BIZZY BAKES

I bought Kosher by Design Cooking Coach for my daughter when she got married and promptly borrowed it and still have it.  While it is filled with great tips and techniques, even better, it has dynamite recipes. I made a whole bunch of dishes from the book, last week, and loved each and every one of them.  This particular dish is better than I had expected.  It is comforting and filling and scrumptious.  The mixture of the sweet topping with a savory meat goes together beautifully and is a pleasure to eat. Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping (adapted from Susie Fishbein) Ingredients: water 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch chunks 1⁄3 cup real maple syrup 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided 1 pounds ground turkey 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, peeled, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoons dried oregano 1⁄2...

When cooking some recipes, I marvel at their simplicity.  I marvel additionally when I taste a super result.  This is one of those recipes.  One sweet potato adorned with sesame oil and vegetable oil (I used olive oil), topped with sea salt and baked in a 400 degree oven results in a terrific side dish. This is  Margaret's pick for this week's Wednesdays with Donna Hay.  Bless her, this was a quick treat.  If it took 5 minutes preparation time, I would call it an exaggeration. Donna has pages of her books (in this case - New Food Fast - page 134) that have tons of quick recipes that work.  They are appetizing and a dream when in a hurry. Check our page, Wednesdays with Donna Hay , and see the results of the other charming cooks. Linked to Tuesday's table           Waste Not Want Not Wednesday           Lou Lou Girls                  ...

These are the Ultimate Veggie Burgers.    Although there are no nuts present, there is a nuttiness to the taste of this "burger". Ultimate Veggie Burgers ( adapted from Susie Fishbein ) Ingredients: 3/4 cup carrot, shredded (I used food processor to shred) 3/4 cup sweet potato, shredded (1/2 sweet potato shredded in food processor) 1/4 cup water 1` 1/2 cup cooked brown rice (I used the mix in the photo) 8 crimini mushrooms, stems – trimmed (I was out of mushrooms so I skipped them.) 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds 1/4 cup soy flour (or any flour – I had soy closest to me.) 1 heaping vegetable comsume powder (Don’t have and didn’t sub) zest of one lemon 2 very leafy basil stems from my garden (No, you do not have to get it from my garden.  I am just so proud.) 3 sprigs oregano (ditto) 1/2 cup white beans, rinsed and drained 2 eggs 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil (I used safflo...

Since, I learned to appreciate vegetables, I look for dishes like this one.  The variety of veggies that can be used makes it pleasing to a majority of people.  Use your imagination and see what happens..  I saw this recipe on  The Veggie Table .  I believe it comes from the Moosewood books, originally. Recently, I have been cautiously making dishes from India and loving them.  I still do not know enough about Indian cooking to jump in but I can follow recipes.  I stayed pretty close to this one although I was missing a few ingredients.   Vegetable Biryani   (adapted) Ingredients: 1½ cups brown rice (Basmati),    3 tablespoons Canola oil,   pinch turmeric,    ½ teaspoon salt, 2¼ cups hot water,  1 cup chopped onions,   2 teaspoons fresh ginger -  peeled and grated,   1½ teaspoon ground cumin,  1½ teaspoons ground coriander, ...

The word, hash, does not inspire me.  It makes me wonder why I chose to make this recipe from Anne Burrell.   I decided to look up the definition and see is there is a reason for my negativity to this word.  Just look at this. Hash Definition   n. noun A dish of chopped meat, potatoes, and sometimes vegetables, usually browned. A jumble; a hodgepodge. A mess. To chop into pieces; mince. To make a mess of; mangle. Perhaps the definition explains my reaction.  A jumble, hodgepodge, mess......That is what it is though.  I cut up a bit of this and a bit of that and ended up with a delicious mess, hash. Sweet Potato, Apple and Mango Hash Ingredients: 2 purple yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 dice 2 carrots, sliced thin Extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, cut in 1/2-inch dice 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 mango, peeled and cut into...

We love that rich golden chicken soup with chunks of vegetables and chicken swimming around.  We also love rich and creamy soups.  I decided with the use of an immersion blender to transform one to the other. Almost anything can go into chicken soup.  I have used almost any vegetable around over the years.  I have different combinations dependent on what I have in the house.  You can have chicken pieces or just keep the broth.  It has always come out to be loved by all. I can't give you a straight recipe since I rarely make it the same way but I can give you the basics. A large pot, at least 8 quart (you might as well make some for the freezer while you are at it) filled 3/4 of the way with cold water.  Turn on the heat and add 4 chicken bottom s.  You can use whole chickens or just bones.  Cook the chicken for a few hours.  Often, I make it before I go to bed and leave it on simmer for the night.  Add water if you have lo...

What a fabulous combination!!!!!  Apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.  I had to make a few carrot dishes since I bought a huge bag of carrots from Costco.  We are going to love carrots, more each day. Sweet Vegetable Kugel  (Adapted from  Southern Living APRIL 2008) Ingredients 4 cups peeled and grated sweet potato 3 cups peeled and grated carrots  2 cups peeled and grated apples 1 cup brown rice flour 1/3 cup margarine, melted 1/2 cup sugar  1 large egg, beat  1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Method: Preheat oven to 325°.  Stir together sweet potatoes, next 9 ingredients  in a large bowl until blended. Spoon mixture into 9 x 13 inch baking pan..  Bake  covered , at 325° for 45 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 350° U ncover and bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Eat and enjoy. Linked to  Saturday Night Fever ...

I am a sucker for new ideas and a sweet potato crust is a new idea. The question, I had, was could I put into it. I thought about a sweet dairy filling, maybe like a cheesecake. Then, I gave vegetables a thought but the vision of apples kept staring me in the face and I decided to go with it. I think, it was a good choice. I made an apple betty which is something like apple pie filling without the pie crust. I figured, this was just right for my experimental crust. It was. Apple Betty in Sweet Potato Crust Crust: 4 medium sweet potatoes (peeled, cooked and mashed) 1 large egg 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 teaspoon olive oil (I bet a cup of flour would work with the above.) Method: Mix all ingredients. Spray deep dish pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Form sweet potato as a crust into plate. Use your fingers to fit it to the shape of the pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Remove from oven and put aside. Filling: 5 large thinly sliced apples 1/4 cup orange juice 3/4 cup brown ...

Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Spinach Ingredients: 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin wedges 1 thinly sliced red onion Spray olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed (about 4 cups) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice Method: Preheat oven to 425°. Toss together the sweet potatoes and onion on a parchment covered baking dish or cookie sheet with a rim. Sprinkle salt and pepper over vegetables.  Spray olive oil over vegetables lightly.  Roast 30 minutes or until tender. While potatoes are cooking, * grill chicken cutlets until cooked through. Toss the sweet potato–onion mixture with spinach and fresh lime juice. Serve warm with chicken. Note:  At the last minute, I wrapped the chicken with deli (because I had to use it up). * Unfortunately, I read this very informative article after the chicken was gri...

Since I am cooking Donna Hay recipes twice a week, I am discovering more and more about her recipes.  She is a practical cook.  In most cases, I find the ingredients in my house already.  In this case, we eat both sweet potato and goat cheese weekly which means, I had it on hand. The next trait of her cooking appears to be the ease of making the dishes.  She tends to simplify and most recipes are made quickly and with ease. Third, her recipes work.  She adds flavors that make a difference to the overall dish and thus, we like them. This week is no different.  A creamy soup with flavor and a snap to make.  I made this a month go for I Heart Cooking Club, forgetting that I had chosen it for WWDH.  I admit, I like my choice, sweet potato soup with goat’s cheese .  Visit the other members of WWDH,  Gaye , M argaret , Sarah and Kayte and see how their soups turned out.   Linked to  Tuesday’s Table Real Food Fo...

This week was my pick and I chose Roasted Sweet Potato Pasta.  I am sure, I didn't read the recipe carefully, since when I was going shopping to pick up any items, needed, I was surprised at the combination.  Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pasta, spinach, Parmesan, Lemon juice and Feta do not resonate with me.  That is, until I made this dish which was really very good.  While the feta was delicious, I kept envisioning goat cheese in its place. The juice from the tomato combined with the Parmesan cheese and some black pepper made for a lovely sauce.  Donna doesn't seem to use a lot of spices and yet her dishes have good flavor. The recipe can be found on Donna's site.   As usual, it is an easy recipe to make.  Rarely, do we find exotic ingredients and this held true with this dish.  This was made in the oven, nothing to fry.  The pasta had to be boiled so that did call into play another pot.  All in all, it went smoothly and was a nice ...

Our new son-in-la w eats a healthy diet .  I did find that it is relatively easy to cook for him although the first time, I made him a meal, it was the most simple meal, I have ever made. I figured, I could not go wrong with plain quinoa, plain chicken and plain salad.  It was boring, as well, and he likes good food. As time has gone by, I discovered, it is not that much of a challenge to make food that tastes good and that will fit his needs and wants. So when I came across the recipe from Meals the Heal , I knew it would be a great success. Ingredients : 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1" chunks 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces " 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 pound spinach, torn into bite-size pieces  ( I u sed less spinach because, I only had a pound and I needed it for two different salads.) M ethod; Preheat the oven to 425°F...

It is Improv time again, thanks to Kristin of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. This month the challenge is to cook with sweet potato and honey. I wanted to include these potatoes in a dinner and chicken seemed to be the perfect answer.  Thanks to Laureen of Fox in the Kitchen, I found my answer.  She has no sweet potatoes in her recipe but I added them and what a great combination, I had. Cashew Chicken Stir Fry  ( adapted from Fox in the Kitchen) Ingredients : 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup cashews, chopped 2 small carrots, chopped 1  zucchini, sliced 1 large sweet potato, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic rice vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons lime juice, about 1/2 lime 1 tablespoon honey mustard 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground Method: Poaching the chicken before stir frying, keeps the meat juicy and creamy-white. In a large saucepan, or a wok, boil 4 cups water. When water comes to a b...

                  This is one of my favorites and I used to make it often.  It has been a while, since I made this particular style sweet potato, all dressed up with it's Nut Topping. I made changes from my original recipe.  I did not add any butter or margarine to the sweet potatoes, not did I add sugar.  The sweet potatoes stand alone.  I seasoned it with pumpkin pie spice and vanilla and cinnamon. Yummy,  This is a childhood memory although, it was nude, no topping. Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel Ingredients: 3 eggs 5 large sweet potatoes 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 14 cup gluten-free flour 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 - 2 teaspoons oil  (walnut, hazelnut, canola) 1/2 cup chopped pecans Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease casserole.  Mash sweet potatoes until smooth in a large bowl.  Add vanilla and spices and m...