 

For the bread I used a Pane Luciane I picked up at my local Central Market. It's a really dense bread that holds up well to the custard so you don't get any of that mushy nonsense you sometimes get served under the guise of bread pudding. 

What's your take on bread pudding?

Eggs: Easy Breakfast to Go!

by Maura

While most people are resolving to eat more vegetables, less meat, and exercise more, I'm resolving to eat more meat and eggs! (I'll also eat veggies and exercise.) Like thousands of others, I'm doing Whole 30 this month. As a result, I need a quick, easy, and filling breakfast that I can eat on the run. Eggs are a breakfast no-brainer and, in these cute to-go bites, they fit the bill.

The recipe is easy and very versatile. The first week, I used ground beef and broccoli. This week, I jazzed it up with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, Italian spices, and fresh parsley. For twelve muffins, I used 11 large eggs (10 extra large eggs). I put them in greased muffin tins and baked for 20-22 minutes at 350. If you don't have great non-stick muffin tins, you might want to consider using cupcake liners. Of course, if you are normal and aren't eschewing cheese for 30 days, you could add some pecorino, provolone, or parmesan cheese. Each morning, I heat them up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and I'm on the road!

Any suggestions for quicky, easy and protein-focused breakfasts?

Hot Chocolate in the Crock Pot

By Ariel

I told you my work does a lot of snack days. In honor of our team Christmas party today, one of the girls came up with doing a hot chocolate bar with all the fun trimmings. While we were skeptical, she totally rocked us all with an amazing hot chocolate brewed (do you brew hot chocolate? mix? create?) in a crock pot.

(Picture courtesy of Target.com, as well as my damask-loving wish list!)

Ginny's Crock Pot Hot Chocolate:

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
1 14oz can condensed milk
2 cups milk chocolate chips
6 cups milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

That's it! Mix it all together over low in a Crock Pot, stirring every few minutes to melt the chocolate chips and to keep them from sticking. This was a HUGE hit at work and I'm pretty sure some other coworkers who were not on our team snuck a cup or two. I plan on making this for a New Year's Eve gathering with Bailey's and Whipped Vodka on hand, but this would also make a charming Christmas morning treat. If you're feeling extra ambitious, why not throw together a few Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallows?

This is the last you'll here from me in 2012. I hope everyone has an AMAZING holiday season filled with delicious food, spiked hot chocolate, and of course, PLENTY of champagne!

Trial by Pancake: Fluffy Coconut & Pumpkin Protein

by Sarah Anne

I love breakfast.

It is no secret that brunch is the best meal of the day and I wish every restaurant served it every day. It is probably also no surprise that I too fall prey to the age old question "Sweet or Savory"? Do I have the eggs benedict with chipotle hollandaise over black bean puree with aged gouda, or do I go with the stuffed pumpkin french toast with bruleed pecans and lemon scented whipped coconut milk? (And uhm, who is going to make me both of those right now?) I often wish I could have half of one dish and half of another, sweet and savory, so at home we do scrambled eggs with a side of sweet sometimes. I'd say 75% of the time, savory wins out, but I always have that hankering for delicious pancakes or maple syrup doused french toast.

Once I've decided that sweet is the way to go, I have another conundrum: How do I avoid the white-flour-and-sugar spike? Pancakes and french toast never seem to really stick with me like eggs and toast do, which is frustrating when you're trying to eat healthy. I have searched the web high and low for a good option and I never seem to make the same recipe twice, until now.

I've tried SO many kinds of protein pancakes, banana flourless pancakes, and everything in between. You name it. I've tried it. In my search of finding the right pancake recipe, I discovered two recipes that are high protein, white flour free and have proven to keep me satisfied for far longer than your usual pancake breakfast does! You'll have to pardon a lack of personal photos, these happen in the morning and I'm sure you all understand my normal morning 'state'.

Jamie Eason's Pumpkin Protein Pancakes (more alliteration!) have been in rotation for a few months now. They're high in fiber and vitamin A due to the pumpkin and if you use gluten-free oats, they are a great option for the Celiac in your family. I know you all may be sick of pumpkin spice by this point, but trust me and give these a try.

Source

More recently (read last week), these delicious, Fluffy Coconut Pancakes thanks to Nourishing Days have been the go-to. They are lighter and definitely more like your average pancake I think. They have great ingredients, delicious light flavour and pack a punch of protein thanks to the egg whites. These beauties are also grain free, and dairy free for those with allergies or intolerances. 

Source

They are both pretty easy recipes, and quick, which let's face it is important in the morning. I love mine topped with coconut oil and syrup, or even smothered with a bit of your favourite nut butter. For those of you that haven't tried many paleo-style recipes, please be aware that the coconut pancakes are a little eggy, but the author has updated her recipe with a few tip and tricks to try.

I'm not sure which is my favourite to be honest, but these recipes have certainly increased the 'sweet' breakfast options in my house. I have substituted banana for the pumpkin in the first recipe, but it just wasn't as tasty as the original. Lesson learned: Sarah, stick to the recipe.

Do you have a 'go-to' recipe for french toast, waffles or pancakes? What is your normal breakfast? Is weekend brunch your thing? I'd love to have some new recipes for my repetoire!

Oh, and folks? Please, do yourself and me a favour and use real maple syrup. It's the only way.

Source: My Dad's homemade, Maine maple syrup.