Healthy Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I'm baaaaack!

Sorry that, after promising to post more often, I basically took a one month hiatus. In my defense, we've been to Maryland (bridal shower, wedding planning, Christmas), Florida (family time, New Year's) and I just got back from Savannah last weekend (Bachelorette party!!!).

Needless to say, my time in the kitchen has been limited. BUT, I'm back and here to stay (at least until May when finals/my summer job/wedding make life REALLY crazy).

So, here's the story with these potatoes:

My neighbor and AWESOME friend Beth recently discovered she's allergic to...life. Life = gluten, dairy, corn, soy...and probably more things that I'm forgetting. OH, and she's vegetarian. What?! She and her family came over for dinner last night, and trying to figure out what to cook for Beth was a serious challenge, but I think I nailed it. These potatoes were super tasty and REALLY easy to make.

There are a lot of ways to change up these potatoes - feel free to add ground beef or chicken. Also, if you're not allergic to dairy, a sprinkle of sharp cheddar on top of these would be SO GOOD!

Here's what you need (inspired by How Sweet Eats)...

2 sweet potatoes

1 can of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

*Cheddar cheese for topping

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 350. Poke a few holes in your potatoes and bake (wrapped in foil) for between 60-90 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. In a pan, saute onion, red pepper and garlic until soft. About 6-10 minutes. 

3. Add your beans and seasoning. Turn heat to low and saute for a few minutes to let everything combine.

4. While your filling is simmering, cut your potatoes in half, remove the filling and put into a bowl. 

5. Combine bean mixture with potato in the bowl and mix well. 

6. Put the filling back into your potato shells - stuff them well! If you have any leftover filling, just put it into an oven safe dish and bake with the potatoes - this makes a great side dish.

7. Bake your stuffed potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

The bonus with these potatoes is that they are also really low calorie. This is a great guilt-free weeknight meal. 

Have a fantastic week!!! I promise - more recipes coming more often (I mean it this time)!

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One Year Blog Anniversary!

1 year ago today, I posted my very first blog entry (which desperately needs to be updated).

I started this for myself - I needed a distraction from law school that had nothing to do with law school. I love to cook, so it seemed like the perfect solution, plus I could keep track of all my favorite recipes. I really did not know how long this would last.

1 year and 66 posts later (including 1 video thanks to Castoriginal Productions!), I am overwhelmed by the love/support for this blog! I've received so many kind words and it's made doing this a million times more fun than I ever imagined. So, thank you.

I'm already working on recipes for the New Year, including finally figuring out what to do with spaghetti squash, a killer lasagna, and perhaps some cocktail recipes? In the meantime, I'll finish my second year of law school, get married, start an incredible summer job, and start my third year of law school/prep for the bar exam.

2013 is going to be a great one.

Thank you again for reading and all the support. You are all the best!

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Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese

Hear me out. 

This holiday season has been a little crazy, but I’m not crazy. Yet.

I’ve been MIA for the last week because Justin and I were in Maryland visiting his family for the holidays. Last Saturday, his amazing family threw me a VERY fun bridal shower. We received a lot of awesome gifts, but the first thing we used when we got home…was the Panini maker.

There’s something about melted cheese on hot crispy bread that I just LOVE. I stumbled over this recipe several weeks ago, and it’s been in the back of my mind. You don't need a panini maker for this - you can make it like regular grilled cheese in a pan.

This. Sandwich. Is. Amazing.

Plus, it’s loaded with brussels sprouts, so it’s totally healthy, right? Right.

Here's what you need (from How Sweet Eats)...

4-5 brussels sprouts, stems removed and chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and peper to taste

4-5 thin slices of havarti cheese

Balsamic glaze*

2 slices whole wheat bread

*You can buy a balsamic glaze at just about any grocery store. Find it in the aisle with the oils/vinegars.

Here's what you do...

1. In a small pan, saute garlic, brussels, salt and pepper for about 5-6 minutes or until the brussels are wilted. 

2. If you're not using a panini press, butter one side of each piece of bread. Layer a couple pieces of cheese, then the brussels sprouts. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, then add a couple more piece of cheese, then top with bread.

3. Place under your panini press, or in a pan, and cook until brown (if cooking in a pan, flip so the other side can get brown as well).

4. Remove and enjoy!

These are my new favorite vegetable. Just in time for the New Year...

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I'M FREE!!!!!!!!!!! (I feel like I've said this before...)

This has been the most intense semester of law school, but I made it. Monday, I took a 4 hour exam. 4 HOURS! I came home in a complete daze...and started baking cookies. Apparently, when I finish exams my instinct is to bake. Last semester it was bread, this semester, cookies.

These are so delicious. I LOVE a soft cookie, so I'm all about these cookies. And the whole house smelled like Christmas. Win win.

Here's what you need (from My Life as a Mrs)...

1 stick of softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup (and a little extra) of unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the rolling sugar:

1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp all spice

Combine in a bowl and set aside.

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, combine butter and sugar. Then, add pumpkin, vanilla and the egg mixing to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (this makes the dough easier to handle when you're rolling it).

4. Once thoroughly chilled, roll the dough into small balls and roll them through the sugar/spice mixture. Place on your baking sheet. I ended up with 15 cookies.

5. Finally, dip the bottom of a cup into water and put it in the sugar/spice mixture. Press down on each cookie to flatter it a bit.

6. Bake for 15 minutes and quickly remove - you don't want a crispy cookie. Enjoy!!

These were just what I needed to forget about my last exam. Well, these and a large glass of wine. But wine at 1:30 p.m. is not usually the best plan.

Happy Holidays! I had plans to post a spaghetti squash recipe...but my spaghetti squash rotted. I promise I'll be posting more now that we have a break! Have a wonderful weekend.

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Pasta Carbonara

Some girls like chocolate. Me? I like (LOVE) cheese.

When I'm stressed, cheese is my go-to. We are smack in the middle of finals, and all I want is cheese. Because this my blog and I never lie to you, I'll tell you that I sat down at the dining room table this afternoon after final 2 of 4 and just dunked crackers into goat cheese I found in the fridge.

Anyway, I need to find a more functional way to enjoy cheese, so I made this dish last Saturday for some friends who came by for dinner. I had a dish similar to this at a local italian restaurant a few months ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I knew there was a way to make it lighter and cheaper, so I did.

I adapted the recipe from the skinny alfredo sauce I made back in February, threw in some grilled chicken, bacon, and peas, and we were set!

Here's what you need...

Sauce:
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced (I used my food processor)
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 1/4-1/2 cup of 2% milk
2-3 tbsp of lowfat cream cheese
2 cups of fresh shred parmesan cheese (reserve 1/2-1/4 cup for topping)
fresh chopped parsley
black pepper to taste

Additional ingredients:

About 1/2 box of whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup of frozen peas
5-6 strips of bacon (baked at 350 for 20 minutes - perfect), crumbled
1-2 grilled chicken breasts (we just seasoned with a light dusting of adobo and fresh cracked pepper), cut into chunks
Breadcrumbs

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. I used my oven safe pan, but you could use a non-oven safe pan and pour it into a dish to bake later. Saute your garlic with your butter for about a minute. Add flour and stir until combined. Then, add milk. Start with 1 cup and add gradually as needed.

3. Let the milk warm up and thicken the sauce - about 5-7 minutes. Add cream cheese, parmesan cheese (don't forget to reserve some for topping), parsley and black pepper. Stir until everything is melted and combined.

4. Add pasta, chicken, peas, and bacon to your pan and stir well to combine. Top with leftover parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until it's bubbling around the edges and brown on top. Enjoy!!

This turned out SUPER well. Plus, there's peas in it, so it's totally healthy. 

See you on the other side of finals when I'm no longer living on soup and...well, soup. 

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Sweet Potato Casserole AND Green Bean Casserole

I know, I know. I'm a day late. Whatever, you should cook Thanksgiving food year round.

These two recipes? Amazing. I made 4 sides this year - butternut squash mac and cheese, Trader Joe's stuffing, and these two recipes. Justin made an amazing turkey, and we were set!

Best part about these two recipes? They are lightened up versions. No cream. Very little butter. Delicious.

It was a busy oven.

Sweet potato casserole (from How Sweet Eats):

2 lbs of sweet potatoes (this was 2 big potatoes for me)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brown butter (see butternut squash recipe for a how to)
1/3 cup lite coconut milk (this does NOT add coconut flavor - just creaminess)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Crust:

1/2 cup whole, unsalted pecans, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
mini marshmallows

Mix everything together with your hands and set aside.

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Peel and chop your potatoes into pieces and boil for 20-30 minutes, or until soft.

3. Add your potatoes to a bowl and, using a mixer, blend until smooth. Add all other ingredients (except crust) and blend again.

4. Pour into an oven safe bowl, top with crust and then mini marshmallows. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy!

I was so excited to dig into the sweet potato casserole that I didn't even take a picture of the finished product. But there's a picture of our turkey in the oven!

Green Bean Casserole - here's what you need (from My Life as a Mrs)...

1-1.25 lbs of green beans
8 oz. mushrooms, slice
5-7 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp flour
dash of cayenne*
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup half and half
Onion straws (we got ours from Trader Joe's)

*Leave out the cayenne if you don't like a little kick!

Here's what you do...

1. Boil your green beans for 5-7 minutes and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to blanch. Drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. In a pan, combine butter, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Add garlic and cayenne and stir for another minute.

4. Add flour and stir for another minute more. It will be a weird chunky looking mixture. Then, add chicken broth and bring to a simmer stirring until the flour is well-combined. Then, add half and half and simmer for another 10 minutes or until thick.

5. Add green beans and about 1 cup of onion straws. Pour into an oven safe dish and top with more onion straws. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

I can't stand mushrooms, but I love them in this dish. This was the hit of the night - I will be offended if you use cream of mushroom soup in the future.

 I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving! We are about to jump into finals, so I will be MIA for awhile. I wanted to leave you with this:

1. That is a dog bed.
2. I'm pretty sure normal animals lay on top of the pillow, not under.
3. Should I take this as a sign that I shouldn't have children when my CAT turns out to be this crazy? Just a thought.

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Potato Leek Soup

Hi! Remember me? 

Sorry I've been MIA for a few weeks now. We traveled 2 weekends in a row, and while I've been cooking, I have not been posting.

It's starting to get cold here in NC, so I have started making soups like a crazy person. This is one of my all time favorites. I started pulling ideas from various recipes until it ended up being completely my own.

Are you familiar with my friends the leeks? SO good. And lots of health benefits that I could list to you, but you can just look them up if you really care. Summary: they taste good and they are good for you.

Here's what you need...

4 tbsp butter
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 yellow onions, diced
4 leeks, rinsed and sliced - only the white parts*
3 stalks of celery, diced
15 baby red potatoes, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups low sodium chicken broth**
3/4 cup of half and half

*You MUST rinse your leeks!! They are really dirty. I usually put mine in a bowl full of water and toss them around a few times to make sure they are clean (see below).

**If you want this to be a vegetarian soup, just use vegetable broth!

Here's what you do...

1. In a large stock pot, melt your butter. Saute onion, leeks and celery for about 5-8 minutes, until they soften up a bit. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then add potatoes.

2. Add pepper, white pepper and thyme. Saute spices with everything for another 5-10 minutes.

3. Add your broth. Allow to simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft.

4. Once your vegetables are soft, use a potato masher to mash everything up in the pot. I like my soup with chunks of potato in it, but this time I tried using my immersion blender to make a smooth soup. I still prefer the chunks, but that's just me!

5. Add half and half and allow to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until it's a little bit thicker.

6. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan and a little parsley. Enjoy!!

This soup is PERFECT for the cooler weather, and it's actually fairly good for you. 

Would you all hate me if I posted something non-food related on here? I promise it won't be about my emotions or anything like that.

Promise to be back sooner than 3 weeks!!! Stay warm :)

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