Sweet Potato Casserole Cookie Bites

The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. The absolute best of intentions. The these-cookies-are-going-to-knock-their-socks-off type of intentions. Until you put the marshmallows on top of the cookies and put them under the broiler. You guessed it - then completely forget about them in the oven until the smoke alarm goes off. Whoops. The only picture that I have of these beauties is pre-marshmallow. I will have to update the picture when I re-make these for Thanksgiving. 

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
half of a 10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub the sweet potato and poke a few holes in the top with a fork.  Bake 45 min to an hour, until it is cooked through and soft.  Remove from oven, allow to cool until it is cool enough to handle, then peel and mash with a fork until smooth.  Measure out 3/4 cup of the puree and set aside.

Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Spray miniature muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the vanilla and the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, and mix until just incorporated.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the sweet potato puree.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 26-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Scatter the marshmallows over the top, being sure to cover the entire pan.  Preheat the broiler, and broil the bars until the marshmallows are dark golden-brown.  You may have to rotate the pan a few times depending on how evenly your broiler cooks.  

Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before taking muffins out of the pan. 

Source: Pink Parsley

Skillet Glazed Sweet Potatoes

DJ is crazy about sweet potatoes. I have never been a fan. At family gatherings for holidays, sweet potatoes are always be part of the menu - and previously, I'd always pass over them. 

Wanting to make something different, I decided to try this recipe for glazed sweet potatoes. I am now a glazed sweet potato convert. This recipe came together simply and easily - and I had all of the ingredients. This is a simple version of sweet potatoes to think about for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Stay tuned next week for a deliciously, slightly more involved sweet potato recipe that is sure to impress and my very first giveaway.

Have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday!

Ingredients1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked (peeled and cubed in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes)

DirectionsIn a heavy skillet, combine brown sugar, water, butter, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add sliced sweet potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, turning frequently.

Source:  Diana Rattay, About.com

Spice Rubbed Pork Loin

Hello again, my friends. If you are coming over from The Jey of Cooking, welcome. We have made it through Monday and trudge on through the week. Yesterday, I gave you a wonderfully delicious low sodium appetizer.   I hope that you have thought about adding the Algerian Flafla to your menu plan or special occasion. Today, I am featuring a low sodium entree and side. 

When researching recipes, I had a pork loin that I knew I had to use and figured that there would be no better time than for this low sodium meal. I omitted the coriander and red pepper flakes for lack of both, but the rub still did the job and was delicious. There was still a little bit of kick from the chili powder, but if you're into heat, I suggest adding the pepper flake in. 


I knew that I wanted to incorporate sweet potatoes somehow. My husband and son love them. They are not my first choice, but I went about this with the mindset of a meal that I would make for my own family. The mashed sweet potatoes were delicious and the pot was actually scraped clean. 

Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 2 pound boneless pork top loin roast

Directions

In a small screw-top jar combine cumin, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, and black pepper. Cover and shake well to combine. Remove 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Store remaining rub, covered, at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Trim fat from pork loin. Rub seasonings all over surfaces of the pork. Place loin on a rack in a shallow pan. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 155 degrees F. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Allow to stand for 15 minutes during which the temperature should be 160 degrees. 

Source: Heart Healthy Living

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

     Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (about 3 medium)

3/4 cup “lite” coconut milk

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 10 to 15 minutes. If you prefer to bake them, place them in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F for about an hour. They should be tender all the way through, regardless of which preparation method you choose. 

When cool enough to handle, peel off and discard skin. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a saucepan and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Add coconut milk, ginger and salt; stir well. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Source:  Eating Well

Cream of Sweet Potato Soup

Wow...look at that soup. So warm and inviting - begging for you to grab a spoon and dig in. Sometimes, bad soup happens to good people. It's just unavoidable. I don't even know where to start. This soup was so overly seasoned, that I took one bite and down the sink it went. I never thought of a soup being such a thing as too "busy" with all the different spices going on, but this certainly falls under that umbrella. Being such a bad recipe, I have chosen not to post the recipe here (I wouldn't even serve it to the bratiest punk I know), but instead to ask opinion.

Dan loves sweet potatoes, as does DJ. Cream of sweet potato is something that I'd like to add to my repertoire, but it's just a case of finding the best recipe. I started this whole blog with the intention of finding the foods that work for my family, sharing them, and documenting the fun memories that I have along the way. I'd like to try to a different sweet potato recipe, but have found two. So, here it is, help me out. When I attempt this recipe again, should I use:

Recipe #1: ZOEMC, Allrecipes   

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 3 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Black pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bake sweet potatoes in preheated oven until soft, about 1 1/2 hours (you can also use a microwave). Remove and let cool slightly.
3. Peel sweet potatoes, and puree with chicken broth in batches, using enough chicken broth so that it purees smoothly. Bring puree to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the sugar, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cream.

Recipe #2: Creamy Sweet Potato with Ginger, USA Weekend Columnist Pam Anderson via AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled raw sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into large dice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pinch sugar
• 3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Garnish: chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
2. Add sweet potatoes, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until vegetables start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
4. Add ginger, nutmeg and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
5. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid's pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To 'clean' the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
7. Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.

Thanks for your help. I will be sure to let you know which recipe prevails!