Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Chicken Goodness
Another weekend is here, and it's a special one for the awesome dad's out there. Why not try this out this weekend and see if dad (and everyone else) thinks it's a winner! This recipe is a meal in itself, but if you want to make it a side dish, just eliminate the chicken and keep the veggies to serve on the side of a nice BBQ Grilled Steak and you have another meal dad will love!

 

 

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 Medium-sized Sweet Potatoes (Orange or Yellow Flesh will work)
1lb Grilled Chicken Breast, shredded (Even easier - buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and use the meat from that! One less thing to cook!)
1 Cup Kale, stems removed and chopped
Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Avocado Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat oven to 450F, and bake off the sweet potatoes for about 45 minutes. Check at about the 30 minute mark to see if you nee the full 45 minutes. They will be done once you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. 
2. Remove potatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, combine the kale with about a tablespoon of avocado oil and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice, and season with sea salt and pepper to taste. The kale should start to soften so it is easy to handle; mix in the shredded chicken.
4. Cut the sweet potatoes in half, length-wise, and press the ends in to loosen the sweet potato. Top with the kale and chicken mixture.
5. For more flavour, you can top with your favourite BBQ sauce, or some caramelized onions - whatever your taste buds are telling you!

Sweet Breakfast Hash

Breakfast Hash!

Most important meal of the day - breakfast! Try combining these whole foods together into an awesome sweet breakfast hash. Sweet Potato, Kale and Eggs - yes! Kick your morning off with this plateful of power!

 

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled, rinsed and diced small
1 Shallot, peeled, and finely diced
2 Cups Kale, washed well, stalks removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Paprika
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
2-3 Eggs, free-range preferred (depends on how hungry you are)
Butter or Bacon Fat (any fat to cook the hash that you prefer)

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter (or other fat) over medium-high heat. Add in the potatoes, shallots, and spices.
2. Stir the mixture to help cook evenly, takes about 15 minutes for the potatoes to cook through and become soft. Add in the kale. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Season the hash with salt and pepper to your liking. Turn off and remove from heat to rest.
4. In a separate skillet, cook your eggs - sunny side up or over easy are the most common ways of preparing eggs to go with breakfast hash.
5. Place the hash on a plate then top with your eggs, grab some Sriracha and enjoy!
6. You can always kick these up a notch by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper, and even crisping some bacon and mixing it in with the hash - experiment until you find your favourite combo!

One Pot Roast

It's time for a Roast!

Turkey weekend is the sure sign that winter is coming, time to get comfortable with some comfort foods that are filling and good for you. Pot roast is a simple and easy thing for first time or newbie cook's to do because you get your protein, veg, and drippings all in one! Tried VG Farms beef this week that I picked up at Longo's. Turned out pretty good and was readily available at a reasonable price! 

Ingredients:

2-2.5 lbs of Good Quality Beef Rib Roast, or Shoulder
1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Cup Chopped Onions
2 Cups Potato (Both Sweet and White Potato)
Sprig of Rosemary or Thyme (your preference)
Bacon Fat or Avocado Oil (need the oil to sear the meat)
Beef Stock - homemade if you got it!
Salt & Pepper

1. In a large pot that has a fitted lid, add in your fat or oil. On medium-high heat, sear your roast on each side for about 3 minutes each (this will keep it tender inside).
2. Once that is done, add in all your vegetables, and then the stock until it is just covering the top of the beef.
3. Cover the pot and reduce the heat so that it is cooking on a simmer. Not a big boil, as that will make the beef tough. Cook for approximately 1 to 1-1/4 hours, checking to stir vegetables every once in awhile.
4. When done to your liking. Remove the beef and let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. You don't want to cut it right away, as it will loose all the goodness out of it. Scoop out your vegetables and then cut your beef and top with the stock "jus" - Enjoy!

Chili Season Ahead!

Ch-ch-chili!

Well it's that time of year again...the season is changing to one of the most colourful times of the year, but that also means, it's going to get chilly again! That's okay though, the fall and winter season is full of comforting and yummy foods. Try this hearty chili to warm you and your family up on a one of the many cool days we have in store! If you canned your own tomatoes this season, use them in this recipe - I did!



Ingredients:

2lb Ground Beef, browned (Use Bison meat if you want a super lean chili)
2 Cups Sweet Potato, cut into small chunks
1 Cup Carrots, diced small
1 Cup Red Onions, diced small
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Fresh Jalapeno, seeded, and minced
1 Can Whole Tomatoes (Homemade Canned Tomatoes work)
1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
2-3 Cups Beef Stock (Depending how thick you want your chili)
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne (optional if you want to spice it up more)
Avocado and Bacon for Garnish

Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste 

1. In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat; add the ground beef to brown.
2. Add in the garlic, onions, carrots, sweet potato and continue to cook until meat is browned through and vegetables are just tender. Drain any excess fat if needed.
3. Add in the spices and mix thoroughly; add in the tomatoes and continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Bring the chili to a boil and cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes for flavours to infuse.
5. Remove from heat and top with crisped bacon and avocado chunks when ready to serve!

Sweet Potato Hummus!

Sweet Fancy Hummus!

If you were at the Canuck Games, you got to taste Whisked Gluten Free's awesome flax seed bread...vegan-friendly and gluten-free...AND it tasted like REAL BREAD! Our very own Canuck Melanie L, who owns WGF, had us try this awesome bread with some tasty homemade hummus spreads. It is a perfect pairing, so I tried making my own...with Sweet Potato! The trial run turned out okay, so hopefully it will work for you too! You can pair this spread with veggies for a great quick snack, or you can order that awesome flax seed bread online at www.whiskedglutenfree.com/bakery and they will deliver it right to the box! Remember, they have other great, healthy treats for you to try! But first...make the Sweet Potato Hummus! 

Ingredients:

1lb Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (this helps with processing)
1 Can Chick Peas, rinsed thoroughly
Juice of 1 Lemon (no seeds!)
1/4 Cup Tahini
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil, or good quality Olive Oil
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
Pinch Cayenne (depends on how much kick you want)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper (Or you can use white pepper so you don't see any specks in the hummus)

1. In a large pot, steam cook the sweet potatoes. They are done when they are tender - around 12-15 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are cut. Bigger pieces may take longer than smaller pieces.
2. Place the potatoes into a food processor, along with the remaining ingredients, except for the salt and pepper. Puree for approximately 1 minute. If it is too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out, but probably is not necessary.
3. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to use. This will last approximately a week....if you don't eat it all within the first couple of days!

One Pan Breakfast!

5 Ingredient Breakfast!

Breakfast is very important, and many people find it hard to get this meal in first thing because of time constraints or they can't think of what to make. Here's an easy one shot breakfast that contains everything you need to start your day off right - some dark, leafy greens, eggs, sweet potato and protein! You can mix and match your type of greens, I used Kale, but spinach or Swiss Chard will do the trick. The protein can be swapped out as well - instead of sausage, you can use bacon, ground beef, or even ground chicken if you prefer a white meat. You can even make this at one time and then pack them up in meals for the entire week - just reheat and go!

Ingredients:

12 Eggs, free-range preferred
2 Cups Kale leaves, torn and thoroughly cleaned and dried
3 Small Sweet Potatoes, peeled, washed and diced small
1 lb Sausage Meat, from a quality source
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, break up the sausage meat and cook through.
2. Add in the sweet potato, stirring to prevent burning, and cook until tender.
3. Add in the kale leaves until they are just wilted; add in the eggs and scramble until egg is cooked out.
4. Season with salt and pepper - voila, done!

Chips ... Sweet ... Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet Chips!

Staying on the snack attack...here is another healthy (and addictive!) snack to make. The big test is not to eat them all in one sitting!!

Ingredients

2 Sweet Potatoes, larger size makes for more chips!
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tsp Maldon Salt

1. Peel the pototoes and give them a rinse. Slice them super thin with a sharp knife or use a mandolin (watch your fingers!!). Put potatoes into a bowl and toss with melted coconut oil and the salt.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Place potatoes onto a greased baking sheet and put in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss the chips around and return to oven for another 5 minutes or less. Before returning to the oven, remove any chips that are done already and put on a cooling rack.
4. Watch the chips carefully during the last 5 minutes, and remove them when they are crisped - not burnt! Allow to cool and enjoy!!

Sweet Hasselback Potatoes, Batman!

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Hasselback potatoes are a great side dish to pretty up your plate and are super simple to make. Usually they are made with regular Yukon or white potatoes, but sweet potatoes come out just as tasty! I like making these with a side of sautéed kale with bacon and a steak...mmmm...good! If you are looking for a sweeter side dish, instead of the spices, add a drizzle of honey and a pinch of cinnamon!

 

 

Ingredients:

2-4 Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, sliced very thinly
2 Tbsp Ghee or Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place sweet potatoes horizontally (so it is lengthwise going left to right) on a cutting board with one chopstick above it and one below it. These will act as guides to stop you from cutting all the way through the potato. 
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the potato into thin slices about 1/4" thick all the way along.
4. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and place the slices between every few potato slices - this will help open up the potato slightly to help cook evenly. Place potatoes on a baking dish lined with foil, non-shiny side up.
5. Cover the potato tops and in between the slices with the ghee or olive oil evenly. Get dirty here and use your hands to make sure you coat it well, don't worry about the bottoms, the most important part is getting in between the slices.
6. Sprinkle the spices, and season with salt and pepper over the potatoes and pop them in the oven to bake for approximately 40-50 minutes. Keep an eye on them around the 40 minute mark to avoid burning them. They should be cooked through and slightly crispy at the edges with a softer centre.
7. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute before remove - THEY ARE EXTREMELY HOT!
8. Dig in!

Sweet Potato Noodle Goodness

PALEO JAPCHAE

This is one of the yummiest Korean dishes that I enjoy making for myself and others. It is super easy to make and doesn't take longer than 15-20 minutes to put together! Sweet potato noodles are super cheap to buy (like less than $2 a package!), so this makes for a pretty inexpensive dish to make as well.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp of Bacon Fat (mmm...bacon) or Avocado Oil
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely
1/2 lb. Steak (the good stuff if you can) or you can use chicken breast, or pork belly!
2 Large Carrots, julienne (that means cut into thin strips)
1 Cup Green onions, julienne
1-1/2 Cups Broccoli Florets, cut into small bite-size pieces
2 Cups Fresh Kale, stems removed, just the leafy parts
1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced (you can use white, shiitake, or any type of mushrooms you prefer)
1/2 Cup Tamari
2 Tbsp Raw Honey
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Package Sweet Potato Noodles (the vermicelli - thin ones or you can use the wider noodles if you prefer)
Sea Salt, to taste
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Sesame Seeds, to garnish at the end

Method

1. Place a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Cook the sweet potato noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water, using your hands or tongs (the noodles are HOT - be careful!) to ensure that the noodles are separated and cool them down. Set aside.
2. Heat the fat/oil in a large pan (big enough that it will fit the noodles and everything in it). Add in the onions, garlic, and meat; cook for 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
3. Add in the carrots, green onion, and broccoli; cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add in the kale and mushrooms, cooking for 2 minutes more.
4. In a small bowl, combine the tamari, honey and sesame oil until all incorporated, then toss into the pan and coat the mixture. Turn off the heat and add in the noodles. Mix together.
5. Re-heat the pan over medium-high heat in order to heat the noodles and everything through. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, toss on the sesame seeds.
6. Remove from the pan and serve!