I wanted to make use of my extensive spice collection, so I broke out the cardamom, allspice, cloves, and fenugreek for an Ethiopian night. Makes me want to listen to Toto.
Dish 1: Chickpea wat with potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and topped with cashews.
Baked potato and sweet potato fries with smoked paprika and garlic powder
Sweet potato, red potato, and butternut squash hash with maple sausage
Last night I devoted some time to something I usually ignore-my finances. I get paid biweekly, and get my paycheck automatically deposited to my account, and yet, I never accumulate any money. Curious about this fiscal plateau, I decided to track all of my expenses from the last couple of months and I discovered something very curious: I spend nearly as much money as I make in a month! I categorized my expenses and it turns out that I spend approximately $300 per month on food (groceries and eating out). Not to mention $300 on shopping…
The moral of the story is that instead of buying food I’m trying to make use of food I already have. For instance, I froze a butternut squash before winter break and decided to break it out tonight for dinner in my Sweet Potato Butternut Soup. I think the sweet potato mellows out the squash’s sweetness. Ham-or better yet, bacon fat-would be even better.
I previously attempted to resurrect some frozen butternut chunks for a different meal, but it turns out that roasting thawed squash just results in mush.
But mush is great for blended soup!
Sweet Potato Butternut Soup
1 sweet potato
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 chopped carrots
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 small frozen butternut squash, thawed and cubed
4 cups chicken broth
ground pepper
2 tbs soy sauce
1. Wash the sweet potato and pop it in the microwave for ~7 minutes (until very soft).
2. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Cook the onions and carrots until softened, then add the garlic. When the garlic has become fragrant (try not to let it brown), add the squash to the pot. Saute about 5 minutes.
3. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potato into the pot and add the chicken broth. Simmer until heated through. Then use a blender (or immersion blender if you have one) to puree the soup. If using a blender, blend in batches and return the puree to the pot. Season with ground pepper and soy sauce.
Garnish with green onions, parsley, or roasted broccoli like I did, and serve with roasted garlic and baguette. Enjoy!
Leftovers from a steak meal may sound like a sin to some zealous gourmands. I guess I overestimated 2 skirt steaks for 3 people. It turned out though that the leftovers from that meal make a fantastic Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie. I didn’t take a picture of the final dish, but it tasted so good that I want to remember how I did it.
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
handful baby carrots, chopped
napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 eggplant, cut into small chunks
leftover pork and string beans
1 leftover skirt steak, chopped into small chunks
2 cups beef stock
handful of frozen peas
Italian seasoning
~1.5tbs cornstarch
For the topping:
2 sweet potatoes, microwaved ~10 mins
garlic powder
1 tbs butter
splash skim milk
1. Saute onions and garlic til in oil til softened. Add vegetables and cook until tender (but not totally cooked).
2. Meanwhile, add steak into beef broth to allow it to absorb moisture.
3. Add broth mixture to vegetables and simmer until vegetables are cooked. Season. Stir in cornstarch (can make a slurry first) and cook until thickened. Pour mixture into a loaf pan.
4. Mash sweet potatoes with other ingredients for topping. Spread on top of beef mixture.
5. Broil until filling is bubbly and sweet potatoes are slightly browned.
Meat and potatoes…
The steak was nothing special, so I won’t say much about it (except that its leftovers made a really good shepherd’s pie the next day!)
However, I would like to draw your attention to the delightful Mashed Sweet Potatoes on the upper right.
2 sweet potatoes microwaved til soft and mushy ~10 mins
1.5 tbs butter
splash of skim milk
garlic powder
salt
pepper
cinnamon
Italian seasoning
This was so easy, and had a great sweet/savory taste. Definitely a lot healthier than the mashed potatoes I normally make, which usually require a LOT of butter for flavor. The sweetness and rich flavor of the sweet potato require very little enhancement!
I also made a String Bean and Pork side. My mom made this dish on Sunday for her mahjong playmates, and when I say she made this I mean she made me and my sister make it.
1/2 chopped onion
4 chopped cloves garlic
0.5 lb ground pork
soy sauce
chopped napa cabbage
string beans
salt & pepper
garlic powder
Yum!
Things I love: cooking, baking, experimenting with new recipes, working with my hands, the great outdoors, sunny breezy days, bodies of water, traveling, running, tea, coffee, chai lattes, things that are colorful and/or shiny, babies, and dogs. This blog documents the first three.
- Christine
