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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2016)
in other words november3 2016 9 An Unusual Culinary Column: Some Fun Sweet Potato Recipes By Karen Kain I have a funny relationship with sweet potatoes. As a child I was raised eating regular potatoes, which were a big staple in my diet. I have had a bit of a struggle with the sweet variety simply because they are sweet. I love sweet po- tato fries and on occasion, a sweet potato dish at Thanksgiving, but that is about it. When I came across these recipes I thought that they looked fun and wanted to give them another try. My husband is not a fan either but we both enjoyed these recipes and I would make each of them again. There are more than a few good reasons to eat sweet potatoes; they are high in beta carotene and vitamins A, E and C. They are healthy, fat free and cholesterol free. They are full of anti- oxidants and help to prevent heart dis- ease and cancer. They boost the immune system and are said to slow the signs of aging by promoting good vision and healthy skin. Sweet potatoes have been recently labeled as an “anti-diabetic” food. They are considered to be a super food and they taste great. There are also some fun facts about sweet potatoes. George Washing- ton developed 118 products using sweet potatoes; a few include glue for postage stamps and starch for sizing cotton fab- rics. North Carolina is the leading pro- ducer of sweet potatoes in the United States. I had fun cooking with the Alex- ia Sweet Potatoes puffs. The Sweet Po- tato BBQ Chicken Pizza was really tasty. The pizza was not too sweet and as I was eating it I thought that regular potato tots would also work for this recipe keeping the pizza gluten free. If you have been reading my column for any time you know how much I love to add some kind of Mexi- can twist on every dish, this is no dif- ferent. Although I was highly skeptical before I made this Sweet Potato Chorizo Nachos recipe, I am happy to report that I loved it! The sweet potatoes are gluten free which may be important for a few of you. I really enjoyed this meal and the combination of ingredients totally work together. This was a great snack that was eaten up pretty darn quickly. I love making quiche. I make it often usually using the left overs in my fridge. I am not sure why Americans don’t eat more quiche? It is easy to make and can be eaten hot and it is also great when served cold. For those of you who are staying away from gluten I think this sweet potato crust is a great substitute for a flour crust. This is just one way to enjoy sweet potatoes but I think that many, many different versions could be made from these recipes. Have a great month folks and thank you so much for all of your com- ments and recipe ideas. Sweet Potato BBQ Chicken Pizza Ingredients: 1 20 Ounce bag of Alexia Sweet Potatoes Puffs ½ Red onion, thinly sliced 2 Tablespoons coconut oil 3 Chicken thighs or 1 large breast, chopped Salt & pepper to taste ½ Cup feta cheese ½ Cup BBQ sauce 1 Avocado, diced Directions: Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Pour a bag of Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs onto a pizza pan and bake for 10 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking heat up the coconut oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions and chicken until the chicken is almost done and the onions are soft. Once you have cooked the potatoes for 10 minutes smash them with a spatula making the crust. Pour the BBQ sauce over the potatoes making a thin layer of sauce. Top with the chicken, onion and sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake at 400˚ for 20-25 minutes. Sweet Potato Chorizo Nachos Ingredients: 1 20 Ounce bag of Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs 1 9 Ounce package of chorizo, pork or vegan 1 Avocado, diced ¼ Cup cilantro leaves 3 Green onions, chopped ½ Cup of black beans ½ Cup fresh corn Jalapeno slices, to taste ½ Cup diced tomatoes Directions: Peel then slice the sweet potatoes into thin slices, a mandolin slicer works great for this recipe but I used a sharp knife. Grease a pie pan then lay the sweet po- tatoes into the pan with the edges over lapping to make a thin crust. Cut the slices in half to make the edges. Coat Directions: Cook the potatoes as per the directions on the package. In a large skillet cook the chorizo. In a separate pan heat up the beans and corn together un- til heated through. Layer the potatoes, chorizo, beans and corn on top of each other on a large plate and then sprinkle with the the sweet potatoes with cooking oil and bake at 375˚ F. for 30-40 minutes. The remaining ingredients and serve. required time will depend on the thick- ness of your slices. While the crust is Sweet Potato Quiche baking slice the onion as thin as you can Ingredients: and heat up the coconut oil then sauté the 2 Sweet potatoes, depending on size onions on medium for about 10 minutes. Oil to grease the pan, or cooking spray Add the spinach, salt & pepper, cooking 2 Tablespoons coconut oil until the spinach wilts. Add the spinach ½ Red onion mixture to the pie. Beat the eggs and Salt & pepper to taste milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper 8 Ounces of fresh spinach together then pour into the pie. Gently, 5 Large eggs top with the feta cheese and bake for ½ Cup milk about 40 minutes, or until the egg is fully Dash of cayenne pepper cooked in the middle. ¾ Cup feta cheese can contact Karen Kain at karen- OPEN HOUSE You kain8@icloud.com. 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