Sweet Potato Fries

Background:  I really needed a sweet potato fries recipe after Grant mentioned how much he loves them! Besides, baked sweet potatoes are good, but mine like to leak out of the foil and onto the bottom of the oven.  How annoying! I make these as a side to cheeseburgers or salmon.

Originally from: a website I don't remember...
Serves ~3
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~40 minutes, including 10 minutes of prep

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
1+ Tbsp of olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
dash of cayenne pepper (I do not eat spicy things, so this is a good "heat" for me, although it would probably be negligible for most people)

Directions:
Combine cumin, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.


Preheat oven to 400. Peel sweet potatoes.

After destroying my old peeler on butternut squash, my new peeler is amazing!

Cut into wedges. Dump sweet potato wedges into a large bowl, coat with olive oil or butter, and sprinkle with spices as close to evenly as possible.

If desired, line a large baking sheet with foil.  Place sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 400, longer for crispier fries.  I try to remember to turn them over at around 20 minutes, but they are still good if you forget.  Enjoy!

Delish!

Note/Tips:
-Best eaten immediately.
-Does anyone else have a spice concoction for sweet potato fries to share?

Pasta Salad

Background: I found this recipe in the coupons from my newspaper. I made it last week and this week and it is so glorious with some leftover baked chicken for lunch!

Originally from: Marzetti Dressing Coupon Recipe

Serves ~ 4-8 (depends on whether this is a side or part of a lunch)
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~25 minutes (pasta has to cook)

Ingredients:
8 oz rotini pasta (Barilla Whole Grain is awesome)
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Ranch or Italian dressing (I prefer non-dairy Italian)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese (non-dairy substitute works well)
Choose from among these vegetables:
1 Cup broccoli florets
1 small can (6-8 oz) artichoke hearts, quartered (look for glass containers in the canned veggies section)
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup frozen peas, thawed
1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Cup carrots, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1/4 Cup pitted and halved kalamata olives (I get mine from the "olive bar" at Meijer)
small can chickpeas

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets and put into strainer. Prep the rest of the veggies above and toss into a large bowl. Drain cooked pasta over broccoli (this will bring out the nice green color). Run cool water over the pasta and broccoli and drain well. Pour the drained pasta and broccoli into the large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and dressing. Toss gently to coat. Serve or store covered in fridge until serving time.

Note/Tips: This has kept well in my fridge for 4 days. It tastes yummy and you just feel good after eating it--it is such pure, vegetable goodness! You could probably substitute olive oil and red wine vinegar for the Italian dressing if you wanted to. Experiment with which combination you like best!

Pumpkin & Potato Curry

Originally from: Skinny Bitch, which has other strictly vegan recipes

Serves ~6
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~1 hour

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp refined coconut oil
1 onion, diced into 3/4" chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 C water
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 pound red potatoes, chopped
3 Cups pumpkin (or butternut squash), chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Directions:
Heat the coconut oil in large saucepan over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, water, vegetable base, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes and pumpkin. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato and pumpkin are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Serve over rice sprinkled with cilantro/parsley. Best when served with naan or chapati.

Note/Tips: Awesome for leftovers--the spices blend even better over night. I like to serve this with Aloo Dal, Naan or Chapati, and Basmati rice.