Tag Archives: Real Simple

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.

Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Cakes

January 20, 2012
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Whew!! It seems like all the hubbub of the Holidays is just now starting to wane.  I feel like I have been in the kitchen since October.  It has been a lot of fun, though. In the past few weeks I have sampled dozens of dishes that really let sweet potatoes shine.  Sweet potato pies, cakes, casseroles, pancakes, quiche and more.  No matter how our sassy sweets are served, they are always guaranteed to be one of the healthiest (and most delicious) foods you can eat.Rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, the sweet potato offers complex carbohydrates along with tons of antioxidants.  Plus they are high in fiber and have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes.
Even after all that time in the kitchen, I still look forward to cooking up tasty meals. But I am happy to keep it simple for a while.  That is why I fell in love with this recipe. Don’t let exotic ingredients like chickpea flour fool you. This recipe is super easy to make.  Prep time is less than 10 minutes and the results are delicious.  The warm Indian spices are a perfect way to keep the cold of winter at bay.  For a special treat, serve with Biryani Rice.

Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Mango chutney, for serving, recipe follows

 Mango Chutney

  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice juice
  • 3 tablespoons chopped red onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon chat masala (or curry powder)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large mango, cut into chunks

Directions

Mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl and then add the chickpea flour, garan masala, ginger, salt, cilantro, and yogurt. Mix well and then form into small patties about 2-inches in diameter.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties in batches so they have plenty of room to fry. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden and crispy and cooked through.

Yield: 14 cakes

Chutney
Place the juice, onion, cilantro, chat masala, and salt in a food processor and process to a paste. Add the mango and pulse until the chunks are coarsely chopped. Chill until ready to serve.

Fit for a King

October 15, 2011
16

The sweet potato truly is food royalty. No other food come close to packing so many nutritional benefits into such a tasty package. Sweet Potatoes are rich in beta carotene, an essential antioxidant. Plus, they deliver vitamin C and folate which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. On top of all those wonderful benefits, sweet potatoes are also low on the glycemic index and glycemic load charts. Sweet potatoes truly are the Duke of Dinner, the Prince of the Plate and the King of the Superfoods.

So what recipe can truly capture the sweet potato in all its grandeur? Why, Sweet Potato Crowns, of course. These scrumptious treats are so sinfully decadent that you may just forget that you are eating healthy!

This culinary delight is the perfect practice recipe to get you in the mood to begin planning your Thanksgiving meal. It is beautiful, decadent and actually very simple to make. It is the perfect side dish to complement your savory holiday offerings, but can also work equally well as a dessert. So go ahead and give these crowns a try, and be sure to  come back to Sweet Bytes Blog soon. The countdown to the busiest time of the year for our royal sweets is officially underway.

Sweet Potato Crowns
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-1/2-inch slices with ends discarded
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
     
  2. In a large bowl, combine oil and salt; mix well. Add sweet potatoes and toss until evenly coated.
     
  3. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until fork-tender.
     
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on each potato round and return to oven; cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until sugar is melted. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Intrigue

June 14, 2011
11

Making this weeks recipe was a culinary adventure.  It began with a casual search for recipes.  While browsing blogs and recipe sites, I came across this beautiful picture.  The vibrant colors immediately grabbed my attention and my mouth began to water….but there was no recipe attached.  I faced a bit of a conundrum – a dish this appetizing just begs to be made, but where to begin? 

I knew I had to get to the kitchen right away and get to work. I printed the pic to use as a reference and spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen making up variations based on the image.  What a blast!  Figuring everything out was so much fun!

First I had to decide was this a salad or a hash?  It didn’t really appear to have a dressing, so I went with the latter.

Next, what are the main ingredients? Obviously the dish contains tomatoes, avocados and sweet potatoes, but what about spices?  That was all up to me.  After a few tries, I decided that New Mexican Chili Powder, Cumin, and Garlic really worked well together. I also added a dash of cayenne to kick it up a notch. I toyed with adding some cubed bacon, but eventually decided to keep it vegetarian. 

I love roasted garlic and roasted bell peppers, so I added both to the dish.  I considered putting the sweet potatoes on the grill to continue the roasted theme, but since it was raining cats and dogs, I opted to pan-fry instead. The result was a creamy soft sweet potato with a wonderful crust on the outside. Call it fate, call it karma, but I don’t think it could have worked out any better.

I added the avocados and tomatoes last to preserve their cool refreshing essence. A squirt of lime juice added a bit of acidity (and kept the avocado nice and green). Below is my final recipe. Give it a try, and be sure to let me know what you think. 

Pan Fried Sweet Potato Avocado Hash

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 small red onion diced
1 Medium Vine Ripe Tomato Cubed
1 Medium Avocado Cubed
1 Roasted Bell Pepper, peeled and chopped (homemade or from a jar)
1 tsp roasted garlic (homemade or jarred)
1/8 tsp cumin
Dash Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp New Mexican Chile Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Lime Juice

Microwave Sweet potatoes until almost done.  Cut into cubes and set aside.  In a frying pan, sweat onion with a little olive oil until tender.  Add Sweet potatoes, garlic, bell peppers, and spices.  Cook until potatoes are lightly browned and are tender.  Add Tomatoes. Toss for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Toss mixture with avocados, squirt with fresh lime, and garnish with cilantro.

Meet the Judges

March 25, 2011
9

Wow, we have quite a challenge ahead of us. With 160 entries, we’ll be testing and tasting our way down to a total of 9 finalists – 3 finalists in each category. Visit the contest photo album on our Facebook page for a chance to see the recipes up close and personal. Like what you see? Click on the photo. The link to the recipe is included in every caption. Happy hunting!

On April 8th, a panel of judges will gather to taste the 9 final recipes and decide on a $2,000 grand prize winner in each category. A runner-up will be chosen for each and will recieve a $200 gift card to Williams-Sonoma. We’ve chosen a panel of top-notch food editors to assist in this daunting task. Meet the judges!

Sue Johnson-Langdon

Sue is the Executive Director of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission. She married a sweet potato farmer back in 1970 and has been sweet talkin’ these botanical beauties ever since. Officially known as Sweet Sue, her enthusiasm and knowledge of sweet potatoes will be a great asset during the judging.

Maggie Shi


Maggie is a deputy editor at RealSimple.com, where she covers food, money, work and life. She also does regular posts on their blog Simply Stated. Maggie has never met a vegetable she didn’t like and is obsessed with anything edible, which currently include breakfast tacos, boiled peanuts and hot lobster rolls.

Beth Lipton

Beth is the Food Editor at All You magazine and has her own dessert blog CookiePie. She is obsessed with all things food – baking, cooking, reading food magazines and cookbooks. As a judge, she’ll get to sit back and do mostly eating which I’m sure is at the top of her list of hobbies.

Ben Mims

Ben is Associate Food Editor at Saveur magazine. Not only is Ben a professional recipe developer and food researcher, he is also originally from down south – a dynamic combination for a sweet potato contest judge. Does your recipe meet Ben’s standards? You’ll find out on April 8th!

Jennifer Perillo

Jennifer is the Food Editor at Working Mother magazine. She focuses on family-friendly recipes for busy lifestyles. Jennifer’s fun yet practical approach to food makes her the perfect judge for our kid-friendly category. Visit her blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen, for her personal recipes that nourish her daughters and husband.