Sweet Potato Souffle

"We're NUMBER ONE! We're NUMBER ONE!"

This is the chant of sweet potatoes everywhere...

What the heck does this mean? It means that the CSPI ranked all vegetables giving them points for things like Vitamin A and fiber and deducting points for saturated fats and refined sugars. And the sweet potato ranked NUMBER ONE with a score of 184!!

It outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points!!

But when you smother this nutritional dense vegetable with butter and sugar it turns a once all-star food into something not quite so good for you. So...why not add just a touch of sugar, some super vibrant spices and some greek yogurt for creaminess?!

Sounds pretty good doesn't it? ;)

RECIPE:

5 lbs sweet potatoes

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp nutmeg

1/8tsp cloves

2tsp Salt

1/4 cup honey

2Tbs Dark brown sugar

2 egg

2 container Oiko Greek Yogurt - Plain

Pecans and dried cranberries to top

Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2inch to 1inch cubes. Steam until soft, about 15minutes and mash or puree potatoes. Add spices, salt, honey, sugar, eggs and greek yogurt, and stir to combine.  Pour mixture into a baking pan and bake for 40-50minutes at 350 until top is slightly brown. Top with pecans and cranberries and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot and ENJOY!

 

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How to Make Lean Cuisines

RECIPE:   WATCH THE VIDEO!!!!  :)

 

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4 Cheese Mac + Cheese

HALF RECIPE:

1/2 Lbs Macaroni Pasta

2 Tbs Unsalted Butter

1/2 Large Onion

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 Tbs All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Whole Milk

4 Cups Cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan, Fontina, Cheddar

Salt

Cook Pasta 1 to 2 minutes shy of packaged directions.  In the meantime, Melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add Flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add milk and stir/whisk till it is combined in mixture.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.  Add in 3 cups of cheeses and stir until combined.  Combined cheese sauce with pasta and transfer to a baking dish.  Top with the remaining cup of cheese and broil till the top is crusty and brown.  ENJOY!

FULL RECIPE:

1 Lbs Macaroni Pasta

4 Tbs Unsalted Butter

1 Large Onion

4 Cloves of Garlic

4 Tbs All Purpose Flour

1.5 Cup Whole Milk

8 Cups Cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan, Fontina, Cheddar

Salt

Cook Pasta 1 to 2 minutes shy of packaged directions.  In the meantime, Melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add Flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add milk and stir/whisk till it is combined in mixture.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.  Add in 6 cups of cheeses and stir until combined.  Combined cheese sauce with pasta and transfer to a baking dish.  Top with the remaining 2 cups of cheese and broil till the top is crusty and brown.  ENJOY!

 

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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large roasted red peppers (jarred or fresh)

1 roasted jalapeño, seeded

4 garlic cloves

2 scallions

1 tablespoon fresh mint

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon paprika

Juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon butter

Put oil in pan and add garlic, cook for 1 minute till fragrant and add Red Peppers, Jalapeño and Scallions. Salt mixture and add Herbs and Paprika. Cook for 3 more minutes. Put mixture in food processor of blender, add sour cream and puree. Transfer back to pan, add butter and lemon juice, cook for 2 minutes. ENJOY!!

NOTES:

• I have found a slightly easier way to make this since I did this video. Just put everything except the sour cream, butter and lemon in the food processor (raw) once everything is pureed put mixture into the hot pan with the oil and cook for5 minutes. Add the sour cream, butter and cook for 2 minutes more, finally add the lemon and serve.
• You could use parsley or even basil instead of the mint and thyme but I do this those herbs add something special.
• Great as a dip too! You could also add some cream cheese to thicken it up.

 

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Brie + Jam Crostini

I’m obsessed with appetizers.

I’m the kind of person who would rather pick at a million different things all night than sit down to a full meal (and of course, then I convince myself I didn’t eat nearly as much).

And when I host a party, I like to have as many things as possible in mini-size, like a fun size candy bar, the perfect amount for one person...

Or at least the perfect amount for one person per one minute!!

And though a baked brie can be heaven, it’s big, messy, and once all the good toppings are gone you are just left with melted cheese. 

NOT that melted cheese isn’t arguably my favorite food. Oh! And un-melted cheese my second favorite. Yes, that seems fair.

But back to the point...

So like everything else in my life that I like to make mini-size, I took a classic baked brie and made it mini! These minis have all the flavors of a baked brie in a two bites (or one bite for my husband). Perfection!

Brie + Jam Crostini

servings: 16 crostinis

Ingredients:

• 1 small baguette
• 1 to 1 ½ cups raspberry jam
• 1 wedge brie cheese (about 6 ounces), cut into ¼- ½-inch slices
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Slice the baguette into sixteen ½-inch thick slices, cutting on an angle. Then toast the baguette until it is just lightly toasted.
2. Top each toasted baguette slice with a heaping tablespoon of jam, then a piece of brie, and finally the leaves from about half a sprig of thyme.
3. Put the slices in a toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is mostly melted. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes:

• Lots of jams work with this recipe--besides raspberry, my favorites are apricot, strawberry and blackberry.
• Be sure to spread on a nice, thick layer of jam; there should be an equal amount of jam to cheese.
• To get the thyme leaves off the stem easily, simply run your fingers against the grain along the stem.
• These are still good even when they become room temperature--the cheese will still be a little melty!

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

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Cookie Dough Truffle

It’s a relief to know that every now and then a crazy idea of mine actually works out in the kitchen. You see, I have a tendency to experiment...

...as in, mess up perfectly good recipes (especially if I’m baking).

I get unshakeable ideas in my head that simply will not go away! And yes, sometimes they don’t quite work. But, there are other times when they just, well, WORK! This time--oh baby!--it just WORKED!

3 ingredients...TOTALLY RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! The joys of experimenting!

Cookie Dough Truffle

Ingredients:

• One twelve-ounce box of Entenmann’s Original Recipe Chocolate Chips Cookies
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 10-12 ounces milk chocolate

Directions:

1. Combine the cookies and cream cheese in a food processor, and process until the mixture forms one dough-like ball. Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator/freezer and roll it into 1-inch balls, then place the balls back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes.
3. Make a double boiler by filling a sauce pan with about an inch of water and allowing it to simmer; then place a glass or metal bowl on top of it. Place the chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted.
4. Remove a couple of balls from the refrigerator at a time, then drop them in the chocolate. Remove them with a fork, shake off the excess chocolate, and set them on wax paper or a Silpat.
5. Place the finished truffles in the refrigerator to set. Remove them when ready to eat, and enjoy!

Notes:

• If the dough balls are falling apart when you dip them in the chocolate, let them chill for longer and then try again.
• The more chocolate you shake off when scooping the balls out of the bowl of chocolate, the less of a puddle will form under the ball when it is hardening up.
• If you don’t have wax paper or a Silpat, spray a baking sheet or tin foil with cooking spray and place the finished balls on it.
• I like these right out of the fridge because the chocolate is harder and gives you more of a bite. However, they're good at room temperature, too--just softer.

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

 

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