Monthly Archives: April 2012

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Posted on April 22, 2012 by | 13 comments

This recipe for honey-roasted sweet potatoes meets all of my official criteria for being a great dinner component: (1) the potatoes are really tasty with a soft texture and a hint of sweetness; (2) they are easy to prepare, especially if you can find someone else to do the peeling; (3) they travel well and can easily be reheated, so they are nice to bring to a group dinner; and (4) they are a comfortable accompaniment to a weeknight or weekend meal. The recipe below is inspired by Ellie Krieger’s Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes – I used a little less salt and just a pinch of extra honey than the original instructions.

Just in case you were wondering, sweet potatoes are a Native American plant that are packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Although sweet potatoes are harvested in August through October, they are available in supermarkets throughout the year. Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams, but yams are large, starchy roots grown in Africa and Asia. Yams are rarely available in American supermarkets yet it is acceptable to use the term when referring to sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain an enzyme that converts many of its starches into sugars as the potato matures. The sweetness continues to increase during storage and when cooked. Thanks to Food Reference for these facts!

And back to the recipe – for Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
–Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
–Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in 9×13 baking dish.
–In a small bowl stir together oil, honey and lemon juice.
–Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat.
–Sprinkle with salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

Have a great day, enjoy your sweet potatoes, and see you at the CTVegFest next weekend!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Food Trip Friday and Simple Living with Diane Balch.

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

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Posted in Recipes - Vegetables

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Be a Guest at the CTVegFest

Posted on April 14, 2012 by | 2 comments

The Connecticut Vegetarian and Healthy Living Festival (CTVegFest) is only two weeks away! It is taking place at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford on April 28 and 29. Whether you have been a vegan for years or do not know the definition of a vegan, there is a wide assortment of speakers, demonstrations, exhibitors and entertainment that will interest you. As you know from reading my blog, I am not a vegetarian although I love vegetables and healthy living.

Speaking of speakers, the schedule is complete and there will be a great variety of issues being discussed during the course of the festival. There are presenters involving:
* Nutrition, Exercise, and Wellness
* Animal Treatment
* Cooking and Raw Foods
* Alternative Medicine
* Energy
* Film
* Entertainment

Continuing to speak about speakers, I am honored to be one! I will be discussing the costs and benefits of natural sweeteners on Sunday, April 29 at 12pm! My talk is called Being Naturally Sweet: The Costs and Benefits of a Refined Sugar Free Diet. I certainly hope that you can stop by while enjoying the rest of the festival!

If you have any ideas or questions that you would like me to address in my talk, please send me a note or comment below. Enjoy your day!

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Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Posted on April 10, 2012 by | 2 comments

You might be thinking, “Did I read that title correctly?” You certainly did. Below is a recipe from my colleague/friend Kristi, who makes a delicious mousse that looks like a dark pudding. No one will know there is avocado in the dessert unless you tell him or her!

I love chocolate (who doesn’t), so when I started modifying my diet to include more clean foods, I was excited (and amazed, as will you) to find a wonderful chocolate mousse recipe made from…. wait for it….. avocados!! Not only is the recipe easy to make, but you will also easily fool any guests because it doesn’t look like or taste like avocados.  Enjoy!

In a food processor, blend:
4 avocados
1 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla (I used a homemade version from SensitiveEconomist)
1 cup raw cacao (or unsweetened cocoa powder for baking)

options: add 1 tablespoon coconut or 2 teaspoons cinnamon

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Cybele Pascal Allergen-Friendly Cooking and Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

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Posted in Recipes - Dessert

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Continuing the Celebration with Chocolate Chip Cookie 2.0

Posted on April 1, 2012 by | 4 comments

This week I have been celebrating my blog’s one year anniversary. It has been fun to think about all of the new foods I have tried and shared, and my favorite recipes that I have revised. One year ago I posted my first recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It was a wonderful recipe that substituted the refined sugars with natural sweeteners. Since then I have made that recipe dozens of times because I like to have a steady supply of dessert in the house. There is something quite nice about kicking back at the end of the day with a homemade cookie.

At first I was only concerned with getting the refined sugars out of the cookies. Over the past year I have tinkered with the ingredients – how could I add nutrients? Reduce saturated fats? Reduce gluten? Make them fluffier? Well, I think I have managed to update last year’s version – I removed one stick of butter and added applesauce, used some oat flour to reduce the overall gluten amount, let the butter soften naturally for a lighter texture, used my own homemade vanilla extract for added flavor, and added some more chocolate chips (I really tested the last point thoroughly). I hope you enjoy this recipe. Have a nice day!

Mix Dry and Set Aside: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt

Mix Until Creamy: 1 stick softened butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add to Creamy Mixture: 2 eggs

Then Add to Creamy Mixture: the dry mix (noted above)

Then Stir In: 1 bag grain-sweetened chocolate chips plus a “few extra” (I like Sunspire brand)

Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-11 minutes.

Enjoy!

I am sharing this recipe with Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Food Trip Friday.

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Posted in Recipes - Dessert

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