THANKSGIVING November 20, 2017 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic By Katie Workman The Associated Press here are certain vegetables that I bring home and have a stare-off with for a while before cooking them. I think sweet potatoes top the list, partly because they will last forever, so the staring contest can go on for quite some time. And partly because they have eyes. Oh, yes, you are right, I am so funny. While I love sweet potatoes simply mashed with some butter and milk and not much else, that can be boring. Then, because of the naturally sweet nature of these potatoes, the tendency is to go for seasonings and flavors that underscore or amplify the sweetness. But that gets predictable as well. Anyway, in my quest for different, for savory, and for not a lot of extra thinking, I picked roasted garlic as the newest uncomplicated addition to sweet potatoes. I’m fairly certain this recipe is going to wiggle its way into the regular rotation. Start with about eight cloves of the roasted garlic, which will give the dish a nice but not too intense garlicky flavor; add more if you want a more pronounced hit of garlic. There are many types of sweet potatoes, and if you are a fan, have at it and get to know the different kinds. The exteriors and interiors range considerably in color, but most common are shades of white, tan, and all sorts of oranges. In this recipe, I tested an organic sweet potato with a very pale cream interior (kind of the color of Yukon golds). Next time I might look for orange sweet potatoes, since I am a sucker for the color and it makes a holiday table feel like a holiday table to me. If you haven’t ever tried making roasted garlic, just do that today. Start the garlic before you start the potatoes, so the garlic will be roasted when you are ready to mash. T SAVORY SPHERES. Feeling uninspired when looking at a head of cauliflower or broccoli to cook? Try roasting the spheres of proteins and topping them with a sesame drizzle. The dish only takes 30 to 35 minutes to make. (Photo/Mia via AP) Cauliflower with Sesame Drizzle By Katie Workman The Associated Press ood writers (and I include myself) are often talking about what new things you can do with that package of chicken breasts or that pound of ground beef to get out of the same-old, same-old cooking rut. But we might not spend enough time talking about what to do with that head of cauliflower or broccoli. We can all feel as uninspired looking at those stoic spheres as we do with our proteins, right? So off we go, on the hunt for a new and simple side dish. This is definitely one to keep in mind when you’re making a stir-fry or other Asian-influenced dish. It’s especially useful since you can make the drizzle ahead of time, pop the vegetable in the oven, and get to work at the stove making the rest of the meal. The cauliflower or broccoli needs no attention as it roasts, only the sound of the buzzer to remind you to take it out of the oven. Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family- friendly cooking, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook. F Preheat the oven to 400º Fahrenheit. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss well, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and browned at the edges. Meanwhile, if you are using the sesame seeds, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir frequently for about one or two minutes, until they start to become golden; don’t allow them get too brown. Transfer them to a plate. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and Sriracha sauce. When the cauliflower is roasted, transfer it to a serving platter and drizzle the sauce over it (or pass the sauce on the side for everyone to drizzle over their own portion). Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds, if desired, and serve hot or warm. Nutrition information per serving: 145 calories (87 calories from fat); 10 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 490 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 5 g protein. It’s stupidly, stupidly easy. And such a simple way to change up the flavor of everything from a crostini topping to a sauce to a chicken dish. If you want a milder garlic flavor in the potatoes, cut back on the number of cloves you mash in. Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family- friendly cooking, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook. Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Serves 8 Start to finish: 1 hour, including roasting the garlic Roasted garlic: 1 head garlic 2 teaspoons olive oil Generous pinch salt Preheat the oven to 400º Fahrenheit. Slice the top off the head of garlic so the top of the cloves are exposed. (You can do as many of these as you want, at the same time.) Place each head on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and wrap up the cloves well in the foil. Bake for about 45 minutes until the garlic is very soft. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted garlic from the papery peel, pressing up from the bottom to pop it out. Mashed sweet potatoes: Coarse or kosher salt to taste 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 cup whole milk or half and half (or a combo), warmed 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Cauliflower with Sesame Drizzle Start to finish: 30 to 35 minutes Serves 4 1 large (1 3/4 pound) head cauliflower (or substitute the same amount of broccoli heads) 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 tablespoons untoasted sesame seeds (optional) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce SWEET SPUDS. In chef Katie Workman’s quest for a different, savory, and easy potato dish, she picked roasted garlic as her newest uncomplicated addition to sweet potatoes. (Photo/Sarah Crowder via AP) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, then allow the water to return to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Either return them to the pot with about eight cloves of the garlic, or to taste, and mash with an immersion blender or a potato masher, or put the potatoes through a ricer or food mill with the desired amount of garlic, doing this so the riced potatoes fall back into the pot. Add the olive oil, butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and stir to thoroughly combine. Serve hot. Nutrition information per serving: 229 calories (73 calories from fat); 8 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 14 mg cholesterol; 344 mg sodium; 36 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 4 g protein. Think you’re an organ and tissue donor? Not if you haven’t told your family. Talk to your family about organ and tissue donation. Talk to your family about donating life. For a free donor card brochure, contact: Donate Life Northwest (503) 494-7888 1-800-452-1369 www.donatelifenw.org Once, kids played like their lives depended on it. If only kids still did. Chunky. Hefty. Big-boned. For parents of overweight children, it’s all too easy to minimize reality. But the consequences of a heavy childhood may actually result in a generation of children with shorter life spans than their parents. Encourage physical activity and better nutrition. Do whatever it takes to get your kids as active as kids once were. Activity and weight-bearing exercise will help your child live stronger, and live longer. For more advice and information, visit orthoinfo.org, aap.org/obesity and posna.org.