Solstice Biscuits

We celebrated the Winter Solstice last night with Butternut Squash soup and sweet potato biscuits. The golden biscuits were shaped like the sun to remind us that now the days will be getting longer as we head into winter.

The biscuits are easy to make and really yummy. Even people who don't like sweet potatoes (like Larry) enjoy them. They're not too sweet, but they are fluffy and absorb butter well.

Plus the sweet potato adds beta carotene, a good boost to the immune system at this time of year when viruses make the rounds along with the holiday cheer. Make sure to buy an orange sweet potato so you get the pretty color.

Because I don't drink apple juice, when I buy a bottle I freeze the remains in 1/4 cup containers, ready to use in recipes like this or the ever-popular tofu teriyaki.

Solstice Biscuits
1 large orange sweet potato
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white flour (plus a little more as needed)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup apple juice

Pierce the sweet potato a few times with a fork and bake it on a cookie sheet at 425° until it is very tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Remove and discard the peel and any hard bits. Mash enough to make 1 cup. Reserve any remaining for another use (or just eat it - chef's perks!).

Stir together the flours, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut in the butter until it makes fine crumbs. Stir in the mashed sweet potato and apple juice.

Knead gently to form a soft dough and turn out onto a lightly-floured board. Divide into 16 pieces and roll each into a ball. Put each on a cookie sheet and flatten it slightly.

Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter.

Makes 16 biscuits.

Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

As the evenings are cooler, a hearty soup makes a welcome supper.

The other night I made this southwest-style corn and sweet potato soup with cheese.

I took this picture on the second night of eating it. We re-heated it a little too much and the cheese curdled so it looks a little lumpy. It still tastes great.

Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 bottle Mexican beer

2 tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped
14 oz packet frozen corn, defrosted
1 poblano, roasted, peeled and chopped (or 4oz can green chiles)

2 tsp chili powder

cayenne pepper

2 cups milk

12 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (optional)

Boil the sweet potatoes in 3 cups stock, beer, cumin and bay leaf until crisp tender, about 12-15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Do not drain.

Sauté onion and garlic in oil about 10 minutes until soft. Stir into sweet potatoes along with the remaining 3 cups of stock. Add corn, poblano, cayenne to taste, and chili powder. Gradually stir in milk. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes until warmed through.

Reduce heat to low and stir in grated cheese until just melted. Season with salt to taste.

Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Serves 6

Yummy Potatoes

Sometimes, when I feel Larry has eaten enough weird healthy vegetable dishes for a while, I serve him some yummy potatoes. Potatoes are happy food, pretty much any way they're served.

Of course, he helps by going to the library and getting books  like Smashed, Mashed, Boiled and Baked: A Celebration of Potatoes in 75 Irresistible Recipes by Raghavan Iyer.

Iyer's previous book was 660 Curries, so you know he likes flavorful food.

The other night I made his recipe for Moroccan Potato Stew with Saffron Biscuits. I think it would have been delicious without the biscuits, but heck, why not go all out on potato night.

Needless to say, the dish was a hit. In fact, it was even a hit on the 3rd night of leftovers. The seasonings were robust and the vegetables blended beautifully with them. The simple biscuits were delicious, even without the saffron. (I remember using the last of my saffron and deciding it was time to start growing my own saffron crocus. While I still want to do that, in the meantime I think I'd better just buy some more to last until the fall harvest. I'm sure the biscuits would have been even better with a little included.)

This is really a healthy recipe. Chickpeas and spinach, sweet potatoes as well as white — it's not that different to the food we usually eat. Maybe that's why I made the biscuits — it's important to be a little decadent on yummy potato night.

I did alter Iyer's recipe a little to suit what I had in the house. I hope you do the same thing when you cook the recipes on this blog. After all, half the fun of cooking is experimenting.

Here's what I did:

Moroccan Potato Stew with Biscuits
2/3 cup chickpeas
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
14oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch spinach

Cook the chickpeas in simmering water until tender, 2-3 hours depending on the age of the beans. Or cook them in a pressure cooker for 22 minutes and let the pressure come down on its own. (Or use 2 15-oz cans chickpeas.) Drain and set aside.

Peel the white and sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch cubes. Put in a bowl and cover with water so they don't turn grey before you need them.

Grind the coriander, cumin and cinnamon in a spice grinder (or coffee maker reserved for spices) until they are a fine powder. Pour into a small bowl and stir in the paprika, chili flakes, salt and turmeric.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When it begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, until they start to brown around the edges. Stir in the spice blend and stir for about 15 seconds until wonderfully fragrant. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid),  2 cups water, cooked chickpeas and drained potatoes. Stir it all together well so the vegetables are coated with the spices. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender.

Wash the spinach and remove any tough stems. Stir into the pot. Cover and let steam until cooked, about 3-5 minutes.

You can eat this excellent stew now, or you can go wild and put biscuits on top.

Biscuits
2 cups white flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
4 tbsp butter, cut in slices and chilled
1 cup keffir or buttermilk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Pour the cooked stew into an ovenproof casserole.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add chilled butter and break it up into pea-size pieces with your fingers as you mix it in.

Stir in the keffir and whipping cream to make a wet batter.

Mound a half cup of flour on a large board or surface. Cover your hands with flour too. Scoop up 1/3 cup batter with your well-floured hands and drop it into the mound of flour. Gently roll it around to coat it completely with flour, then shape it into a biscuit and put it on the stew. Repeat with all the dough — you'll have 6-7 biscuits.

Place the casserole, uncovered, into the oven and bake until the biscuits are browned on top, about 25 minutes.

Serves 6

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili

I love our slow cooker. I put food into it and then go outside and putter in the garden until I'm hungry. Miraculously, dinner is ready! And I don't have to worry about it burning if I've spent longer outside than I intended.

My go-to slow cooker book is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. Her chipotle sweet potato chili is sweet, smoky and colorful, and it has quite a kick.

We enjoyed it over a mound of brown rice with gently-steamed snap peas on the side. Best of all, there will be leftovers for later in the week.

I started the kidney beans cooking in boiling water on the stove, then assembled the rest of the stew and started it cooking. I drained the kidney beans when they were just tender and stirred them in. They were able to pick up good flavors even in the shorter cooking time.

Although I like a good spicy kick to offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, you can add less chipotles if you prefer. Also, I used a roasted red pepper from my freezer. You can use a fresh one if you prefer - just seed and chop it and throw it in the sauté pan. No need to roast and peel.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili
2/3 cup kidney beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp chili powder
4 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp canned chipotle in adobo, chopped

Pick over the kidney beans and remove any small stones or debris. Rinse them, put in a pot with enough cold water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in 1/2 inch chunks.

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cover and cook gently until the onions are tender. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring, about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in sweet potatoes until they are covered in spices.

Scrape this all into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the cooked kidney beans, and 1 1/2 cups water. Season with salt, about 1 tsp or to taste. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Stir in the chipotle. Taste and add more chipotles or salt to taste.

Serves 6-8

Solstice Celebrations

I really enjoyed our Solstice celebrations this year.

It's rained recently, so everything was feeling refreshed, but the weather over the longest night of the year was dry and cool.

On Solstice Eve, we lit a fire outside at twilight and ate homemade gingersnap cookies (representing the dark of the longest night) and drinking spiced coffee I heated in the fireplace. Then we went inside for a supper of hot soup - it was cold outside!

The next evening, we celebrated the turn from the longest night to lengthening days with a meal of black bean chili (for darkness) and sweet potato biscuits (representing the returning sun). Symbolic and delicious.

There are many ways to make sweet potato biscuits. I also make a kind with buttermilk and more sweet potato - they're a little denser. You can find the recipe here.

This year, I made these fluffy biscuits. Although I cooked a whole sweet potato, I didn't need it all so I diced the extra into a root vegetable soup.

I added some apple juice to add a little sweetness and moisture. Organic apple juice comes in large bottles, and since I don't actually drink apple juice, I never finish the whole bottle at once. Instead, I freeze the extra in small portions, ready to use in a recipe like this one.

These biscuits are great with chilis and soups. They also freeze well.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup apple juice
1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed well

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Whisk together the whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Stir in the apple juice and mashed sweet potato to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead in just enough extra flour that it's not sticky. Divide it into 16 parts. Shape into a ball and arrange on a greased cookie sheet. Pat them down a little to flatten them. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve hot with butter.

Curried Lentil Stew

Lentils make quick and easy highly nutritious dinners. The other night I cooked up some green lentils and sweet potatoes with a little curry powder, and then stirred in some spinach at the end.

I served the resulting stew with brown rice for a meal full of protein, fiber and minerals. Plus it tasted really good.

Curried Lentil Stew
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 heaping tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 cups green lentils
28-oz can whole tomatoes
1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz spinach, washed, large stems removed

Warm the oil in a large pot. Peel and chop the onion and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the ginger root, garlic and curry powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add 2 cups water, the lentils, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and break down the tomatoes.

Stir in the spinach and cook until it's heated through and wilted.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 6-8

Sunday Morning Hash

After the morning rush of driving the crazy freeways to the Hollywood Farmers Market (yes, the freeways are crazy early on Sunday mornings - speed racers weave in and out, every couple of months we pass accidents, especially in the rainy season), buying the week's groceries, then braving the traffic home, we are ready to relax with a leisurely breakfast.

Yesterday, I went for simplicity. While Larry squeezed the o.j., I tossed diced potatoes and sweet potato in olive oil and cooked them in the toaster oven. I diced them small enough that they cooked quickly and became the perfect foil for simple fried eggs. Fresh blueberries and strawberries rounded out the meal.

(You might remember that Larry is not a fan of the sweet potato, but he really enjoyed this potato dish - the sweet potatoes, shallots and mushrooms mix with the red potatoes to make a hash that is fun to eat.)

A word about vocabulary: When we ate breakfast at Kitchen 24 on Cahuenga a couple of Sundays ago, the waiter explained to us the difference between hash browns, home fries and breakfast potatoes. My eyes glazed over, so I'm not sure what the technical term is for diced potatoes cooked in the toaster oven.  I'm calling it hash.

Sunday Morning Hash
5 oz cremini mushrooms
3 1/2 oz sweet potato
8 oz red potatoes
1 small shallot
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut them in 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the sweet potato and red potatoes and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice. Peel, half and thinly slice the shallot.

Toss the mushrooms, sweet potato, potatoes, shallot and oil together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring at 10 minutes and 15 minutes, until tender and golden brown.

Serves 2-3

Simple Supper

I wanted a simple dinner last night, so I scrubbed two white sweet potatoes and threw them in the toaster oven at 400°F, and then rooted through the fridge for other simple-to-fix ingredients.

I found a bunch of beet greens and a pack of firm tofu.

I sautéd an onion and some garlic, threw in some chili flakes and stirred in the washed beet greens. I covered the pot and let the greens stew down, stirring occasionally.

I sliced the tofu and fried it in a little oil in my cast iron fry pan. I poured a few drops of soy sauce on each piece as it cooked, to add a little extra flavor.

The sweet potatoes were a revelation. They were not as dense and sweet as the orange kind of sweet potato. They had a mild soft flavor, and a texture similar to a potato. Even Larry enjoyed them. I sliced them in half and we added butter and salt and pepper. With the greens and crisped tofu, it was a simple yet yummy dinner.

Root Vegetable Gratin

We had some whipping cream left over from the Christmas festivities, so the other night I poured it over root vegetables to make this simple yet decadent gratin.

The root vegetables became soft and creamy, and I served them  with Lemony Beet Greens to cut the richness. Altogether a satisfying meal on a dark winter night.

I used baby rutabagas, young turnips, potatoes and white-fleshed sweet potatoes because they were what I had in the house. Use whatever roots you have, including carrots and celeriac. (Beets will turn the cream pinky - not necessarily appetizing.)

The quantities will depend on the size of your dish. I put in enough of each vegetable to cover the vegetables beneath it.

Root Vegetable Gratin
4 red potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 bunch baby rutabagas, peeled and thinly sliced
2 white-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch young turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1 1/2  cups whipping cream

Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Layer half the potatoes on the bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Follow with a layer of rutabagas, a layer of sweet potatoes and a layer of turnips, seasoning each layer lightly. Put the remaining potatoes on top.

Pour cream over the top, letting it drip through the layers until it comes to about halfway up the dish.

Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or so, until a thin knife slides through the roots easily. Remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Serves 6

Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

Healthy vegetarian cooking can be simple and delicious. This stew, which we ate last night, has very little fat, lots of protein and fiber, and a yummy taste that had us going back for more.

It's a stew to serve over brown rice, or a very chunky soup, which is how we ate it. The sweet potatoes keep their shape, but become very soft so are easily broken up with a spoon. The chiles make it warming to the mouth, and the beans add essential protein and fiber.

I used one orange sweet potato and two purple-skinned sweet potatoes with white flesh because that's what I had in the cupboard. The white-fleshed ones are less sweet, which let the chiles shine through. However, using all orange ones would add a little extra sweetness which might be nice.

I used small heirloom pinquito beans which cook quickly and are great on a soup spoon. I've also made this stew with lima beans or black-eyed peas. Use whatever bean you feel like eating.

I used 1 1/2 cups light vegetable stock and 1 1/2 cups water. All water would be fine, just add extra salt at the end for seasoning. I picked a red serrano pepper from the garden and plucked a red anaheim pepper from the freezer to season the dish. A jalapeño and red pepper would work well too. Use what you have.

I went out to the garden to pick the couple of handfuls of collard greens I added at the end. My plants are still young so the leaves were small. If you have regular-sized greens, use about 6 leaves.

Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
1 cup pinquito beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups water or stock
1 1/4 lbs sweet potatoes
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp grated ginger root
2 handfuls of collard greens

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water until tender, 1-2 hours.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic and anaheim pepper and sauté, covered, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Combine all the ingredients except the collard greens in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Steam the collard greens 5 minutes until tender. Chop them in bite-sized pieces and add to the slow cooker. Stir and serve.

Serves 4

Thanksgiving Parties

I grew up celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in Montreal, a low-key tradition involving cleaning out the garage and eating turkey.

So the American Thanksgiving extravaganza is intriguing to me. Every year I pester Larry with questions about what his childhood Thanksgivings were like, what they ate, what traditional foods we should cook this year. He's really tired of it.

So this year I questioned Tracie instead. I think she enjoyed the experience as much as Larry does.

Fortunately, some people are happy to share their Thanksgiving experiences with me.

Our friend Ramsay on the East Coast roasted sweet potatoes to take to a Thanksgiving potluck. She transported them in a pyrex bowl with fresh rosemary sprigs tucked in. As they were reheated in the oven, the rosemary gently perfumed the dish.

(She made me envious by saying that the host made mashed rutabagas. There have been no rutabagas at the Hollywood Farmers Market this year.)

I hope your Thanksgiving was also full of good food and good traditions. I'd be happy to hear about them.

Roast Salted Sweet Potatoes with Sage

I'm always looking for new ways to cook sweet potatoes. Larry would be happy if I just cooked regular potatoes, but sweet potatoes are so much healthier - not to mention more colorful on the plate.

Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants, and contain compounds that help our digestive systems be less sensitive to heavy metals and other toxins. We've done so well at polluting our soil and groundwater that our bodies need all the help they can get.

One of the challenges with sweet potatoes can be their texture. I buy from a farmer who has three or four varieties of sweet potato, some the soft juicy orange kind, others are dryer and more chestnut-y, and yet others are purple-ish. I tend to buy the orange ones because I like the color. And then I have to find a way to dry them out a little.

Slicing thin, sprinkling with salt, and roasting made the sweet potatoes delicious. I added garlic and sage, and a drizzle of lemon at the end, and Larry said these were the best sweet potatoes ever. (He thinks it was because of the salt.) If you don't like sage, leave it out. Or use thyme or rosemary instead.

The oil is essential, because we need to eat sweet potatoes with a little fat in order to get the health benefits. (That's true of so many vegetables, isn't it?)

In the picture on the right, the sweet potatoes are below, and a casserole of roasted shallots is on top. I keep experimenting with baking members of the onion family because I feel I should like them, but I don't. They get slimy and are hard to cut. We ate a couple of the shallots as a side dish, but I chopped the rest and added them to Green Rice the next day.

Roast Salted Sweet Potatoes with Sage
1 lb sweet potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
coarse salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
juice of 1/2 lemon (or so)

Preheat oven to 375°F. (400°F works fine too if you're cooking something else at the same time, just keep an eye on the sweet potatoes so they don't burn.)

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch slices across. Place on an oiled cookie sheet and lightly brush with more oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and garlic.

Bake until the potatoes are tender when you poke them with a fork. Sprinkle with sage and lemon juice and serve.

Serves 2-3

Sweet Potatoes with Kaffir Lime Leaves

Living in Southern California, it's hard to restrain myself when admiring citrus trees in local nurseries. Sometimes they just have to come home with me.

We have a lemon and orange which were in the garden when we moved in. Now we also have a tangelo and a meyer lemon in pots, a meiwa kumkuat (latest addition - see it here), and a kaffir lime.

Interestingly, although the kaffir lime does have fruit -- which looks like regular limes but bumpy -- it's the leaves that are most often used in cooking.

They are tough, like bay leaves, so I prefer not to actually eat them. But they do impart a spritely citrus note to the foods they're cooked with.

I have found that they combine well with sweet potatoes. The mild citrus and floral notes of the lime leaves lighten the earthiness of the sweet potatoes, and also cut some of their innate sweetness. Altogether a successful dish.

If you don't have a kaffir lime, skip the leaves and use the juice of a regular lime. It will still be a good dish, just less floral. (The leaves of a regular lime tree just smell of leaves, so don't bother using them.)

I keep roasted poblanos in the freezer, easy to whip out and add to a dish like this. If you don't have a stash of your own, you can remedy that next fall. In the meantime, you should be able to find them year round at Mexican markets.

Sweet Potatoes with Kaffir Lime Leaves
2 sweet potatoes (roughly 1 1/2 lbs total)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
juice of 1/2 lime
sprinkle of hot pepper flakes
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 poblano chile
1 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)

Scrub the sweet potatoes, but don't peel them. Chop into 1-inch chunks. Toss the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet with the oil, 2 tsp lime juice, a sprinkling of salt, and the hot pepper flakes. Tear the lime leaves and scatter over top. (The potatoes should be in a single layer.)

Roast in a 375° oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, roast, peel and seed the poblano. (Click here for instructions.)

Add the poblano to the sweet potatoes and cook another 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Remove the tough stems from the kaffir lime leaves and slice the leaves into thin shreds. Toss the potatoes with the lime leaves, cilantro, salt and lime juice to taste.

The leaves are edible, but a little goes a long way, so let your guests know it's fine to leave them on the side of the plate.

Serves 2

Sweet Potato Biscuits

As I mentioned in my last post, I served a root vegetable soup to celebrate the Winter Solstice, and to encourage the sun to return after the longest night of the year.

What I didn't mention was that with the soup I served sweet potato biscuits - in round sun-like shapes of course.

Both my mother and my husband declared this to be the best use of sweet potatoes ever.

(It's a recipe from the a book I recommend to all bakers, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Easy Artisan Bread by Yvonne Ruperti. Her naan recipe is great too.)

Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene and other antioxidants that are particularly good for the digestive tract. They are high in anti-inflammatories, and are also being studied for their ability to minimize the negative affects of heavy metals on the body. We should all be eating them regularly.

If, like mine, your family balks at eating these excellent orange tubers, try these biscuits. Serve them hot with butter and a healthy soup, and even the most reluctant sweet potato eater will dig in.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 large sweet potato (to make 1 cup mashed)

1 3/4 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft

1/2 cup buttermilk

Scrub sweet potato well, and then prick it several times with a fork. Bake on a cookie sheet in a 425°F oven 30-40 minutes until soft. Let cool completely (about 45 minutes) then peel and mash. Keep one cup for this recipe and save any leftovers for another use. (Using too much sweet potato will make the dough wetter and harder to handle.)

Keep oven at 425°F.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the mashed potato, soft butter, and buttermilk until just combined.

(I can't find organic buttermilk, so instead I squeeze a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice into the bottom of a measuring cup, and then pour in regular organic milk to the 1/2 cup measure. I let it sit a couple of minutes before adding to the mix. It won't look like buttermilk, but it has the right chemistry to help the baking powder reactions that make the biscuits rise.)

On a well floured surface, pat or roll the dough to a rectangle 3/4 inch thick. This is a moist dough, so it's easier to just cut the rectangle into 12 squares. However, to make sun biscuits, cut rounds with a well-floured 2 1/4" cookie cutter. Push the cutter straight down and then up. Don't twist it or the biscuits won't rise as high. Push the trimmings together to make a 13th funny-looking biscuit.

Place the biscuits on a lined cookie sheet and bake 25 minutes until golden brown and set.

Makes 12-13 biscuits.

Eat organic

I'm fortunate to be able to eat a wide variety of organic produce. It helps to live in southern California and shop at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.

I know that not everyone is as lucky as me, so here is the annual list of foods that are safe to eat even if they are not organic.

Every year the Environmental Working Group tests US-grown food for pesticide residue. Although we don't know what long-term use of pesticides does to the human nervous and endocrine system, there are standards as to what is too much to consume.

The first list, The Dirty Dozen, refers to foods that should never be eaten unless they are organic, because the pesticide residue is too high in the conventionally-grown kinds.

The second list is of foods which have a minimal level of pesticide residue when conventionally grown.

Notice that greens must be organically-grown. Don't let that stop you from eating greens. Instead ask your produce manager or favorite organic farmer to stock organic greens. They're available, they're delicious and they're healthy. And even at $2.50 a bunch, they're a better deal than a multi-vitamin.


Dirty Dozen: eat only if organic
apples
bell peppers
blueberries
celery
cucumbers
grapes
green beans
kale / greens
lettuce
nectarines - imported
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries

Low Pesticide Residue: These 15 foods are lowest in pesticide residue, and are considered safe to eat even if not organic.
asparagus
avocado
cabbage
cantaloupe
corn (probably gmo if not organic)
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
peas
pineapples
sweet potatoes
watermelon

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes go really well with citrus and tropical flavors. This shouldn't be surprising since they originate in central and south America.

This salad, which I adapted from Sensational Salads by Barbara Scott Goodman, tastes bright and looks colorful.

The roasted sweet potatoes have a similar texture to the cooked black beans. The red onion gives crunch and bite. And the citrus dressing gives a fruity tang.

Even Larry, who tries to discourage my sweet potato experiments, enjoyed this salad in his lunch box.

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
2 cups dried black beans
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
3 sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 red onion, diced

Dressing:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice (from one juicy orange)
2 tbsp lime juice (one juicy lime)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper

Cover beans by about 2 inches with cold water. Soak overnight or 6-8 hours. (If you don't have time to soak them, they will take longer to cook.)

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them lengthwise into 3 or 4 pieces. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and then across in 1/2 inch pieces. Toss them in olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Bake at 350°F, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside to cool.

Drain the beans and put them in a large pot with 6 cups of water. Chop the onion, carrot and celery in large chunks and add to the pot. They are just there to flavor the cooking water, and will be discarded once the beans are cooked. Bring to a boil and simmer 45-50 minutes until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain the beans and discard the onion, carrot and celery.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, orange and lime juice, cumin and chili powder. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the warm beans. Let stand at room temperature until cool, then add the sweet potatoes and red onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and extra lime juice if more tang is needed.

This salad stores well and travels well. Makes 8-10 servings.

Sweet Potato Fries

Want something orange to serve at dinner on Halloween? I recommend these sweet potato fries. Baked in the oven until they are slightly blackened, they are colorful and just a little sweet.

When I cooked them last week, Larry (not a sweet potato fan) said they were delicious.

Of course, they're also really healthy. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene and other antioxidants. They contain compounds which help reduce the risk of heavy metal residues in the body. And, despite their sweetness, they actually improve blood sugar regulation.

A sweet Halloween treat that tastes good and is good for you - what could be better?


Sweet Potato Fries
2 sweet potatoes
olive oil
salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them lengthwise in 1/4" pieces. Then cut each piece lengthwise into 1/4" french fry shapes.

Toss them in about a teaspoon of olive oil - easiest to do with your hands. Make sure all the slices have oil on them. Then sprinkle them with a little salt.

Put them on a lightly-oiled rimmed baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes. Flip the fries and cook another 15 minutes.

Sprinkle hot fries with salt if desired.

Serves 2.

Reducing pesticide exposure

I make a point of eating organically-grown food because it is better for me, the farmworkers and the planet.

However, I realize not everyone is fortunate enough to have a great farmers market nearby, or a family who is willing to eat seasonally.

Since it is always better to eat non-organic produce than to avoid fruits and vegetables, I present here a list of produce which is safe to eat even if not organic.

The list is compiled by the Environmental Working Group, which tests fresh U.S.-grown produce for levels of pesticide residue.

You can find their full report here. They mention that if you choose your daily 5 servings of vegetables from the Clean Fifteen list instead of the Dirty Dozen, you will reduce your pesticide intake by 92 per cent. That's worth doing.

New on the toxic list from last year: spinach, blueberries, potatoes and collard greens. Make sure to find those in the organic section of your supermarket. Grapefruit, mushrooms and cantaloupe are new on the safe to eat even if conventionally-grown list.

Dirty Dozen - eat only if organic
apples
celery
strawberries
peaches
spinach
nectarines - imported
grapes - imported
bell peppers
potatoes
blueberries
lettuce
kale / collard greens


Clean Fifteen - safe to eat even if not organic
onions
sweet corn
pineapples
avocado
asparagus
peas
mangoes
eggplant
cantaloupe
kiwi
cabbage
watermelon
sweet potatoes
grapefruit
mushrooms

Roasted Root Vegetables

Something magical happens to a root vegetable when you dice it, toss it in olive oil, and bake it in the oven. It gets tender and buttery - nothing like the tough gnarly thing you brought home from the market.

I like to use a variety of root vegetables in a casserole - each provides different nutrients, textures and colors. I can make a meal on this dish alone.

The ingredients vary depending on what is at the market. The recipe below is one I used last week, but vary it depending on what you like. I use roughly 1/3 potatoes and 2/3 other roots, by weight. I scrub all the roots well, and remove any hairs or nubbly parts. I always peel celeriac (celery root) and rutabagas. I sometimes peel parsnips, turnips and sweet potatoes. I never peel beets - way too messy.

Cut the vegetables in similar sizes - 3/4 inch is a good standard. Sweet potatoes cook more quickly than the others, so either cut them a little larger, or enjoy them a little soft.

What roots should you use? Start with potatoes and carrots, and add a few others. Try roots you don't think you like - you'll be amazed at the difference in flavor and texture when they're roasted.

You can use thyme or bay leaves (fresh or dried) in place of the rosemary. Sometimes I add peeled shallots or chunks of onion. Peeled garlic cloves are a good addition, as are cubes of peeled butternut squash.

This casserole is also wonderful re-warmed the next day - either as breakfast hash with a fried egg, or reheated in the oven as a side. Sometimes I make a quick root vegetable soup by puréeing them with some vegetable stock and reheating gently on the stove.

Roasted root vegetables - you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.

Roasted Root Vegetables
3/4 lb potatoes
1 celeriac (celery root)
1 sweet potato
2-3 beets
2-3 turnips
2 parsnips
1 rutabaga
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Scrub all the roots well. With a sharp knife, remove the peel and all nubbly parts from the celeriac - you'll probably remove about 1/4 inch of peel in total. Peel the rutabaga, and the sweet potatoes, parsnips and turnips if you like. Trim the ends off the beets and remove any hairs from the stem end. Chop all the vegetables in roughly 3/4 inch dice.

Toss them in a large bowl with the olive oil, a good seasoning of salt and fresh pepper, and the rosemary. Pour into a casserole, cover, and bake at 375°F for 45-60 minutes until they are tender.

Serves 4-6

Sweet Potato Hash

When Larry goes out of town, I take advantage of the opportunity to eat the foods he is not so keen on.

Like sweet potatoes.

He doesn't understand why I would eat sweet potatoes when I could eat white potatoes. Especially for breakfast.

But I have to say, there's nothing like this sweet potato hash with a fried egg on top to start a Sunday on the right note.

Sweet potatoes are nutritional powerhouses. They have large amounts of the antioxidants glutathione, beta carotene and vitamin C. They are anti-inflammatory and a good source of dietary fiber.

Plus they taste good.

I find sweet potatoes are sweet enough without the fruit, brown sugar and marshmallows so often paired with them on the Thanksgiving table. I like to eat them with mushrooms and onions to enhance their earthiness, as in this sweet potato hash that I bake in the toaster oven.

Sweet Potato Hash
5 oz cremini mushrooms, cut in half-inch pieces
5 oz sweet potato, peeled and chopped in half-inch pieces
2 tbsp chopped shallot or red onion
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss all the ingredients together. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet, and cook 10 minutes. Stir well and cook another 8-10 minutes until tender and golden brown.

Serves 1-2 as a side dish, or as brunch with fried eggs on top.