Recreating Millet Yam Cakes

Once upon a time (and by that I mean a month and a half ago) I sat in Whole Foods in Orlando and ate two incredibly delicious things: a millet yam cake and edamame succotash. I pocketed the tops to both containers so that I had the list of ingredients to recreate both at home. Since then, I lost the ingredients for both and never recreated them. That is, until tonight, when I was thinking of what to make for my weekly night film class. At Whole Foods, the millet yam cake was cold, which I initially found a bit jarring but was too lazy to heat it up. The more I ate it, the more I began to actually really like it that way. So, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to make it myself. I forgot the complete ingredients list, so I'm going off of part memory, part taste, and part...me.

Millet yam cakes

Adapted from Whole Foods

Ingredients

- 1 medium sweet potato, roasted and mashed

- 1/4 cup dry millet, toasted

- 1/4 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

- 1 tsp olive oil

- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

- Roast sweet potato in a 400 degree oven until tender. Allow to cool slightly, remove skin, and mash with a fork. Set aside.

- Prepare millet via packaged instructions. My millet comes out perfectly by dry toasting it first, bringing it to a boil with 3/4 cup water, simmering for 25 minutes and taking it off the heat (covered) for 5 minutes.

-Add millet, sweet potato mash and other ingredients in a bowl and thoroughly combine. Don't be shy, use your hands. I love getting my hands in my food whenever possible because it makes me feel like I'm more connected to what I'm making. Plus, it's fun.

- Press mixture into a 1/2 cup measuring spoon or an ice cream scoop to form cakes.

- Bake in a 375 oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and firm on the outside. Serve immediately, at room temperature, or cold. I prefer mine at room temperature, dipped in organic ketchup.

Makes 2 large cakes

I'm shocked at how much this tastes like the cake I had at Whole Foods. I'm also shocked that such a short, basic ingredients list can produce something so spectacular. Don't bother adding flax or any type of egg replacer because these hold together beautifully. This simple dish just proves that good quality, whole food ingredients don't need a fancy pearl necklace or a designer bag - they're fine just the way they are.

Sweet Potato Rustica

Happy pizza Friday, everyone! I have a beaut' to share with you today.


Sweet potato & rosemary pizza
Ingredients
- 1 serving yeast free dough
- 1/2 sweet potato, very thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Rosemary (as you know, I rarely measure herbs)
- S&P, to taste
- Opt: red pepper flakes

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Using a mandolin, slice sweet potatoes as thin as possible. If you don't have a mandolin, cut them as thin as possible with a very sharp knife. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to desired thickness and shape. Place on baking sheet, pizza stone, etc.
- Spread the dough with a bit of olive oil. I just measured out 2 tbsp and used a pastry brush to spread, which made an even and thin coating. Dot pressed garlic on top and spread around.
- Top with an overlapping layer of sweet potatoes. Spread another thin, even layer of olive oil and top with rosemary, S&P.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden and sweet potatoes are just slightly crisp.




There's something gloriously satisfying about this pizza. I don't know whether it's the rustic shape that this dough produces, or how simple and easy it is, or how robust the flavor is from just a few ingredients. The sweet potatoes are still delicately soft and sweet, which tastes beautifully matched with the green, nutty olive oil and herbaceous rosemary. All in all, it was an incredibly gratifying, beautiful, and decidedly rustic meal.

Readers Request: Sweet Potato Soup

I had a recipe request from a reader named Danielle for sweet potato soup. I know it's July and soup isn't exactly summer fare, but I knew I had to test out a soup for her. Truthfully, I've never made sweet potato soup. Months and months ago I tried my hand at butternut squash soup and failed miserably, so I hastily avoided anything similar. But I set my sights on this challenge, and by golly, I succeeded. Danielle, this is for you; I hope you enjoy the recipe.


Roasted sweet potato soup
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 medium, peeled, diced and roasted
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable stock (I used better than bouillon base)
- 1 15oz can coconut milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss sweet potatoes in coconut oil, S&P and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, saute aromatics in olive oil until they begin to sweat. Add stock, sweet potatoes, bay leaves and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Take off burner and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove bay leaves.
- Ladle soup into blender in batches. Puree until smooth, pour into a large bowl and add back into the sauce pan once all of the soup is pureed.
- At this point, you can warm the soup and serve. However, I put mine in the crockpot and set it to warm for a couple hours while I did other things. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

Now, I don't know about you, but I like some texture contrast in my food. Eating a big bowl of creamy soup is delicious, but I need a little somethin' somethin'. So, what did I do, you ask? I made curried chickpea croutons.



Super simple. I tossed one 15oz can of chickpeas in 2 tsp olive oil, homemade curry powder (I'll post about that soon!), S&P and roasted them in the oven for 40 minutes at 350, shaking every 10 minutes. They get crispy and deliciously nutty and go perfectly atop this creamy soup. Since I'm being stingy with the curry recipe, just use your preferred blend and it'll be fine.




The flavors of this soup were out of control. Admittedly, I kind of tossed in random ingredients and hoped it would work. Luckily, it worked incredibly well. Sometimes those recipes come out the best!

How Do I Get into the House with Gno-cchi?

Get it? That was a bad pun brought to you by my dad. Today was another day when a dinner idea just sort of popped into my head out of nowhere, so I went with it. I've never made fresh pasta before, let alone gnocchi, so this was an adventure in and of itself. During most of the cooking process I was convinced it would fail and taste horrible, but thankfully I was wrong.



Sweet potato gnocchi with cashew cream

Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1/2 sweet potato, baked and peeled
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt


Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Bake sweet potato for 40-50 minutes or until it's tender. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
- Mash sweet potato until it's as creamy as humanly possible. The smoother the better, trust me.
- Add 1/4 cup of oat flour to the mashed sweet potato. Combine with your hands. Add remaining 1/4 cup slowly until mixture is soft and no longer sticky. Don't over-mix.
- Roll the dough into a long finger-width tube shape.
- Cut the tube into 1" pieces, or whatever size you'd prefer.
- Roll the edge of each piece along a fork to form the famous gnocchi ridges.
- Boil finished gnocchi immediately in a large pot for about 3 minutes. Remove 30 seconds after they float to the surface, using a slotted spoon.


I know this sounds kind of intimidating, but it was fairly easy. I was starting to pull hair out of my head when the dough became more crumbly than I thought it should be, but it ended up incorporating well. Next time I think I'll use spelt flour because I think it'll yield a better dough. If you want it gluten-free, I suggest using rice or potato flour as an alternative. I used oat flour because that's all I had on hand (for now...).

Cashew cream

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup hot water
- Sea salt, to taste

Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for at least 30 minutes.
- Add cashews + water to blender or food processor and process until mixture is smooth and reaches desired thickness. Pour on finished gnocchi. Easy peasy!


The cashew cream was great. I loved the consistency and the added level of creaminess it gave the dish. The cream combined with the gnocchi made the dish feel much richer and indulgent than it actually is, which is always a bonus.


I plated the gnocchi + cream on warmed baby spinach tossed with a pear balsamic reduction. When the balsamic mixed with the cashew cream and the gnocchi it was simply heaven. The mellowness of the cream cut the sweetness of the sweet potato and balsamic and it all worked really well. I will say that if you want and expect a typical gnocchi, don't make this dish. It tasted wonderful, but it's definitely not traditional. Mangia!

These ARE Life Changing

I haven't really stocked up on my "fancy" ingredients so I haven't been able to cook much of what I'd like to cook. I still need lots of spices, herbs, Asian ingredients, etc to feel more at home. Basically, things are limited. I was thinking of making bbq tofu but dismissed that because I just wasn't feeling the bbq sauce two nights in a row. I had a revelation that I wanted nut butter. Do I want a nut butter sandwich? No. Not suitable for dinner. So, what's a girl to do when she's on a mission for nut butter bliss?

I turned to Angela for inspiration.


Nut butter sweet potato fries

Ingredients
- 1/2 large sweet potato
- 1 tbsp nut butter 'o choice (I used chunky almond butter)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch sea salt

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Cut sweet potato into fry shape of your choice. I wanted mine to be on the thinner side.
- In a large bowl, mix nut butter and olive oil. Place sweet potatoes in the bowl and combine until thoroughly coated.
- Resist urge to lick fingers/spoon. Maybe.
- Line on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and cook for between 35-45 minutes, depending on fry thickness. Enjoy!

THESE WERE AMAZING. The nut butter creates a crust on the fries that makes them taste similar to a fried fry but way healthier and more flavorful. I love the combination of the sweet, creamy sweet potato with the nuttiness of the almond butter. I'll be making these often.

I know the original recipe(s) call for creamy nut butter, but the chunky made a cool coating on the outside and the toasted almond chunks tasted vaguely like popcorn.


I gobbled these up Augustus Gloop style.



Now I need to stock my pantry more before I go through an entire container of nut butter. Thanks, Angela!

Food rut...over!

I guess I really just needed to rant a little because I think I quickly got past both my yoga and food rut. Today was so beautiful but also unseasonably warm, so I had to almost force myself to go for my run. I'm glad I did! I feel so much more energized now and it was surprisingly cooler in the gym than it was outside, so it was nice. I ran about 2 miles and then came home and cooked the dinner I prepared in advance. Side note: prepping things ahead of time is awesome.

Rewinding a bit, but lunch today was divine:


"Cheese" pizza made with a Joseph's whole wheat/flax pita, hummus, Trader Joe's salsa authentica (best salsa ever), oregano, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, sea salt and a generous sprinkling of nooch. It really does taste like cheese pizza! Amazing. Served with a bowl of honeydew and a glass of fresh brewed pomegranate white iced tea.

Dinner, though, was spectacular. I was a skeptical Sally about it, but man did it exceed expectations.

I came across this recipe for "sweet potato black bean burgers" and knew I wanted to play with it. So, I made my own version:

Teriyaki sweet potato & bean burgers with pineapple chutney
Serves 2

Ingredients:
- 1/2 sweet potato, baked and de-skinned
- 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/8 cup sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flax + 1 1/2 tbsp water (or preferred egg replacer)
- 1 green onion
- Ginger, cumin, garlic powder, and to taste (I don't measure, so just feel it out)
- Small dash of sriracha, if you want a little kick.

Instructions:
- In a small bowl, combine flax + water and allow to sit for a few minutes until thickened.
- In a large bowl, mash the sweet potato. Add the black beans and mash to desired consistency (I like to leave some whole).
- Add oats, onion, seasonings and egg replacer. Combine thoroughly.
- Form into patties and refrigerate for at least an hour. This is important because chilling allows it to firm up even more.
- Coat both sides with teriyaki sauce*, and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until grill marks form and sauce begins to caramelize. You can also bake or pan fry, which I think I'll try next time.

* For the teriyaki sauce, I used the same recipe from my teriyaki tempeh.


Before being cooked.

For the pineapple chutney, I used a pretty rough recipe. I basically diced up some pineapple (enough for at least one burger), 1 shallot, and put both ingredients in a sauce pan with a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of agave, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. I simmered until thickened and let it sit at room temperature until served.


Voile! Served with some steamed kale.

This was so good. So, so good. Really, I doubt you'll be disappointed. It's the first veggie burger I've made that didn't completely fall apart and had enough flavor to keep my mouth excited. It was moist but not total mush. If you prefer yours on the drier side, though, add 1/2 cup oats instead of 1/4. Enjoy!

Simply tasty

Yesterday morning I made my first successful green monster!

I blended 2 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 tsp flax, 1 tsp agave and a handful of puffed brown rice cereal (for texture) and brought my blender to near death. It was delicious.

Last night I had a horrible upset stomach (I think I may have acid reflux), so today I thought I'd eat simple and light foods. For breakfast I had:




A pretty fruit salad, rice milk and ginger tea.

Then I got my hair cut and took a walk in the lovely sunshine. There are few things better than a sunny day stroll.


A local grocery store makes surprisingly good sushi, so I picked some up for lunch. This is a brown rice sweet vegetable roll, and it's mighty good.

Dinner was easy and required little culinary expertise, but at least I got to use the outdoor grill. I had a smart dog with bbq sauce and salsa (better than it sounds), the best sweet potato fries I've ever had, and steamed lemon garlic asparagus.


The rest of the evening involves either a run or yoga, some tea, and some relaxation. Maybe a little chocolate, too. Maybe.