Sweet Potato Pancakes

I was craving sweet potatoes, so I decided to make some sweet potato pancakes since I didn't have time to bake the potatoes. I served them with steak, but they would have been great with salmon too. I also made a very simple raspberry chipotle sauce to go with the steak and it was great on the potatoes, that recipe coming next.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins

Ingredients
1 sm-med sweet potato
2 green onions
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
oil

Directions
Wash and grate whole sweet potato and large side of grater (no need to peel). Chop green onions and garlic. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Heat a pan on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot coat with just enough oil so they won't stick. The mixture will be very moist, but form balls and when you place them into the hot pan press down so they are pancakes. There should be about 4 pancakes. Once the pancakes are browned on one side, about 5 minutes, flip and brown on the other side. Then turn down heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked.

Serving Suggestion
I also made a raspberry chipotle sauce to go on some steak I had and it also went well on the sweet potato pancakes. Serve with a salad with spicy balsamic dijon vinaigrette from steak salad post (March 2011).

Breakfast Tostada

I've been having a lot of Mexican food this week with all my green chile chicken and that gave me the idea of green chile eggs. So I got some egg whites and mixed in diced green chiles. Egg whites tend to be really boring, but with the green chiles and other fixings they were the perfect healthy breakfast.

Breakfast Tostada

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 3 mins
Cook Time: 7 mins
Total Time: 10 mins

Ingredients
1/3 cup egg whites, I use them from a carton instead of separating them
oil or PAM
1-2 T diced green chiles
1 corn tortilla
1/4 refried black beans
1 slice cheese, I used low-fat provolone
salsa

Directions
Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Spray with PAM or use a little oil so the egg doesn't stick. Pour in the egg whites and green chiles.
While the egg cooks spread the black beans on the tortilla and put in the toaster. When the eggs are done place on top of the tortilla and top with a slice of cheese. Put back in the toaster or oven on broil until the cheese starts browning. Top with your favorite salsa.

(Not Quite) Love Pizza

As an undergrad, my friends and I would get together every Thursday night for "Love Pizza" and wine. The idea behind Love Pizza is that everyone brings a topping to share the love. We figured out that the best toppings were all the veggies possible, some good cheese and after it comes out of the oven top it with goat cheese, avocado and fresh basil. Since I had half of an avocado, a little goat cheese and some marinara sauce in the fridge I decided to make a faux Love Pizza. I used a brown rice tortilla and some other things I had lying around. It turned out pretty well, but not as good as having all my friends around!

Love Pizza
This is a great meal to share with friends. Get or make some pizza dough (I love TJ's herb and garlic one) and ask your friends to bring their favorite 2 toppings and some wine; the more interesting the toppings the better!

Servings: as many friends as you want to invite

Prep Time: 30 mins
Active Cook Time: None
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients (some of my favorites)
garlic and herb pizza dough
tomato sauce
pesto
broccoli (yes broccoli, it is awesome!)
bell peppers
onion*
garlic*
artichoke hearts
olives
squash
spinach
mushrooms
fresh mozzarella
gruyere cheese
parmesan cheese
goat cheese
avocado
fresh basil
garlic salt and pepper

Directions
Make sure dough is at room temperature and roll/stretch it out. Top the dough with sauce, cheese and at least 5 toppings (preferably more). Bake until crisp on the bottom and cheese is bubbling on the top. Once out of the oven add goat cheese, avocado and basil. Enjoy with your favorite wine or beer.
*Don't worry about cooking any of the veggies before they go on the pizza, they will all get cooked and meld together into a semi-healthy, gooey, delicious mess.

Green Chile Chicken

I really enjoy Mexican food, but have not been able to get much of it in Colorado so I end up making it myself most of the time. I decided to make some green chile chicken with some canned green chiles and salsa verde. To get this chicken really moist you have to cook it low and slow, it takes awhile, but it is totally worth it. This chicken would go well in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or, as I did, on a tostada.

Green Chile Chicken

Servings: 3-4

Prep Time: 10 mins
Active Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients
olive oil

half of a white onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic, diced

2-3 chicken breasts
cumin, salt, pepper, to taste
1 - 7oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup salsa verde
juice and zest of half a lime

Directions
Preheat oven to 275F.
Heat a dutch oven or cast iron pan on medium high heat. Add oil to coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot add the onions and sautee until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Remove the onions and garlic from the pan.
Sprinkle chicken breast with cumin, salt and pepper. Add more oil to the pan, if necessary, and add the chicken and brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Add the onions and garlic back to the pot. Add the green chiles, salsa verde and lime juice/zest.
Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours. Flip breasts after 1 hour. When there is 30-45 mins left check to see if there is a significant amount of liquid left, if so then remove the cover. Let chicken cool and then shred and add back to the green chile mixture.

Serving Suggestion
For a chicken tostada, take a corn tortilla and toast it until crispy. Spread with refried black beans and top will the green chile chicken. Other toppings could include: avocado, onion, cilantro, lettuce, lime, queso fresco or cotija cheese.

H&H Chinese Chicken Salad

A few weeks ago when I was in Houston, I went to a gourmet grocery store called Hubble and Hudson and got a great chinese chicken salad. I tried recreating it here and I must say that it came out pretty well. It is full of protein from chicken, soy beans and peanuts, a great lunch after my first bike ride of spring. This would also be a great recipe without the chicken for all the veggies out there.

H&H Chinese Chicken Salad
This is an awesome, protein-packed salad. Great for lunch or dinner.

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 10 mins
Active Cooking Time: 0 mins
Total Time: 10 mins

Ingredients
2-3 cups shredded cabbage
handful of shredded carrots
1/4 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup edamame
small handful of roasted peanuts
1 green onion, sliced
small handful of cilantro, chopped
4-6 oz cooked chicken, shredded
asian dressing, recipe below

Directions
Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss to combine.

Asian Dressing
This is a slightly spicy dressing with huge flavor.

Servings: 1-2

Prep Time: 5 mins

Active Cooking Time: 0 mins

Total Time: 5 min

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1.5 T rice vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp chili sauce
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.

Crunchy Granola

After doing my undergraduate work at UC Santa Cruz and now living in Boulder, CO, it is inevitable that some of the "hippiness" has rubbed off on me. This is a recipe I adapted from my Aunt Melinda because her recipe was healthier than the one I had been using. This granola is packed with energy from all the nuts and whole grains. The sweetness comes from unsweetened apple sauce, agave and just a little brown sugar. I like using agave because it has an extremely low glycemic index. I added flax seeds which adds fiber. If you are buying flax seeds for the first time make sure you get them whole and not ground since they keep for longer and loose less nutrition that way. You can easily grind them in a coffee grinder before adding to the granola. For the oats, you can use instant or regular, but regular are less processed and therefore better for you.

Crunchy Granola

This granola is nutty and sweet. It makes a great breakfast or snack. My favorite way to eat it is with fresh fruit and greek yogurt.

Servings: 6-12

Prep Time: 10 mins

Active Cook Time: ~1 hr

Total Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients  

4 cups oats

1 ½ cups nuts, roughly chopped

½ cup wheatgerm or flax seeds (optional)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup honey or agave

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 200. Mix first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix all other ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the butter is melted (about 2 minutes). Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture. Put on two baking sheets lined with foil. Bake for about 1 hour checking every 15 minutes and turning as needed.

Steak Salad

My dad was in town and we went out to Jill's, a local restaurant in Boulder with amazing caesar salad, made tableside, and a great rack of lamb. My dad had the Steak Diane and only ate one of the pieces of filet mignon, so I was lucky enough to get the leftovers. I sauteed some onions and garlic with balsamic vinegar and reheated the steak in the pan with all those delicious caramelized bits of onion. I whipped up a spicy balsamic and dijion vinaigrette, recipe to follow, and tossed it with some spinach and goat cheese.

Steak Salad
A warm, sweet and creamy salad. The warm steak and onions wilt the spinach just a little and the creamy goat cheese brings it all together.

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5 mins
Active Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 10 mins

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
quarter of a red onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 T balsamic vinegar

4-6 oz of steak, cooked and at room temperature

1/2-1 oz of goat cheese
spinach
2 T spicy balsamic dijion vinaigrette, recipe below

Directions
Heat small pan on medium and add oil, just to coat. Put the onions, salt and pepper in the pan and stir occasionally until lightly brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the steak to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness to heat through. Cut up steak if desired.
In a bowl, add the spinach, goat cheese, onion mixture, steak and vinaigrette. Toss to combine.

Spicy Balsamic Dijion Vinaigrette

A sweet and spicy salad dressing that is great on any salad. The spice comes from the raw garlic and the sweet from the balsamic.

Servings: 4-6

Prep Time: 5

Active Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 5

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

3 T balsamic vinegar

2 T dijion mustard

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp herbs de provence

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a jar and shake to combine. Will save for 1-2 weeks in the fridge if well sealed.