Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Parsley Gremolata

March 29, 2014 by Mackenzie

Sometimes, it’s the accidents that turn out the best.

I was making Sweet Potato Gremolata from the Cook Fresh magazine but I wasn’t paying super close attention and I was cooking these brussels sprouts at the same time. It got to the point where I had totally lost track of how long I had been sauteing the sweet potatoes, I had no idea what quantities I was adding and I was just doing my own thing at that point. I was annoyed because I had been looking forward to makign this recipe but alas, it was not meant to be.

Well – lo and behold. Whatever I ended up with turned out fantastic! The sweet potato skins caramelized making them crunchy and sweet, the pine nuts became fragrant and intense because they had been in there for so long and the sweet potatoes themselves were punctuated with flavor! They were sweet without adding any brown sugar or honey and a bit tangy with the lemon zest! Wow – slight crunch on the outside but soft and savory on the inside.

When I sat down to eat it I quickly wrote out what I remembered doing differently and then made it again last week with those changes – again, fantastic! This is something super easy, yet super flavorful that I’ll be making all the time!

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Parsley Gremolata
Recipe adapted from Cook Fresh Winter 2014 Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about five cups)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, chopped
Zest of one lemon

Directions:

1. Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, add the potatoes in an even layer, stirring so all sides are coated in oil mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until the potatoes just start to brown underneath. Toss the potatoes gently, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft, easily pierced with a fork and slightly crispy (this is the key part of my “genius accident”!)

2. With five minutes or so left for the potatoes to cook, add the pine nuts to the skillet and toss gently.

3. Mince the parsley and garlic and zest the lemon. Add to the fully cooked sweet potatoes, toss for a moment or two and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

(I let them cook too long on some sides so those caramelized while the insides just cooked. Feel free to make that genius mixtake!)

Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad

March 16, 2014 by Mackenzie

There’s so many things I love about this dish – the sweet taste of the ground turkey, with the cinnamon, is so unique but it pairs excellently with the citrusy tang of the orange-cucumber salad. It’s healthy, with all the ingredients (except the pita) complying to the “real foods” challenge that I did last summer. One day this week I just mixed the salad into the meat and ate it without a pita – I also thought about making it into an omelete… Once it’s prepared it’s so versatile!

It’s also fast and easy to prepare and keeps well if you want to have an easily prepared meal on hand all week. I put the turkey/onion mixture in one tupperware and the salad in another and then just toasted a pita and warmed up the meat everytime I was ready to have it again. I also threw the salad on top of some spinach and served it with some sweet potatoes (next post!) for another meal. That was excellent as well – all in all, I know I will be making this often!

Comment below if you try it! I would love to hear what you think!

Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad
Recipe adapted from Cook Fresh Winter 2014 Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large oranges
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint
4 pita pockets, halved and lightly toasted (if you have big pita pockets than you’ll just need 2)
Plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add three quarters of the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onion to a small bowl and set aside.

2. Add the turkey, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, and cook, breaking up the meat and stirring occasionally. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through. Drain well. Add the onions back in, tossing to combine.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining raw onion and transfer to a large bowl. Peel the oranges and cut the slices into bite-sized chunks, making sure to catch the juice. Add the oranges, orange juice, cucumber, vinegar, mint, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the large bowl; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fill the pitas with the turkey/onion mixture and add some of the orange-cucumber salad. Finish it off with a dollop of Greek yogurt and serve with the remaining salad on the side.

Walnut Breton Cake

March 11, 2014 by Mackenzie

Well hello! It’s been a LONG time. Over a month actually… I can’t believe how fast time flies and how busy life can get! As I tend to keep having to do, I’m apologizing again for my long absence! This semester has been my busiest one yet, but I think my favorite one as well. I’ve taken on new leadership positions, organized a huge campus-wide event, and am continuing to work part-time, take a full load of classes and play varsity golf.

Thankfully, it’s spring break and I’m spending my week here in St. Louis – catching up on sleep, schoolwork and finally getting a chance to cook something besides Trader Joe’s freezer meals and canned soup. Seriously… I hadn’t cooked anything more involved than grilled cheese since my last post about the Lemon Rosemary Bread. But here we are! I’ve got several great recipes to share and so for at least the next few weeks – I’ll have some things to post! Who knows what will happen as this school year starts to wrap up (and how is that possible?!!!!) but for now, I’ve got yummy things to share!

First up, I had to celebrate the beginning of spring break (and my long-awaited return to my kitchen) with a cake! I honestly had no idea what to expect of this recipe when I made it. The recipe came from a cookbook with no pictures and the short description said it would taste like shortbread. I had in my mind a moist cake that somehow had shortbread characteristics and in my head it just didn’t add up.

But let me tell you – this cake is amazing. It’s not a moist, tall cake like what you envision when you think of a cake – it’s more like shortbread or spritz cookies baked in a cake pan. The top of the cake is hard like shortbread but the middle of the cake is soft like spritz cookies. Wow. And it’s so simple! Just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand (if you don’t have cake flour, look up how you can turn all-purpose flour into cake flour).

Walnut Breton Cake
Recipe from Baking for All Occasions
Makes one 8-inch round cake, 12-14 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch round cake pan, then flour it, tapping out the excess flour. Cut out a circle of parchment paper (trace it) to line the bottom. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

2. Stir together the flour and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until it is lighter in color and has a satiny appearance, about 45 seconds. Maintaining the same speed, add the sugar in a steady stream. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl, then continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg yolks, one at a time. Continue to beat until well combined, sopping to scrap down the sides of the bowl at least once.

4. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture and mix by hand until it is well combined. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon the thick batter into the prepared ban, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Use a fork to create a lattice design on the surface.

5. Bake the cake until it is golden brown on top, feels firm to the touch and is beginning to contract from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Carefully invert it onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment liner and turn it right-side-up. Let cool completely. To serve, cut the cake into small wedges with a sharp knife and enjoy!

Store at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.

Lemon Rosemary Bread with Lemon Glaze

February 3, 2014 by Mackenzie

I’ve been “mass-baking” a lot lately for different events and this was one of my favorites. I baked half of it in a loaf pan and the rest in a 9×13 because apparently we only have one loaf pan (oops – should have checked that beforehand). Regardless, both turned out great and were a hit with everyone I shared them with. I loved the strong lemon flavor, especially in the dead of winter when everything seems to be a bit more bland than other times of the year. And the rosemary makes it oh so unique and a little bit fancy 😀

Also, I made my Salted Rice Krispy Bars yesterday for another event and they disappeared SO FAST! Another easy crowd-pleaser!

Lemon Rosemary Bread with Lemon Glaze
Recipe from bakedbree
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan.

2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and mix. Add the yogurt and then the eggs, one at a time – mixing between each addition. Add the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary, and mix until combined.

3. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes than remove it from the pan and allow to cool completely on a rack.

4. When loaf is completely cool, make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Place foil under the rack with the loaf to catch the drippings and then drizzle the glaze over the top. Let stand until glaze is set.

Brown Butter Vanilla Brussels Sprouts

January 25, 2014 by Mackenzie

Brussels sprouts do not generally elicit much excitement in an eater. They have a horrible reputation that far precedes them. How many of you have actually eaten brussels sprouts? I hadn’t until just a year ago – I’d gone along with the common school of thought that brussels sprouts were an evil, mushy, horribly-tasting vegetable and to have a pleasant life, you must stay as far away from them as possible.

Well, last year my roommate discovered that I’d never had Brussels sprouts and she was adamant that I change that. Reluctantly, I let her make me some – and lo and behold, I tasted one and thought, where have these been all my life? There’s nothing evil, mushy, or horrible about them! In fact, they are a little bit crunchy, very flavorful and quite delicious! What do ya know? 🙂

So here’s an easy, quick, and delicious brussels sprouts recipe that is sure to make you love them too. The title makes it sound sweet – but I added enough salt, pepper and garlic powder to balance it out so it weighs more heavily on the savory side. I created this recipe based off of a dish from a restaurant in Bellevue, called Palomino. They turned out great – and I’ll definitely be making them often! Here’s another recipe I’ve got that uses brussels sprouts, this butternut squash sauce pasta with brussels sprouts,

Brown Butter Vanilla Brussels Sprouts
Recipe inspired by Palomino’s “Brussels Sprouts in Vanilla Butter”
Serves 2

3 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup onions, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1 lb Brussels sprouts (about 20), washed, ends trimmed and then halved
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, roughly
1/4 cup walnuts
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium skillet, melt two tablespoons butter over medium heat. Watching carefully, let it cook until it begins to brown. Let it brown for about 20 seconds and then add the onions and sauté for three minutes. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and cook for an additional minute.

2. Add brussels sprouts and cook for about five minutes, until sprouts are beginning to brown and are getting soft. Add last tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, walnuts, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste (start with just a little salt and pepper and continue to taste it as you add more. I wanted it more savory than sweet so ended up adding a good bit of salt and pepper in the end) Allow it all to cook together for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve immediately.

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