Soul Sweet Potatoes

 

If you are to make one recipe for next year's Thanksgiving or Christmas or anytime it's this one!  Ree Drummond a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman has never steered me wrong before and this is no exception.  We're going to call it a side dish, but it's so sweet it could double as a dessert.  But hey, since there are sweet potatoes in it, it must be healthy, right? 

 

Soul Sweet Taters

found in Food Network Magazine, November 2012

 

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup flour

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

 

Preheat oven to 375.  Put the sweet potatoes on the oven rack and bake until fork-tender, about 45 minutes.  When potatoes are finished cooking, let cool slightly, about five minutes.  Slice them open lengthwise and scrape out the flesh with a fork into a large bowl. 

 

*Note: I did the above the day before I planned to serve the dish.

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Add the granulated sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.  Mash the mixture with a potato masher until combined and slightly lumpy.

 

Now, in a separate bowl, mash the brown sugar, pecans, flour, and butter with a pastry cutter or fork until thoroughly combined.  The mixture should resemble a crumble. 

 

Spread the sweet potato mixutre in a oval-shaped baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture over top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I've grown up with the idea that the only warm green vegetable to be served at a Thanksgiving is green bean casserole (preferably made with canned green beans and french fried onions on top).  But, since I was hosting this year, I thought I would try something new.  Each week I see brussel sprouts at the grocery store, and each week I pass over them not sure what to do with them.  But then I found a good sounding recipe for Balsamic Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts on Pintrest and thought that I would try them. 

They were really easy to put together, and although they were a little stinky while roasting, they were delicious!  The sprouts and carrots got caramelized during roasting - yum!

This little pilgrim asked for seconds!  So they must have been good!

Bacon-Cornbread Stuffing

I've never made homemade stuffing before (I'm a Stove Top kind of gal) but thought I would try to make some for Thankgiving.  When I saw this recipe in the November 2012 Everyday Food magazine I thought I would try it.  After all, who doesn't like bacon!

 

Bacon-Cornbread Stuffing

serves 8

1 pan cornbread (8" square) cut into 1/2 inch cubes

8 slices white sandwich bread (I used the multigrain I had on hand)

4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small yellow onion, diced small

2 stalks celery, diced medium

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped sage leaves

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread cornbread and bread onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile in a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about five minutes.  Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook about four minutes.  Stir in sage and transfer to a large bowl.

 

Add cornbread, bread, eggs, broth, parsley, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Toss until combined.  Let sit five minutes, then toss again.  Put in casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

Grilled Marinated Vegetables

Okay, so I can't really remember the name of this side dish, but it is delicious!  Plus it uses up whatever garden vegetables that you have.  The next time I make this I'm going to use much less marinade since there was so much.  But since my entire family loved it, you better believe that I'm making it again!

Grilled Marinated Vegetables

1-2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1-2 summer squash, thinly sliced
1 onion, cut into small wedges
2 green peppers, seeds removed and thinly sliced
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
2-3 tomatoes, quartered or sliced into eighths (depending on size)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup honey
salt
pepper

Put sliced vegetables in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and pour over veggies.  Let sit 2-3 hours.  Drain and grill vegetables until cooked through.

Grilled Summer Squash

I typically like all vegetables. I feel like I need to say that before I mention that I just don't like summer squash. I've tried it all sorts of ways, but I always find it lacking in the flavor department. This is, until I tried it a new way. I thought marinading it would help give the bland veggie some life, and I was right!

Grilled Summer Squash

by Katie Zeeb

Cut summer squash and zucchini into small disks and put in a gallon size baggie. Add bottled Italian salad dressing and let sit for a few hours. Heat grill. Drain veggies in a colander to remove excess dressing. Put in grill basket and cook. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving today! We spent part of the day in Claremont at my grandma's house for lunch. It was delicious! I love it when everyone brings a dish for a holiday meal - that way you can try all sorts of new things. Yum!!

I brought two things for the holiday meal - low fat sweet potatoes and a lettuce salad.

The sweet potatoes was a new recipe that I found in a Weight Watchers magazine. They were easy and fantastic! I'm even looking forward to the leftovers.

Sweet Potato Crunch

Serves 8
2 points per serving

4 sweet potatoes

1 1/2 cups vanilla nonfat yogurt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup low fat granola

Place washed sweet potatoes in oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40-60 minutes or until they are soft to the touch. After the potatoes have cooled, remove the skin.

Place sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whip on medium speed until thoroughly combined.

Coat cooking dish with cooking spray. Scoop potato mixture into the prepared dish.

Sprinkle granola evenly across the top of the potatoes and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

The other dish I brought was a Cashew-Pear Tossed Salad. I like to make this for group meals, since it's a large salad. Plus the flavors compliment a variety of dished...not to mention it is delicious! I tweaked it a bit for our own tastes, but here's the whole recipe.

Cashew-Pear Tossed Salad

from Carla Sanderson (Claremont United Methodist Church cookbook)

1 bunch romaine lettuce, torn

1 cup salted cashews (I left out)

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I left out)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 medium pear, thinly sliced

2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp finely chopped red onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1-2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp mustard

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cheese, pear, cashews, and cranberries. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Weight Watchers Corn Bake

I found a recipe in the latest Weight Watchers magazine for a Corn Bake. I thought I'd try it since hubby likes all things corn. It turns out it's delicious. It kind of tastes like escalloped corn, but not as rich.


It was so easy to mix up and bake. Try it some night - we served it with both grilled pork and grilled chicken.


Corn Bake
WWpoints: 3
Serves 10


2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn
1 (14 3/4oz) can cream-style corn
1 (8 1/2oz) box corn muffin mix
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (or skim milk)
2 T light butter, melted


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes.