Southwestern Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

So you know I've been on a Sweet Potato kick right...so in trying to do better with meal planning and eating healthier I found this amazing cold sweet potato salad recipe. Do you like Southwestern flavors? Well if you do you will love this recipe! I'm not good with grilling so I roasted my sweet potatoes in the oven...imagine roasted sweet potatoes, fresh roasted corn, black beans, green onions, bell pepper and CILANTRO!!!  I added some small spears of chopped, lightly sauteed asparagus for crunch. The thing that pulls it all together is tossing it all in fresh lime juice...now that's love. I love, love, love the taste of cilantro...it just makes everything taste "fresh"...I know it probably doesn't make sense but just go with me here. I made this on Sunday and the picture below is the end result...isn't it beautiful! Bright, fresh and healthy..imagine that and it taste soooo good. Being from the south I have only had one kind of potato salad and it included white potatoes with eggs, mustard, pickles...you know the one...and yes it's delicious but this is an entirely different twist on potato salad! Try it...if you like CILANTROOOOO...you are going to love it! 

Southwestern Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

Yield: Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes


Grilled or oven roasted sweet potato salad with black beans, sweet corn, red pepper, avocado, cilantro, and lime. This fresh and healthy potato salad is always a hit at summer BBQ's!
ingredients:


4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch slices (or cut in cubes if you will be roasting them in the oven).
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ear sweet corn, husked
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 avocados, pit and skin removed, chopped
5 stems of asparagus chopped and lightly sauteed or blanched so they still have crunch
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato slices with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the sweet potatoes on a grill over medium heat (or cut them in cubes before tossing them in the olive oil and roast them by placing them in a 400 degree oven until tender). Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes on each side. When the sweet potatoes are close to being done, place the ear of corn on the grill (I also roasted the ear of corn on the cookie sheet with the potatoes) and cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating so the kernels get slightly charred. Let the sweet potatoes and corn cool to room temperature.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes into cubes and place in a large bowl. With a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels from the cob. Add the corn to the bowl. Stir in black beans, red pepper, green onions, cilantro, and avocado. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

Note-the salad will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Sweet Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche

Happy Summer Saturday! So lately I have had sweet potato on the brain....I loooove sweet potatoes and so I'm looking for different ways to eat them. Well TA DA! I found one! Sweet potatoes backed up as a crust for this quiche filled with onions, garlic, spinach, cheese and I will add some thinly sliced ham or turkey to kick it up a notch...YUM! You could even leave the eggs out and it would be delicious. I will be making this this week!

Sweet Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:

• 6 small sweet potatoes
• Olive oil spray
• 1 bunch organic spinach
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup grated fresh mozzarella
• Spring herbs (dill, parsley, chives) to taste
• 1 tablespoon organic white miso (optional)
• 1/4 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 cup asiago cheese (to sprinkle on top)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Peel sweet potatoes and slice thinly with a food processor.
• Lay potato slices out in pie dish in a crust-like fashion, spray with oil, and bake on 400 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes. (After crust has baked, reduce oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.)
• Spray a saute pan with oil and saute sliced onion and crushed garlic clove until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach and saute until wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Drain spinach over the sink to rid excess liquid.
• Blend eggs and mozzarella in a medium bowl. Add herbs, goat cheese, and miso. (Miso makes everything taste better, but may be omitted.)
• Add spinach/garlic/onion mix to the egg/cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the combined mixtures in the potato crust. Sprinkle with asiago cheese on top.
• In a 375 degree oven, bake until the quiche is firm and the cheese has browned, about 40 minutes.
• Tastes best a little warm.

Shrimp and Edamame Succotash

Summer is here! Its a great time to try new light, fresh and healthy meals...like this one. Who doesn't like shrimp..paired together with beautiful tomatoes, sweet kernels of corn, red pepper, BACON ...sorry, with a hint of garlic and onion...delicious! The shrimp can be grilled or cooked in a pan this is a great healthy and refreshing meal.

Shrimp and Edamame Succotash

 

Bursting with summer flavors, this Shrimp and Edamame Succotash is a fun twist on the traditional and makes the perfect weeknight dinner.

Author: Lindsay L

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup onion, minced
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1.5 cups frozen, shelled edamame
• 1 pound shrimp, raw, peeled & devined
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• optional toppings: basil & goat cheese

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan, cook bacon, onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Cook edamame according to package directions. Add to pan along with corn and cook 3 minutes more.
3. Set aside.
4. Place shrimp on skewers, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Grill 2 minutes per side.
5. Plate succotash mixture, top with shrimp and add fresh basil and goat cheese if desired.

Notes

If you don't want to grill your shrimp you can easily cook them in the pan.
Feel free to sub your favorite bean for the edamame.

Easy Burrito Bowls

OK, this is another Pinterest find and it got my attention because it claimed to better than Chipotle...Really this I must try! I love Chipotle and we are schedule to have one coming to a town very near me...I can't wait! In the mean time I am going to give this a try...it takes a total of 25 minutes to prepare and it's not only delicious but it's healthy! Looking forward to trying this...with brown rice of course!

EASY BURRITO BOWLS

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: 15 minutes  Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup uncooked rice

1 cup salsa, homemade or store-bought

3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

1 (15.25-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

FOR THE CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon chipotle paste*

1 clove garlic, pressed

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt, or more, to taste

Make Zesty Ranch Bacon & Cheddar Dip

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the chipotle cream sauce, whisk together sour cream, chipotle paste, garlic, lime juice and salt; set aside.

In a large saucepan of 1 1/2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; let cool and stir in salsa; set aside.

To assemble the bowls, divide rice mixture into serving bowls; top with lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro.

Serve immediately, drizzled with chipotle cream sauce.

NOTES

*2 tablespoons chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce, can be substituted for chipotle paste. 

Adapted from The Garden Grazer

Sworkit Workout Apps

Are you like me and can't find the time to go to the gym or just don't like the idea of the gym but want to fit exercise into your life schedule...well there is an App for that! Sworkit by Nexercise seems to be the new thing. The perfect work out for you - Anywhere - Anytime - Personalized! More than 4 million people have downloaded the app, so it's worth a shot! Sworkit - Simply Work-it - is aiming to give on-the-go fitness a fun new spin, and may be the answer to having an effective workout almost anywhere. So get to work! The app is available on Amazon, Google Play and the Apple Store.

Tomato Fritters

My name is Keisha and I'm a Pinterest Addict!!! It could be worst right??? I love the whole idea of Pinterest...you get to discover so many creative ideas with whatever you're into...fashion, food, flowers..whatever. So I was having some Pinterest time and came across this refreshing recipe for Tomato Fritters. Summer is a great time for tomatoes and this such a cool new idea right. I love fried green tomatoes but this is a healthier option for beautiful, sweet, ripe tomatoes. These fritters are made with summer tomatoes, feta and fresh dill or the herb of your choice...I bet finely chopped fresh basil would be yummy! They are a little crispy on the outside and moist and bursting with flavor on the inside. What a great quick and easy summer appetizer idea...you can top it with green onions and serve them plain or with yogurt! 

TOMATO FRITTERS

                PREP TIME:10 mins   COOK TIME:10 mins  TOTAL TIME: 20 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 4 tomatoes, 1 and ½ cup when chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup crumbled feta
• 4 and ½ tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil to fry

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk the eggs.
2. Remove the seeds of tomatoes and squeeze gently to remove their excessive juice because we don’t want them to make the batter too juicy.
3. Chop them in tiny pieces and toss in whisked eggs. Add tomato paste and stir.
4. Fold in crumbled feta.
5. Add in flour and stir. You may need to add a little more flour because the tomatoes might still release their juice when mixed with other things. You should have a batter a little thicker than a cake batter.
6. Add chopped fresh dill, salt and black pepper and stir.
7. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and drop batter with a teaspoon in the oil. Fry it about 30 seconds on each side or until it has the color you desire.
8. Transfer on a paper towel to remove excessive oil and serve warm.

Sweet Potato Praline Cake

Listen...this is not healthy!!! Again this is not healthy...but it does contain vegetables :) and it is Delicious!! It has become one of my family favorites and I made it for my class mates and they are still talking about it. Now, I know you are probably thinking...I don't have time to make a cake from scratch...and guess what - you don't have to! I am all about semi-homemade dishes - I mean I work and go to school..I am a wife, mother, grandmother and believe it or not I have friends..so I'm a busy girl! This is a fool proof recipe and thanks to Duncan Hines Butter Recipe cake mix - no one will ever know the difference..and I make it in a bundt cake pan..beautiful! Oh, and the praline sauce......shut your mouth and keep on talking! I am a sweet potato lover...pumpkin not so much so I changed the recipe to make it a sweet potato cake instead of pumpkin...but the choice is yours. You can bake a medium sized sweet potato and get your 1 cup of mashed sweep potato or you can purchase a can of Bruce's baked sweet potato with nothing added. Amazing! Try it..take it to the next family dinner it will become everyone's favorite. Don't forget the Homemade Vanilla Bluebell ice cream. Talk back to me...leave comments after you try this one.

Praline Sweet Potato Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix

1 cup (from 15-oz can) Bruce's mashed sweet potato or 1 med. sweet potato baked (you can make it with pumpkin - don't use the canned pie filling)

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 container (1 lb) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting

Caramel topping, if desired

Additional coarsely chopped pecans, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 2 (9- or 8-inch) round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, sweet potato (or pumpkin if you choose), water, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.

3. Bake 43 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. Stir remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into frosting. To assemble cake, place 1 layer, praline side up, on serving plate. Spread with half of the frosting. Top with second layer, praline side up; spread remaining frosting to edge of layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.