Spicy Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes play more of a starring role in my recipes these days. I love a traditional potato salad, but I wondered how this favorite of mine would taste with less white potatoes and more orange ones. Greek yogurt replaces some of the fattier mayo in my recipe, and jalapeno peppers make it nice and spicy.

Spicy Sweet Potato Salad

2 sweet potatoes
½ lb. red potatoes
Olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper
¼ cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (or more to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup good mayonnaise
½ - 1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons parsley or cilantro, chopped
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Clean potatoes (I don’t peel my sweet or red potatoes), and dry. Cut sweet potatoes into ½ inch dice. Quarter red potatoes, or cut smaller if potatoes are larger. Arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Mix garlic, jalapeno peppers, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, parsley/cilantro and pepper.

Place potatoes in a bowl, and add yogurt, mayo mixture. Toss gently, and season to taste.

Serve warm or cold.

Mexican Shrimp and Black Beans

Here’s a delicious way to serve shrimp if you’re looking to get away from the standard shrimp with pasta, or shrimp with butter, or fried shrimp, or mayonnaise-based shrimp salad. You get the idea. It’s a healthier option, full of exciting flavors and textures.

Mexican Shrimp and Black Beans

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined; tails removed
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Chili powder

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup purple onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
¾ teaspoon oregano
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

2 avocados
Cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Cooked brown rice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place shrimp on a baking sheet. Drizzle with about ½ tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with desired amount of salt, pepper, and chili powder. Roast for 6-8 minutes, just until shrimp become pink. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, oregano, cumin, lime juice and kosher salt.

Halve avocado, and remove pit. Slice avocado in shell in about ½ inch cubes. Remove cubes from shells, and add to bean mixture. Slice desired amount of cherry tomatoes, sprinkle lightly with salt, and add to avocado and beans. Add cilantro and shrimp, and lightly toss everything together. Adjust seasoning.

For each serving, top desired amount of brown rice with shrimp and bean mixture. Top with cherry tomatoes and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Guacamole-Style Baked Avocados with Eggs

The avocado—creamy, rich, decadent—and lucky for me, healthy. The fat in avocados is the good kind, so I eat them often, in guacamole (of course), in salads, on sandwiches, and sometimes just on their own, sprinkled with a little lemon or lime juice, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

My good friend, Penny, recently shared a baked avocado recipe with me, and it’s been on my mind ever since. That recipe included bacon, but I top mine with my favorite guacamole ingredients instead.

I wondered how baking the avocado may compromise the integrity of its texture, so here’s what I did. I kept my avocados in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake them. I also used room temperature eggs, figuring they would take less time to set. I think this technique works deliciously well. I hope you agree.

Guacamole-Style Baked Avocados with Eggs

Ripe avocados, chilled
Fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Eggs, room temperature
Fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
Jalapeno peppers, minced
Purple onions, minced
Minced garlic (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice avocados, and remove pits. Slice a thin layer off the bottom of each half so that avocados remain stable, and place in a baking dish. Depending on the size of your avocados and eggs, it may be necessary to scoop out a little avocado flesh.

Squeeze lime juice over avocado halves, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Fill each avocado half with an egg—don’t worry if your egg whites run over a bit. Add a little more salt and pepper over each egg.

Bake for about 10 minutes until egg whites are set but yolks are still soft (I actually prefer mine runny). Remove from oven, and add toppings. Serve with your favorite bread or tortilla chips.

“An Experiment in Sausage” or “What I Did with Ground Turkey”

What to do with a coupon for organic ground turkey, even though you don’t typically eat ground turkey? You take coupon to grocery store—because it’s $1.00 off—then you lose coupon while shopping. You still buy said ground turkey without coupon because you hate to ask checkout girl to take it back. You get ground turkey home, but you have no idea what to do with it. Turkey burgers sound tired and done to death—so does turkey spaghetti, turkey meatloaf... Suddenly, you decide that breakfast would be perfect for dinner, and there you have it. Turkey sausage.

You never find coupon, but breakfast dinner is amazing.

Spicy Turkey Sausage

1 lb. organic ground turkey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sage
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/8 if you like your sausage more mild)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Vegetable oil

Gently mix all ingredients in a large bowl (don't overwork meat). Divide mixture into 8 equal parts (about 2 oz. each). Form into patties.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet (I used an electric skillet set between 320-340 degrees). Fry sausages until browned— about 6-7 minutes on each side.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback. Send me a message at selftaughtfoodie@gmail.com to let me know what you think.

My New Favorite - Brie Pizza

This pizza is too simple really. I'm amazed that so few ingredients deliver such amazing flavor. Spread pre-baked pizza crust with a thin layer of pesto sauce. Top with:

Canadian bacon or pancetta
Sun dried tomatoes
Sliced brie cheese
Thinly sliced purple onion
Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Bake at 400 on lowest oven rack for 10 minutes or so until bottom crust is golden brown. Move to middle oven rack, and cook for about 10 more minutes until the edge of the crust has browned to your preference, and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, and allow pizza to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle good olive oil over pizza slices, and top with chopped fresh rosemary before serving.

Photos of this deliciously amazing pizza to come--I'm be doing this one again REAL soon.

Aromatic Chili

This newest chili creation of mine has so many of my favorite ingredients: cumin, red pepper, garlic, Mexican beer, and chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Just a hint. It offers that little bit of extra depth and sweet cocoa flavor to the chili. A touch of cinnamon also adds a nice warmth.

Aromatic Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb. ground chuck
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 (12-ounce) bottles Mexican beer
3 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 can each kidney and black beans, drained and rinsed
2 ½ teaspoons salt
1-ounce dark chocolate chopped (I like Ghiradelli 72% cacao)

Grated Cheddar, for garnish
Finely chopped green onions, for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the beef, onions, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until meat is browned—about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook additional 1 minute. Add the beers, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, beans, salt, and chocolate to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring often.

Top with sour cream, grated cheese and cilantro.

Veggie Soup with Pesto and Parmesan Cheese

Although spring is officially here, it felt unseasonably cool in Oxford yesterday--perfect soup weather. I craved vegetable soup, but I wanted something savory, rich, and a little extra-special. Gary is a pesto fanatic, so it all started there--or should I say "finished" there. A teaspoon or two of pesto on top of each bowlful, along with grated parmesan cheese, satisfied my cool spring soup craving.

Veggie Soup with Pesto and Parmesan Cheese

Cooked rice, barley, or pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 small onions, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cans chicken stock
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup frozen English peas
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Prepared pesto sauce
Fresh parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and next 5 ingredients; sauté for 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, and cook additional 2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, and add zucchini, peas, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 20-25 until vegetables are desired tenderness.

Add desired amount of rice, barley, or pasta to pot, and stir to heat through. Top each serving with 1-2 teaspoons pesto and parmesan cheese to taste.