Indian Curry in a Hurry

My friend Meg gave me this amazing vegetarian Indian cookbook for my birthday. (For those of you who are interested, it’s Indian Vegetarian Cooking At Your House.) I haven’t cracked the book much yet because we were away last week, but it sparked some major curry cooking in me. We’ve been eating vegetable curry for dinner most every night, and it’s all a variation on this Chickpea Mash recipe from years ago with some tips from the book.

So, I thought I’d give you some tips for how to make this dish work in your house . . . tonight! Well, at least once you gather a few key spices. We make this meal so often, we use whatever we have on hand to make it work. If you only have chickpeas, onions, and potatoes, use ‘em.

And don’t forget the naan (we have many recipes), but I’ll give you an update on that part, too.

VEGETABLE CURRY in a hurry

What you’ll need . . .

• Mince a couple cloves of garlic
• Chop one onion
• Chop one large bell pepper
• Consider adding a cup of broccoli cauliflower, or other veggies 
• Use a can (or 1-1/2 cups) chickpeas*
• Peel and halve 2 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Consider adding frozen peas
• Heck, toss in a medium tomato from your garden
• Add spices!
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard or coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• salt + pepper

* I’ve been using frozen chickpeas. If you’d like to start cooking your own beans, follow these instructions. Works great. Freeze big batches for easy cooking.

PS: I know this seems like a lot, but once you get your spices -- a lot of this is stuff we all have on hand for making other healthy meals. Once you get the hang of cooking it, it’s a breeze. Here’s the process. Read through it once, then make it . . . and you’ll want to do it over and over again.


Method . . .

1. Start a pot of water boiling on the stove. You’ll add your potatoes to the water and cook until they are softened. Then remove from water and chop into pieces the size of your onions and peppers.
2. While those are cooking, you’ll heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan (sometimes I use my tagine) and add your mustard or coriander seeds. Honestly, either type tastes good in this dish -- so just use what you have/can find. 
3. Once they start popping, toss in the garlic and cook until lightly browned.
4. Then toss in the rest of your veggies. You’ll want to cook until the onions are translucent. You can add your spices (all of them) at any point. 
5. Then toss in the chickpeas and potatoes. Add a few splashes of water and keep cooking over medium heat until everything starts to cook together. The flavors will mingle, the potatoes will soften even more to make everything come together in an almost-mushy texture.
6. After 10 to 15 minutes of simmering, serve with naan.

5-MINUTE NAAN RECIPE

What you’ll need . . .

• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegan mayo (!!!)
• Pinch salt

Method . . .

1. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add in the water and vegan mayo slowly. You want the mixture to be a nice, soft round, but not sticky. Add more water if it’s too dry or more flour if it’s too wet. 
3. Divide into four pieces, then follow these video instructions to get cooking.

ENJOY!

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Budget-Friendly Low Glycemic Foods

Though I won’t be going on some wild post-holiday detox, I’m getting back to the basics this week and eating vegetarian low glycemic foods to come down slowly from all that December sugar. The cool thing with this list is that these foods are triple threats. They’re healthy, inexpensive, and they are also pretty shelf stable, so food waste isn’t a concern. Better on the budget, too.

Add these 5 foods to your weekly grocery list. And consider trying some of the many recipes we have on this site. Back in the day, I posted recipes multiple times a week. More recently, those posts get around half the views of the other stuff I share -- but I think 2015 is the comeback of recipe blogging regardless. I love cooking and baking, and I can’t let pageviews always dictate my content.

Enjoy!

Oats

Oats -- in a variety of forms -- are my breakfast go-to. We have both rolled oats and steel-cut on hand, which we purchased at Aldi on the cheap. Oats contain a special sort of fiber that lowers bad cholesterol levels known as beta-glucan. Plus, they taste great and fill you up so you can get through your day.

• Easy Microwave Muffin
• Homemade Breakfast Muesli
• Chocolate Energy Chunk Cookies
• Half Dozen GF Chocolate Chippers

Lentils

Quick-cooking lentils are great in a pinch because they contain potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin, and vitamin K. And they're particularly rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, folate, and iron. Surprisingly, I don’t have a lot of recipes featuring lentils on this site -- so I’d like to change that! Usually we just toss them into soups.

• Lentil + Quinoa Burgers with baby kale pesto
• Stephen’s Healthy Lentil Bowl
• Split Pea Miso Soup (use lentils in place of split peas)
• Tarka Dhal (with lentils + sweet potatoes)

Chickpeas

There are tons of health benefits you gain from eating chickpeas. They’re high in both fiber and folate. They’re an excellent source of vegetarian protein. They taste delicious prepared in a variety of ways. Heck -- you can even use garbanzos in desserts! No, really. Check out that blondie recipe and tell me what you think.

• Garbanzo Bean Salad
• Stephen’s Garden Hummus
• Healthy Chickpea Blondies
• Chickpea Veggie Burgers
• Curried Chickpea Mash

Beans

Similarly, there’s a wide array of other beans that a packed full of goodness. In fact, each cup of beans contains 15 grams of both protein and fiber. A few months back, I gave you guys an entire week’s worth of dinner ideas that contain beans as their bulk. (Oh, yeah. You can also make some awesome black bean brownies to curb that sweet tooth!)

• Freezable Veggie Burgers
• Improved Pumpkin Chili 
• Black Bean Peanut Butter Brownies
• Black Bean Breakfast Smoothie

*** To cook beans, follow these detailed instructions.

Basically, you soak overnight, drain and rinse, then cook atop your stove for a few hours on low heat until you reach your desired texture. You save money on buying cans, as well as consume less sodium and harmful BPA from cans.

Sweet Potatoes

Despite their taste, sweet potatoes are actually lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes. When I was working my desk job, I’d often bring a scrubbed sweet potato in for lunch. I’d pierce the skin with the tines of a fork and then place it on a microwave safe dish. Cook on high for 5-6 minutes and then top however you like.

• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Roasted Sweet Potato Stew
• Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers
• Broccoli + Sweet Potato Soup
• Sweet Potato Ravioli with Tofu Ricotta

What types of recipes would you like to see this year?

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. Chat with us on Twitter or Facebook. And you can always email us with your questions and comments.

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The Automatic Meal

We're hopefully moving this year week (more here). But I want to try and keep forging on with some stuff I've been meaning to share. Like my favorite breakfast (or lunch) (or dinner). It's pretty basic, but it's one of the most satisfying meals I make.

Really, I could eat this mix every day, every week. It's pretty darned healthy, too.

• Fry two whole eggs in virgin coconut oil
• Toast bread (sourdough!) or cook a sweet potato in your microwave
• Add some avocado via pre-made guacamole or simple slices
• Toss some salsa and/or hot sauce in the mix
• Slice some fruit or even add more veggies on the side
• Finish off with tea or water or whatever you're drinking these days

What's your favorite all-day sort of meal?

I'm actually off to make this one right now! I think what makes it best is that it doesn't require much planning. I almost always have the ingredients. And it comes together in a flash. Now that's what I think is a recipe for automatic healthy eating!

MORE TIPS TO EAT HEALTHY

#1: Stock up on frozen veggies 
#2: Buy greens and actually USE them 
#3: Create simple, go-to meals
#4: Learn to love alternatives
#5: Prep, Make, and Store
#6: Add In: Convenience to your advantage
#7: Eliminate Food Waste
* 20 Ideas for Make-Ahead Meals

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Broccoli + Sweet Potato Soup

It's been a while since I've made a new soup recipe. I love chunky stews and chili, which is why I make those varieties far more often than slurpable stuff of this sort. But . . . there I was in my kitchen looking into a sad drawer of limp, forgotten broccoli. The whole USE IT UP! automatic healthy eating tip was screaming in my head.

I just couldn't stomach another stir-fry.

So . . .

BROCCOLI + SWEET POTATO SOUP
with coconut milk for vegan richness!

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large heads of broccoli, chopped small
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled + chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2-3 cups (low sodium) vegetable broth
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• Olive or Chili oil (optional)

Method . . . 

1. Prepare all your veggies, then in a stock pot over medium heat, saute your onion in some olive oil until soft. Then add in potatoes and broccoli and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add the broth (start with two cups) and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer for around 15 minutes, until veggies/potatoes are soft/blendable. 
3. Let cool slightly before blending* until smooth. Add more broth as necessary to reach desired consistency. Then return to the stovetop to season with the salt, pepper, and optionally kick up the heat with a little chili oil.

* I use my Ninja Blender, a.k.a. my poor woman's Vitamix, to blend the tough broccoli.


Yes. The soup does turn a light brown color, depending on your specific ratio of sweet potatoes to broccoli. If you're looking for a more appetizing presentation, you could always sub in a white potato. But then you'd be missing out on the extra dimension of flavor + nutrition the sweet potato adds. It's a delicate balance.

You could also add in some cayenne. I love hot + spicy soups!

Psst: Be sure to check out our gift lists!

Gifts for the Active Family
Fun Gifts for Foodies
Active Gifts for Women
On Stephen's List
On Ashley's List
On Ada's List + 80 toddler gift ideas split into 20 fun categories!

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In My Oven . . .

I assure you -- 110% -- I'm not pregnant. And yet . . . more fries. I just crave . . . oven-baked fries -- usually sweet potato, but last night we made some amazing ones with Russet potatoes.

I want them.
All the time.
Right now, even.

And you've not HAD fries until you've tried Ashley's (Edible Perspective, not speaking in the third person here) beer-soaked variety. I made them this weekend with sweet potatoes.

By far, they win for flavor . . . 


Ashley says to soak them for 15 minutes. I did that . . . plus like three hours. Oops! I started them while I was doing a million other things and didn't read that far ahead in the recipe. But they still turned out great. Seasoned with some rosemary + salt, too.

FUN FRIES TO TRY:

Adrianna's Cornmeal Crusted Eggplant Fries
Rebecca's Baked Chickpea Fries
Angela's Nut Butter Parsnip Fries
Kristianne's Baked Asparagus Fries
Lauren's Raw Avocado Fries
Julia's Baked Kohlrabi Fries
Megan's Shortbread Fries w/ Strawberry Jam
Gourmet's Herbed Polenta Fries
Our Dessert Parsnip Fries
Hayley's Tofu Fries

What's your current food obsession? Or what's your favorite fries recipe?

Tomorrow I'll be back with stuff about grocery budget as promised in my last post. I am so happy to have gotten most of the cooking done for the week. I used to be a pro at doing it all ahead of time, but it's becoming necessity. Off to bake another loaf of sourdough!

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(Baked) Sweet Potato Fries

For the past four nights, we've eaten Spook Fork Bacon's Spicy Black Bean Burgers slathered with Vegenaise, avocado, and lots of mustard. "Beefy" vegan burgers between two impossibly thick slices of sourdough toast.

And what's a.l.w.a.y.s on the side?

These guys . . .

So much for variety in my diet, right?

There's not much difference between these sweet potato fries and roasted sweet potato cubes. It's all in how you slice them. The thinner, the crispier they get while baking. We're partial to spicy fries anything, so I tossed on a teaspoon of different spices I found lurking around the cabinets. The usual suspects, as you'll see below.

(BAKED) SWEET POTATO FRIES
Serves between 2 and 4, depending on the size of your sweet potatoes

What you'll need . . . 

• 2 large sweet potatoes 
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Optional: curry powder, turmeric, paprika

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (Hot, yes -- but unlike with roasting, you want to SHOCK them to crisp as much as possible.) Find a rimmed baking sheet. Doesn't have to be rimmed, but makes things easier.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and then each half in half. Then cut into fry shapes, as shown above. You don't want them too thin or too thick, if that is helpful at all.
3. Place chopped sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet and then drizzle with oil -- just enough to coat them. 
4. Sprinkle on your salt, pepper, and other spices. I didn't measure how much I used, but it was a good 1/2 teaspoon of each.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip over/stir around. Bake another 10 minutes -- again, stir + turn over. Then bake another 5 to 10 until you've reached your desired brown. We like ours rather dark.
6. Serve with ketchup or mustard or a sauce of your own creation.

// Random Tip:

Like I said, we've made these a lot recently. Some times, I refrigerate uncooked fries (just the chopped sweet potatoes) for the next day. I find when I bake them right out of the refrigerator, they get slightly crisper. It may very well be my imagination.

// Also:

I feel like tossing in some whole wheat breadcrumbs might add to the crunch in an out-of-this-world sort of way. I am planning on trying that soon.

And I'm sure this method would work well with other types of potatoes, too!


Check out the inexpensive + festive Valentine's Day DIY --||--> STAMPED ARROW T-SHIRT <-- b="">today on Writing Chapter Three. I'm off to make one for myself . . . and then I'm going running outside . . . where it "feels like" 4 degrees F. 

Do I win a prize? Probably not. But the shower after will feel amazing.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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News and Curried Celery Soup with Mint

We're starting a new blog in addition to (never home)maker. It will replace the (never home)maker, baby! blog -- which has chronicled my pregnancy and postpartum period -- with all our family updates. But you'll be happy to learn it won't just be a barrage of baby pictures. It's an opportunity to share our lives in a new way. We had a back-log of reader questions to answer, too. Best of all, it's an opportunity for me to fine-tune my cooking. New recipes (among many other new things) will be a primary focus. And they'll pull ingredients from a streamlined, budget-friendly pantry.

I've also spent more time on the photography, which is an area I admit I've neglected lately. Here's a preview of some things to come:

If you're wondering, the answer is NO. (never home)maker is not going away. Instead, we'll go back to our roots as solely a fitness and exercise blog with related workouts, race recaps, foods (like energy chunks, high-powered smoothies, bars, etc.), and other healthy living tips.

We recognize topics have strayed from our original focus, so we're excited to get things back in order.


Now for a recipe. We threw this soup together out of pure desperation. I had bought mint to make something that required peas . . . only to return home and find we didn't actually have any peas. What I did find was some celery nearing the end of its shelf life in our fridge . . .

CURRIED CELERY SOUP WITH MINT

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/2 pounds of celery, washed well and chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method . . .

1. In a stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add in the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add in the chopped celery. Cover for 10 minutes, but continue to stir.
3. Add the curry and onion powders and sweet potatoes. Cook for 4 minutes.
4. Then add in the water and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 10 minutes. Then toss it into a blender or food processor.
6. Add the mint and pulse until the soup is smooth.

So, enjoy the soup and please stay tuned for more updates on the new site, which we hope to open in March. If you have any suggestions (like printer-friendly recipes, more vegan recipes, better comments section, etc.), please email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

We hope you'll join us!

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Roasted Sweet Potato Stew

You're in luck. Today, you get TWO recipes all for reading ONE post. These days, I don't often get time to roast veggies. Taking the time was totally worth it in this case. The oven temperature made our kitchen warm and cozy. The time those sweet potatoes, onions, and peppers spent in the oven gave them tons of flavor.

This hearty winter stew lasted two nights in our household. That's a lot of delicious dinner.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO STEW

What you'll need . . .

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1 green/yellow/orange/OR red pepper, chopped (I used a frozen bag mix of all -- about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 large white onion, sliced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Fenugreek
• 1 can (15 ounces) Canelli beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) low sodium veggie broth
• 1 large can (32 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon cilantro (I only had dried on hand, I would have preferred fresh)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, pour in your olive oil, salt, pepper, and Fenugreek.
3. Once you have your sweet potatoes and peppers chopped, your onions sliced, and your garlic minced, toss all these ingredients into the bowl with the oil mixture. Toss to coat well.
4. Pour veggies onto your prepared baking sheet. Put in your preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Then take out, stir around a bit, and return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes. Until well roasted.
5. In a food processor or blender, blend together the tomatoes, vegetable broth, and cilantro. Make sure to drain and rinse the tomatoes first. If you use the juice, the dish will be too tomato-y.
6. Place the broth in a large, oven-safe stock pot. When the veggies are done roasting, turn off the oven heat. Mix them -- AND the Canelli beans -- into the broth and place in the oven for 15 minutes. (This allows the flavors to mix without making the roasted stuff bloated and soggy.)
7. Serve with buttermilk biscuits (recipe below).

VEGAN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 1 tablespoon golden flax meal
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and set aside. (I made the stew and biscuits at different times of the day -- but you could easily make these first and have the oven all preheated for the stew!).
2. Toss all your ingredients -- EXCEPT the almond milk -- into a food processor. Pulse until well incorporated and mealy.
3. Pour into a medium bowl and then add the almond milk. Fold with a spatula a few times. Don't over-mix. Just fold until everything is moistened.
4. Scoop 1/4 cup amounts of the mix onto your baking sheet. Should make 6 biscuits.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Then let cool before serving.

Read all about Ada's 8th week of life today on (never home)maker, baby! We're amazed at how she's grown in just two short months. Very much looking forward to her well baby checkup next week!

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Healthy Lunch . . . In Bulk

Stephen's back at work today. To start his week off right, I spent some time in the kitchen creating a delicious lunch for the both of us. Not only is this recipe healthy, but it also makes enough good stuff for two adults to have lunch for three days (or two, depending on your appetite, cough, STEPHEN, cough...).

I also made some low-fat, low-sugar pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that tasted great but TURNED GREEN (GREEN!!!) overnight in the refrigerator. But more on that fiasco another day.

SESAME COUSCOUS SALAD

What you'll need . . .

• 10 ounces (1-1/4 cup) Israeli couscous
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 small yellow squash, chopped
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Spritz olive oil and capful of lemon juice to cook
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tangerines, juiced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Method . . .

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the couscous with 2-1/2 cups water and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil and then lower heat slightly and mix every now and again until all the moisture is absorbed.
2. While that's cooking, heat a spritz or two of oil into a frying pan (my mind is blanking, but the kind with tall sides -- or even a wok). Toss in the sweet potatoes, lemon juice, some salt and pepper and cook until almost softened.
3. Toss the squash into the pan and cook for a few minutes. Season with some salt.
4. Turn off the heat and toss in the couscous and kidney beans. Add the sesame oil, tangerine juice, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.
5. Divide into containers for a quick grab-and-go lunch.

Thanks for all of your easy healthy food ideas from yesterday's post. It's already difficult to stop eating so much sugar, but I know it'll be worth the struggle.

And if you'd like to see what Ada was up to in her sixth week of life, check out (never home)maker, baby!

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Veggie Pizza and Sacrifices

I knew having a child would mean sacrifice in many areas of my life. I quit drinking beer and enjoying my champagne-baking Sunday afternoons for nine months (and beyond). Now, I'm heading to bed around 8:30 PM and waking several times a night to screaming and crying. Going to the mall has become an ordeal involving an hour of preparation and then maybe two hours out -- tops. I'm scarfing down my meals -- in thirty seconds flat -- in order to give my baby the food she needs.

And worst of all -- I've had to cut out dairy because it isn't agreeing with her delicate digestive system. Sigh . . .

Whenever I've had to cut something out of my diet (or life, in general), I feel like it's all I can focus on. All. I. Want. Is. CHEESE. You all know we frequently eat pizza or garlic knots for dinner. I'm unwilling to give that up.

What to do?

(Another sacrifice is of my time snapping food photos. As in -- this photo and the one below are embarrassingly bad and I refuse to apologize. The pizza? Ridiculously good. Use your imagination, please.)

VEGGIE PIZZA SANS CHEESE

The toppings below are mere suggestions. The point is: Get wild with it. If you can't have cheese or simply choose not to, top pizza with as much tastiness as possible.

For us, this has meant piling on the following . . .

• Sweet potato fries
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Corn kernels
• Leeks
• Sliced tomato
• Wheat germ

When the cheese is missing, the bread is the key. Stephen has yet again tweaked his favorite crust recipe!

CARROT-INFUSED PIZZA DOUGH

• 1 cup warm water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup carrot puree
• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• pinch of salt

Method . . .

1. Combine warm water and yeast. Let sit until frothy -- five minutes.
2. Stir in carrot puree (just steam carrots and process until smooth). Or another type of vegetable puree would work fine.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Make a divot in the flour and pour in the wet ingredients.
4. Mix well and knead. Dough will be moist and slightly sticky.
5. Place dough in well oiled bowl. Let rise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

Note from Stephen: Each recipe yields two large pizzas. Second-day crust is always better (crispier). Dough works equally well as a garlic knot base.

To put it all together, just preheat your oven to 430 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, use it. If not, a regular cookie sheet works fine. Flatten and work your dough into a round. Pre-bake for 5 minutes. Then flip over and pile on the toppings. Return to oven for 12 to 14 minutes -- until golden brown. If you've decided to add sweet potato fries, you'll want to bake those ahead of time and add them in the last couple minutes of baking.

Enjoy! And if you can eat real pizza -- please scarf down a piece for me. (Though, this veggie-crazy version is quickly becoming a new favorite.) If you'd like to read about more sacrifices we've made so far as parents, check out our current sleep situation on (never home)maker, baby!

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Ashley's Cooking Again: Stuffed Peppers

Stephen was my househusband this summer while he was off from teaching. So, it's been a while since I've cooked dinner for the two of us. Since I've prepared a meal. OK. In reality, it's even more basic than that:

It's been a while since I've chopped vegetables . . .

Roasted peppers . . .


Splashed in secret (well, not-so secret) ingredients . . .


I'M-COOKING-AGAIN STUFFED PEPPERS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large green peppers, sliced in half and de-seeded
• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, skinned and chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 very small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed well
• Black pepper -- to taste
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Method . . .

1. Set your oven to broil. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place your green pepper halves on it -- cut side down. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on tops and softened.
2. In a large pan over medium-high heat, toss in your olive oil and sweet potato chunks. Cook for a few minutes and then stir in the apple cider, black pepper, garlic, and onions. Cover and lower heat just a bit -- 5 minutes. You want them to get slightly blackened on the bottoms.
3. Add more oil to the pan if it's dry, but then add black beans. Cook for another 5 (or so) minutes until everything is softened. Test the sweet potatoes especially.
4. Your green peppers should be cooled by now, flip them over so the cut side is up. Then fill each with a generous scoop of the sweet potato mixture. Top with cheddar cheese if you wish. Then place in oven -- which should still be on broil -- and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly.
5. Let cool to warm before serving. I've burned the roof of my mouth before stuffing these down my throat.

We've made many different types of stuffed peppers before, but this recipe was -- for whatever reason -- the most satisfying and filling. We even used onions (the tiny ones in the photo above) from our own garden. Score!

NOTE #1: If you don't have apple cider, water would work as a good substitute. The sugars in the cider, though, help blacken and flavor everything. I love hiding cider in all my fall foods. If you haven't checked out the Hidden Cider Cookies yet, I recommend you do!

NOTE #2: Top peppers with hot, hot, hot sauce for best results.

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Sweet Potato Brownies (2.0)

Continuing with our sneaky trend of hiding veggies in desserts like Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread (and everything else), we've modified the much-loved Sweet Potato Brownie recipe we gave you several months ago. At the time when we first posted it, we were shocked at how dense, moist, and intensely chocolatey they turned out.

Only problem was . . . they wouldn't come out of the pan.

So, we set out to make them again last night, but with two new criteria. They needed to be just as healthy, if not MORE so. And they needed to be portable. After careful tweaking and taste-testing, I'm happy to report that we succeeded!


SWEET POTATO BROWNIES (2.0)

What you'll need . . .

• 2 tablespoons canola oil (we used walnut oil, but veggie or canola works)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats, uncooked
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup sweet-potato puree (we used a half/half mix of sweet potato and carrot puree we had been using for garlic knots)
• 1 flax egg (see directions below)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Handful chocolate chips
• Handful peanut butter chips
• Handful pecans or walnuts

Method . . .

1. Spritz a 8-inch square baking pan with some canola oil. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon golden flax meal with three tablespoons water. Then heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and set aside to cool.
4. If you don't already have it, make your sweet potato puree. I used the microwave to heat a sweet potato (first prick it a few times with the tines of a fork) -- then put it on a plate and zap for 6 minutes on high. Alternatively, you can boil the potato if you're not a fan of microwaves. Scoop out the flesh, mash or puree, and let cool.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, combine the sweet potato puree with the oil, flax egg, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix until smooth.
7. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until everything is well moistened. Then stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and nuts.
8. Pour into your prepared pan. Then bake for 25 minutes. The batter will appear wet, so be sure to poke through the center with a toothpick.
9. Let cool before slicing. They may still be quite moist, but I assure you, they will come out of the pan!

As always, my favorite way to devour these brownies is to smother them with peanut butter. Nutella might also be a great compliment. Any sinful spread, really.


And for those of you following our baby blog, we wrote all about our girl's ever-expanding closet today on (never home)maker, baby! Go see what she'll be wearing that's old, new, borrowed, PINK, and more!

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Sweet Potato Brownies

Day one of my March detox-ish thing went well. I ended up changing the end-half of the day -- choosing a couple pieces of leftover naan over brown rice and chickpea mash over broccoli. As one reader mentioned, thank you, Sabina, I needed more protein in there. Success!

I did have a slight binge right when I got home from work. But when you read the recipe, you'll see why I don't need to feel too awful about it. These sweet potato brownies (that I found on Food Loves Writing) will impress you with their fudge-i-ness.

They look sinful, too.

SWEET POTATO BROWNIES
(Adapted from Food Loves Writing, Adapted from Body + Soul)

What you'll need . . .

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• 2/3 cup sweet-potato puree
• 1 flax egg (see directions below)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Handful or two chocolate chips

Method . . .

1. Spritz a 8-inch square baking pan with some canola oil. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon golden flax meal with three tablespoons water. Then heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and set aside to cool.
4. If you don't already have it, make your sweet potato puree. Again, I used the microwave to heat a sweet potato (first prick it a few times with the tines of a fork) -- then put it on a plate and zap for 6 minutes on high. Alternatively, Shannalee suggests boiling the potato if you're not a fan of microwaves. Scoop out the flesh, mash or puree, and let cool.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, combine the sweet potato puree (pumpkin would also work wonderfully) with the oil, flax egg, vanilla, and sugar. Mix until smooth.
7. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until everything is well moistened. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Pour into your prepared pan. Then bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The batter will appear wet still, so be sure to poke through the center with a toothpick. Though it likely won't ever come out clean (these brownies are UBER fudge-er-rific) . . . try to make sure the middle is at least set a bit.

We enjoyed these brownies best after they had been cooled in the fridge. With a heaping scoop of homemade peanut butter on top. I also suspect they'd taste great with less sugar, maybe even with maple syrup as a substitute. They're all gone now, so experimentation will commence immediately. I may just need to make several batches until I get it right.

:)

Since I ate a ton when I got home, I don't have more photos for you to drool over. But don't worry . . . I've got something else to write about. Though we're not trying to get terribly excited over this house we looked at over the weekend (I mean, so much could go horribly wrong -- AND we have to sell our place first), I'm already lusting over rustic interiors I want to try out.


So, whether or not the stars align for this place -- wherever we land next will definitely sport a rough-around-the-edges-but-fabulous feel. And I think we can all agree that the main theme in these photos is exposed beams. Real or faux -- it doesn't matter . . . in the dark! (Arrested Development, anyone?)

Now I'll leave you with the song that's been stuck in my head since Sunday afternoon. (Quite frankly, I have a crush on this girl. She's beyond talented.) Also: Today is Stephen's 27th birthday. Please help me in wishing him the best one EVER!


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