Tag Archives: breakfast

Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage & Eggs

September 17, 2012
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Brunch is the thing to do Saturday and Sunday mornings in NYC. Because everyone is doing it, there is usually a line just about everywhere you go and it ends up being the center of your day. This weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s house for brunch. No line, no hustle and bustle of waitstaff swooshing by carrying coffee, bellinis, mimosas and OJs, just four of us on her balcony with homemade everything.

Besides coffee, bloody marys and popovers, my friend made a wonderful dish of baked eggs with sweet potato and sausage hash. She made the hash Saturday night and in the morning poured it into a cast iron skillet and made room for 8 eggs to be nestled in the hash. The whole thing baked in the oven in just a few minutes. What an easy dish to ensure that everyone gets a warm meal!

You can find the recipe and more on The Kitchn blog.

St Patrick’s Day Sweet Potato Stew – No More Mallows!

March 13, 2012
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As announced last week, it is time for our Annual Blogger Recipe Contest with the theme of ‘No More Mallows’.  Regular readers know that sassy sweets are such a versatile and adaptable ingredient that it really is a shame to condemn them to a monotonous culinary role as “that marshmallow casserole.” To me, it’s like taking a fine dry-aged prime-rib and using it to make a chicken fried steak.  Sure, it would probably taste good, but think of the potential cuisine that could have been.

Here is a little inspiration for your recipes. Over the past few years, this blog has highlighted sweet potato biscuits, nachos, cookies, pizza, soup, salad, ice cream, burritos, and sandwiches. Out sassy sweets have been paired with endive, mushrooms, quinoa, avocados, oranges, and even chocolate.  They have been featured in Italian, Spanish, German, Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, Korean, Jewish, Chinese, and American cuisine where they were fried, grilled, boiled, baked, sauteed, fricasseed, juiced, gravied, frozen and even served raw….all without a mallow in sight. 

And that’s not all. The sweet potato truly is the wonder of the kitchen.  It is a superfood that tastes delicious…How does it get any better than that?  I doubt I could eat spirulina every day, but sweet potatoes are something I just can’t do without.  I’m eatin’ em for breakfast lunch and dinner…and getting all those health benefits with hardly any effort on my part. What’s not to love!

As a final bit of inspiration, here is a recipe that is perfect for the season. With St Patrick’s Day right around the corned, I am featuring an Irish inspired dish, Sweet potato Stew with Pork.  Traditionally, Irish cooks used pork instead of corned beef. The beef tradition was actually started in New York, not Ireland, but I digress.  If you just can’t do without that corned beef flavor, try adding a bouquet garni of pickling spice as the pork simmers.  The spice blend pairs beautifully with pork.  And speaking of pairing beautifully, there in almost no better combination than sweet potatoes, pork and onions. Give this recipe a try, and I am sure you will agree.

Irish Sweet Potato Stew with Pork

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-1/3 cups chicken broth
  • 4 to 5 small onions, quartered
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley


Directions

  • In a large bowl, toss pork with mustard until lightly coated. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and brown sugar; add pork and shake to coat.
  • In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown pork in oil. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth; bring to a boil. Scrape bottom of skillet to loosen any browned bits. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.
  • Add the onions, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper; cover and simmer 30 minutes more or until the pork and potatoes are tender. Stir in parsley.

A Sweet Potato Breakfast Treat

July 1, 2011
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Summer is in full swing and I an loving it!  I think I have been to every farmer’s market and pick-your-own farm within 30 miles. This week, I have picked blueberries and blackberries.  Next week, I am off to the peach orchard. Picking your own fruits in the summer heat can be an exhausting experience, so I make sure to start off the day with a hearty breakfast. And I do mean hearty, a girl can’t spend all day in the summer sun on just a pop-tart. Of course, if I spend too much time in the kitchen, I will miss prime picking time – the cool morning hours.  Luckily I found this recipe. It is rich, filling, nutritious and extra quick to make – it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.  This is really the perfect way to start my day!
Sweet Potato French Toast

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 8 slices whole wheat bread

Directions

1. Whisk together the sweet potato, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth. Dip the bread into the egg mixture on both sides for several seconds until the bread is moist all the way through.
2. Heat a large, lightly-oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook the French toast in batches until golden brown on each side and no longer wet in the center, about 4 minutes per side.

Warm Sweet Potato Oatmeal

October 19, 2010
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This morning’s breakfast idea came to me as I was getting dressed for work. Sweet potato oatmeal – why didn’t I think of this before! I love a bowl of warm oatmeal when it’s cold out, it’s so healthy and comforting and an easy way to get your daily fiber. Health.com considers oats a super food because it helps lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and possibly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It’s also a rich source of magnesium which works to regulate blood-sugar levels. But remember, we’re talking the real oats that you make on the stove top, not the flavored instant kind!

You might think that eating oatmeal every morning could get boring, but there are dozens of ways you can eat your oatmeal and not get sick of it. I was probably subconsciously influenced by our guest blogger Kath from Kath Eats Real Food. She has a whole section on her blog devoted to oatmeal! Check it out: Tribute to Oatmeal.

I baked a small sweet potato this morning, but this is a great breakfast to make when you have some leftover mash from dinner. Banana and sweet potato make a great pair and I used chopped hazelnuts for texture; I think pecans would be great too. I also added a drizzle of maple syrup (I used Canadian grade B for a strong maple flavor) to bring it all together. And if you put all this in a blender with your favorite milk and some ice, it’d make a great breakfast shake! With all the fiber from the oats and the potato, this breakfast will surely keep you satisfied well into the lunch hour.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal
1/2 cup cooked oats
1/4 cup sweet potato mash
1 banana, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup

In bowl, combine cooked oats, mashed sweet potato and 2/3 of the banana slices; stir until you have orange oatmeal. Garnish with remaining banana, chopped nuts and maple syrup. Serve warm.

Happy Birthday America

July 4, 2009
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Happy Independence Day, Sweet Potato Fans!

America is officially 233 years old today. On July 4th, 1776 the First Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence. This 4th of July not only marks the date when our founding fathers gathered to declare America a free and sovereign nation, but it also marks one of the biggest food holidays of the year.

Though, modern celebrations have become a pyrophiles delight with hundreds of tons of charcoal, and thousands of pounds of propane being consumed in one evening in an effort to attain the the perfect grillout, 18th century shindigs were a bit different. First of all hamburgers and hot dogs weren’t even invented yet. And cooking over an open fire was nothing novel to the colonials of the day. No, if you really want to know what tickled the palates of our founding fathers, then you need to try Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Potato Biscuits. These biscuits, or scones as we would call them today, were actually served at the First Continental Congress and are still served today at Philadelphia’s famed City Tavern. This tavern is one of the oldest in the country and was once frequented by the likes of Paul Revere, John Adams, and of course, Thomas Jefferson. The Tavern’s chef, Walter Staib, has adapted this recipe to modern kitchens and it is presented below. Now you can enjoy the same snack that our founding fathers ate as the labored to found this great nation. They are sure to be a celebration for your taste buds. Let the fireworks begin and God Bless America!

Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup solid frozen vegetable shortening
  • 2 cups roasted, mashed, and cooled sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup heavy cream (plus more if needed)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and spices. Cut in shortening with 2 knives or hands until crumbly. In another bowl combine sweet potatoes, cream and pecans. Make well in dry ingredients and add potato-cream mixture. Mix to combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut out with a 2-inch floured biscuit cutter. Place biscuits 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn down temperature to 375 and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack until room temperature.