Shrimp Korma, Saag Aloo

I looked at the calendar this morning and noticed that Spring will officially start on Saturday! At long, very long, terribly long, last!!! :) We went to the lake house for a few days to deal with cleaning up storm damage there, and when we returned to the farm the change was incredible. After a week of warm temperatures and sun, and 2 days of rain, there is no snow. None. Well, a few pockets of the white stuff which remain at the northeast part of the house, closest to the porch, but other than that… wow. The night before we left I needed to grill chicken to take with us for use in a few recipes and I had to stand at the side of the grill because there was still too much snow piled around the front and other side. Amazing. Welcome, oh yes, and amazing. One month ago, there was over 2’ of snow everywhere, I had to strap on my snowshoes to make my way down to the mailbox, and it seemed as though winter would never end. I’m not kidding myself. We do get snow into April, but it will not last long. The warm, fuzzy, gentle light of spring is absolutely, most definitely at the end of the tunnel now!

Last week, I came across a great deal on shrimp while grocery shopping. I buy wild, gulf shrimp and often cannot seem to find them already peeled and deveined. Really, it’s one of my few indulgences since I do not like preparing shrimp but I do love to eat them. bought a couple of bags and for dinner I made Shrimp Korma from the book Curry, Fire and Spice by Mridula Baljekar.

I have made this recipe once before and my notes indicated that while it was very good, something was missing. The shrimp, even after being cooked in the sauce, needed some flavor. I remedied this by sprinkling the raw shrimp with cumin and allowing them to stand for a few minutes to allow the flavor to absorb. Also, a sprinkling of chopped, roasted cashews added a satisfying crunch. These two simple adjustments to the recipe worked for us, and served with saag aloo (spinach and potatoes) it was a very flavorful, warming meal. I suppose I could have added another vegetable (I don’t often serve rice and potatoes in the same meal), but it worked.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Shrimp Korma

Recipe adapted from Curry, Fire & Spice

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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10 ounces large shrimp -- peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons plain lowfat yogurt

2 tablespoons light coconut milk

2 tablespoons skim milk

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground red chili pepper -- not chili powder (which is a mix of different peppers); if unavailable, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper will be a decent substitute

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

1 piece cinnamon stick -- about 1"

2 whole green cardamom pods

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons cashews -- chopped

hot, cooked basmati rice

Drain shrimp on paper towels to remove excess water.

Place yogurt through water in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside

Sprinkle ground cumin evenly over the shrimp and toss lightly. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom pods. Turn heat to low and fry for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the yogurt mixture and raise the heat to bring to a boil, stirring often.

Add shrimp and cook, stirring, constantly until sauce thickens a little more and shrimp turn pink.

Portion rice onto serving plates, divide shrimp on top of rice, pour extra sauce over, garnish with cilantro and chopped cashews.

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Nutritional information does not include rice

Per serving: 296 Calories (kcal); 13g Total Fat (2g Saturated); (37% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 217mg Cholesterol; 309mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : The coconut extract is essential. If not available, increase coconut milk to 4 tablespoons and omit the skim milk.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Saag Aloo (Spinach with Potatoes)

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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4 ounces fresh spinach

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium onion -- halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove -- crushed

1 teaspoon minced ginger

6 ounces white potato -- cut into 1" pieces

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Steam the spinach for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and fry the mustard and cumin seeds until they begin to sputter (do not burn them!). Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the potatoes, cayenne, salt, and water. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes, stirring often and adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking.

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Per serving: 128 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat (trace Saturated); (32% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 319mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Orange-Chipotle Salmon Patties

We are completing our fifth sunny day in a row. Life is good! I heard on the news last week sometime that this area had 2 sunny days in February (along with 22 days of snowfall) so, really, I feel like I’m livin’ in the tropics! Well, except for the 6” of snow still on the patio. But the rain which is expected over the next few days should certainly take care of that. Yay.

I’ve been exchanging the winter decorations in the house for spring ones, and the newer atmosphere has considerably lightened our moods. It has been a difficult winter and we look forward to longer days, more sun, and finally being able to go outside without having to shovel snow or strap on the snowshoes!

I have been really enjoying my new publication from the publishers of Cuisine at Home called CuisineLite. There are several recipes which I have made that I will be writing about in the next few days, but today I will write about a meal that I made recently that inspired by CL.

A favorite “comfort food” which my Mom made as we were growing up was salmon patties. Canned red salmon mixed with an egg, crushed saltines, minced onion, and seasonings (I think black pepper, celery salt, and maybe garlic salt). Served with corn (Green Giant niblets, of course) and mashed potatoes, it was one of our favorite meals. And the tradition continues as my Mom makes this for her grandchildren (she asked my 11-year old nieces last week what they would like for dinner, spaghetti or salmon patties, and the resounding answer was for the salmon. Go figure!).

I introduced this culinary delight to Jack after we were married and he mentioned that although his mother made something similar from canned tuna, he preferred the salmon. I made the switch from canned red salmon to the less inexpensive pink variety because of cost, and other than the color I cannot tell a big difference between the two. I also began to add Old Bay seasoning which I thought spiced it up nicely, and lemon juice. And this is how I made salmon patties for the past 25+ years. Until yesterday.

In the CuisineLite book I saw an interesting recipe for Zesty Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise. Orange juice and zest, scallions, and s&p were processed with fresh salmon fillet, then made into burgers, broiled, and served with a mayo-chipotle pepper-cilantro as a sandwich. Hmmm. I had never thought of using orange juice, and chipotle pepper would add some wonderful heat and smokey flavor to my ol’ salmon patties. Plus, with the wild salmon that I buy running around $10/pound, I would prefer to use the canned salmon for something like this.

And so I did. Because I would not be serving the salmon patties as sandwiches, I added the chipotle and cilantro into the fish mixture along with an egg white to help hold it together. This was incredible. Jack has requested that I never make them “the old way” again (thanks, dear!). Orange, chipotle, and salmon are great together, as my recipe for Orange-Bourbon Glazed Salmon (with chipotle) attests, but the addition of these ingredients just kicks up the comfort-food salmon patty to new heights. There is a definite orange punch, and the smoke/spice from the chipotle is pretty darn tasty.

And then I figured that, if I’m changing the salmon patty ingredients, I might as well play with the other standard menu items as well. I mashed the potatoes with orange juice, sour cream, and minced green onions; and instead of plain ol’ corn I made a mixture of edamame, corn, and red bell pepper. Awesome meal! Comfort food of my youth bumped up a few notches. ;)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Orange-Chipotle Salmon Patties

Recipe By : Vicci
Servings: 3

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 large egg white
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 ounces canned pink salmon


Beat egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the next 7 ingredients (through black pepper) and blend.


Drain liquid from salmon, break into chunks (removing any silvery or dark skin). Any of the soft bones can be crushed and added to the salmon to be used in the recipe (it is a great source of calcium). Add to the bowl and mix with hands. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.


On a waxed paper lined baking sheet, divide mixture into 6 balls, then flatten to make patties.

Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. This will make the patties easier to work with when transferring to the pan and turning, but it is not essential to the recipe (realizing, of course, that you will have to be extra careful in handling the patties while cooking).


Preheat the broiler and line a broiler pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray and transfer the patties to the pan. Broil about 6" from the heating element for 4 minutes, or until they brown lightly. Turn and continue to broil until the other side is lightly browned. Serve.


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Per serving: 203 Calories (kcal); 10g Total Fat; (44% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 83mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 10 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Orange-Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Peel 3 medium white potatoes and boil in a covered saucepan containing about 3” of water until tender. Drain cooking water into a measuring cup.

To the potatoes, add ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons light sour cream, and a few grinds of black pepper.

Mash, adding additional cooking as needed for the desired consistency.

Fold in 2 tablespoons chopped scallions (white and light green parts).

Serve.

Tomato Chickpea Florentine Soup

Well, it looks as though we are heading toward the end of February—finally! The “cruelest month” certainly earned its dismal moniker this year, in my opinion. There is another storm forecast for us, with high winds and another possible 5-7” of new snow. Fine. Let Mother Nature get this all out of her system. To me, March signals Spring and finally, there is a light at the end of this dismal Winter tunnel.

Of course, once warmer weather does arrive, there will be a lot of cleanup around here. Trees lost branches, the gutters have to be replaced because the weight of the ice dams distorted them, my beautiful holly bushes have been decimated by unusually hungry deer and will need to be severely pruned. One thing that breaks my heart is that my beautiful lilac bush was split into several pieces by the weight of snow and ice. I still cannot get close enough to access the damage, but if I am lucky it will have to be cut back to 25% of its original size. I planted this bush the first spring we were here, in 1984, because I had always loved purple lilacs, and because my Gram had always loved them as well (and I loved my Gram). In the last several years, it has been absolutely stunning when in full bloom. I don’t know, if I am able to cut it back (versus replacing it), if it will ever reclaim even a part of its former glory before we leave here, retiring to a hopefully more temperate climate.

For now, however, we have prepared for another snowstorm. I have filled several large jugs of water in case the power goes out again (although I hope that it will not, I am still a little nervous since we had no heat or water for over six days earlier this month). I am keeping the used dishes and cooking utensils washed, and am making it a point to run the garbage disposal every time put something down it. Until the threat of a power loss is over, I won’t use the dishwasher. Several years ago the electricity went out after a particularly nasty summer storm. There were dirty dishes in the dishwasher, stuff in the disposal waiting to be whirled and swept away into the septic, a load of white clothes soaking in the washing machine… and they all stayed where they were for four days until the power was restored. Ick. I learned my lesson that time!

I’ve planned a couple of days of menus and took everything I need out of the big freezer, so if I have to transfer things from the refrigerator to the back porch, it will only be from the smaller kitchen refrigerator/ freezer. I won’t have to open the big freezer, and recent experience has shown that food will stay well in there for up to 5 days.

I also made a pot of soup which can be reheated on the stove and which we also can wrap our cold fingers around mugs of while waiting for the heat to come back on. If need be.

While making dinner the other evening, I opened a can of garbanzo beans by mistake. I was in a hurry, grabbed a can from the dim basement shelves which I thought was coconut milk, and opened it without looking at the label. Pretty stupid move, there. So today I made a tomato-vegetable-chickpea soup for lunch.

This was a very good soup; thick, flavorful and packed with veggies and non-meat protein. Served with a slice of whole-wheat Italian bread, it was a perfect lunch for a blustery winter day.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Tomato Chickpea Florentine Soup

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 4

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot

3/4 teaspoon minced garlic

4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

1 cup water

14 ounces crushed tomatoes -- (canned)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil -- crumbled

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary -- crumbled

9 ounces cooked chickpeas -- approximate amount from a 15-ounce can, drained

1/2 cup ditalini -- or other small "soup" pasta

2 ounces fresh spinach -- chopped

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper -- optional

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a 2-quart pot. Add onion and carrot and sauté over medium heat until onion is soft, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the stock, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and stir in the brown sugar and herbs. Turn the heat down to simmer, cover partially, and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and ditalini and cook until the pasta is tender, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add spinach, stir, and cook for another minute or two. Season with pepper and divide between soup bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.

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Per serving: 289 Calories (kcal); 8g Total Fat (3g Saturated); (24% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 4mg Cholesterol; 304mg Sodium

Sausage-Potato Soup

Today, 2 weeks after the big snowstorm, it did not snow at all. This was the first day in the past 14 that we have not seen as much as a single flake. We rejoiced. :)

Ever since the electricity came back on a week ago, we have been in our own hellish version of the movie Groundhog Day. Every other day, we shovel and remove ice then spend the rest of the day in pain. On our “off” days, we just spend the days in pain… We really do only the bare minimum that we have to, but with over 2’ of snow, plus ice dams on the roofs and having to remove the resulting icicles (some of which are 7’ tall), it’s quite difficult.

Spring? Where are you???

On those days we do not feel the need to kill ourselves by working outside, I am able to get into cooking. Funny how being able to stand for more than 10 minutes at a time, and to bend to get a saucepot out of the base cabinet without moaning, makes me more willing to prepare meals. :)

Lunch yesterday was made from a CuisineLite recipe. In my last post I mentioned how much I am enjoying this special edition of Cuisine at Home magazine, and this soup was the third recipe I have taken from there and enjoyed.

We are certainly having “soup weather” and this Sausage-Potato Soup fit the bill perfectly for lunch. It is a thick, creamy soup flavored with smoky turkey kielbasa.

Of course, I made some changes. Not so many, I first thought, but then as I wrote this I realized that there were quite a few. Nothing so drastic, however, to diminish the concept of the basic recipe. My version is below.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Sausage-Potato Soup

Recipe Adapted from CuisineLite

Servings: 4 (2 cups each)

Preparation Time :0:40

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup sliced carrot

1 cup diced onion

2/3 cup diced red and yellow bell peppers

1 1/3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

16 ounces mashed potatoes -- about 2 cups

2 1/2 cups skim milk -- divided

7 ounces turkey kielbasa -- diced

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2/3 cup frozen peas

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 tablespoons lowfat cheddar cheese

Heat oil in nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat, add peppers and carrot and sauté (stirring frequently) for 2 minutes. Add onion and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.

Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, stirring up any browned bits that might be on the bottom of the pan, then add the remaining broth. With a whisk, stir in the mashed potatoes until well blended. Stir in 2 cups of the milk, the sausage and the chipotle pepper then turn the heat down a little.

Stir the flour into the remaining milk until smooth, then slowly pour this mixture into the hot soup, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to medium and cook soup until it thickens, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes.

Add peas and cook until they are heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving of soup with 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Yield:

"8 cups"

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Per serving: 316 Calories (kcal); 10g Total Fat; (28% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 55mg Cholesterol; 1206mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Basically, the changes which I made to the original recipe were:

Added bell pepper, increased the amount of peas(this adds nutrients, bulk, and flavor)

Increased the amount of chicken broth a little, and some extra flour

Used skim milk (the “super skim” variety) instead of 2%

Used ground chipotle pepper instead of dill

These changes resulted in slightly more soup per serving, with a slight drop in calories but more significantly 3g less fat per serving (1g less saturated). Every little bit counts, right?

I especially liked the chipotle pepper subbing for the dill, since it added both heat and extra smoky flavor.

Spicy Garlic Chicken with Lemon Glaze

I’ve been away from blog-land for a while. The first week of this month was spent visiting my parents, then we returned to the farm to a very cold house. Because of a snowstorm, our electricity had been out for four days and the downstairs rooms were at about 45 degrees, the upstairs around 38 degrees. I’ve always (good-naturedly, mostly) complained about how cold our old farmhouse is in the winter, but I never will again after recently walking through rooms and seeing my breath!

Of course, frozen pipes were my main concern. We have 2 small electric fireplaces on the main level which we would turn on for a few hours a day, but this would only result in the temperature rising a few degrees. It was enough, I guess, because the water pipes never froze.

Oh, I should mention that since my MIL is visiting her daughter, Jack and I were able to use her apartment for three days. Unfortunately, the complex does not allow pets, so we had to sneak Spooky in and out (we couldn’t leave him there alone or he would give himself away to the neighbors!). Luckily, the apartment is on the first floor, with a door right next to the reserved parking space, so it wasn’t too difficult.

It has snowed every darn day since we returned—8 days! We felt, at times, as though we were taking our lives into our hands as we drove the hilly roads to the farm and back to our “temporary home”. Because we both work from home, there is never a need to leave during bad weather. We stay put. So this experience was especially nerve-wracking!

I am proud to say that we lost almost nothing from either of the refrigerator/freezers or from the big freezer. The day we returned, we took everything that was in the refrigerators, boxed it all up, and put the boxes on our enclosed porch. We also took the frozen items from those units and packed them, with ice packs, into coolers and stored these in the (unheated) smokehouse. The next day, Jack emptied recyclables from a clean, 55-gallon trash can, and we layered everything from the big freezer with snow, then buried the can in a snowdrift. Had this long of a power outage (6+ days) taken place any time other than January or February, when there was enough snow on the ground to bury our “Eskimo freezers”, we would have lost everything.

The absolute joy of being back in my own home, cooking in my own kitchen, is incredible. Unfortunately, because we have been doing a lot of shoveling, both Jack and I have been experiencing some very sore muscles over the past few days. Yesterday, though, we took a break and last night I felt well enough to actually cook a meal.

Not that we haven’t been eating. After I cleaned out the big freezer and took and inventory of everything I was putting in there, I found several meals which I had frozen last fall and promptly forgotten about. So these got us through 4 dinners.

Yesterday, I made the first (of many more to come) recipes from my new cookbook, CuisineLite. There were so many positive reviews of this publication on the Cuisine At Home forums that I had a difficult time choosing. Based on what I had on hand, I chose Spicy Garlic Chicken with Lemon Glaze.

I altered the recipe only slightly. I increased the size of the chicken breasts, used a different kind of hot sauce, and increased the panko crumbs a little. Also, even though I decreased the amount of chicken (because the recipe made 4 servings), I kept everything else the same. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

This was a great meal! I never realized how wonderfully the flavor of lemon went with some sort of spice (in my case, habanero pepper sauce). The chicken was crunchy outside, tender inside, and that delicious glaze added just the right amount of flavor. I started some fingerling potatoes roasting in the toaster oven first, then started the rest of the meal a little later. It took less than 30 minutes to get the chicken prepared and on the table (including steaming the broccoli). This recipe will become a staple for us.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Spicy Garlic Chicken with Lemon Glaze

adapted from Cuisine Lite, a publication of August Home Publishing
Servings: 2


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast halves – (2 pieces)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup panko
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon habanero pepper sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil


Combine lemon juice, honey, Tabasco, and lemon rind for the glaze in a small bowl and set aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Stir together panko, garlic, and oregano in a large dish. Dredge both sides of chicken in panko mixture, pressing panko firmly into the chicken..

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, about 12 minutes (to 160 degrees internal temperature). Remove chicken from skillet.

Add lemon-honey mixture to the skillet and reduce until syrupy (less than a minute).Return the chicken to the skillet, flipping the pieces once to coat with glaze. Serve.


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Per serving: 329 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (18% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 99mg Cholesterol; 390mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates

Spicy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

The days are noticeably longer now; I have recently realized that evening doesn’t begin to creep in to my life until well after 5pm. We have experienced two partly sunny days so far this week. For two days, instead of a solid winter-white sky, there have been glimpses of bright blue in between puffy clouds, and this makes all the difference in my mood as we reach the end of January.

Spooky appreciates the sun, as well. He spends his mornings on the front porch, napping in full sun. I open the door to ask if he wants to come into the house and he lifts his head, for a few seconds coming out of a heat-induced coma, and blinks sleepily at me. I reach down and stroke his very warm, soft fur. This morning it was quite cold, but sunny, and the snow had already melted on my running paths around the fields, so we took a short walk. It was a pokey sort of a walk, but it was nice to be outdoors.

At the grocery store the other day I noticed that catfish fillets were on sale. I had been craving them lately, simply dunked in milk and then seasoned cornmeal and pan-fried until golden, so I bought a couple of pounds (what would I do without my freezer?).

To serve with the catfish I decided on cornbread and stuffed sweet potatoes. The sweet potato recipe below was adapted from Vegetarian Times. I believe that recipe this might have been meant as a main course because it included 1-1/2 ounces of cheese per serving, plus each serving also contained ¼ cup of whole milk sour cream (but who would eat one medium stuffed potato as their whole meal?). To turn it into a side dish, I decreased both the cheese and the sour cream, and also the butter.

On my first glance at this recipe I looked at the ingredients and just assumed that the bell pepper, onion, lime juice, and sour cream would be included in the sweet potato “stuffing”, but that was mistaken. The peppers are to be used as a topping, before the potatoes are baked for the second time, and the sour cream is to be mixed with the lime juice and, along with the onions, used as a garnish.

I’m just thinking…1/4 cup of sour cream per person, mixed with lime juice, to garnish one potato? And the peppers were to be “diced”, but if they were diced too large they wouldn’t cook during the short time in the oven. So my changes to this recipe reflect these issues which I had. :)

I also added some ground chipotle pepper because I did not have Pepperjack cheese (I used lowfat cheddar, instead, and much less of it than the recipe originally called for), and also decreased the amount of butter, adding a little skim milk to keep the filling moist. Check out the nutritional info at the end of the recipe

These turned out to be so good, they will be on our regular rotation. All of the flavors combined nicely, and made a perfect addition to this menu.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Spicy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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2 large sweet potatoes

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons skim milk

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup diced red bell peppers -- (very small dice)

1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper -- (very small dice)

1 1/2 ounces lowfat cheddar cheese -- shredded

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Wash the sweet potatoes, prick with a fork in a few places, and microwave until done. Cool slightly.

If using an oven (regular or toaster oven), preheat it to 350F.

Slice the very top off of each potato and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4" as a "shell", into a medium bowl. Scoop the flesh out of the cut piece as well and add to the bowl. Add the butter, skim milk, chipotle, cumin, and some salt and pepper to taste and mash a little (leaving the pieces slightly chunky). Stuff evenly back into the potato shells.

Mix red and yellow bell pepper on a small plate and carefully turn over the stuffed potatoes, pressing the tops into the peppers. Turn upright and place any remaining pepper mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese, press into the top onto the peppers, spray with cooking spray, and place in oven. Heat for about 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and peppers softened.

While peppers are baking, mix the sour cream with the lime juice until creamy.

Serve the potatoes drizzled with the sour cream mixture, sprinkled with the onion and cilantro.

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Per serving: 237 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; 4g Saturated; (23% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 17mg Cholesterol; 202mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

My changes to the recipe, which I did not consider to be drastic, significantly changed the nutritional information. Doing only three things, decreasing the amounts of the butter, cheese, and sour cream, and also subbing lower fat versions of both the cheese and sour cream, knocked off half of the total calories, 84% of the total fat, and 83% of saturated fat. Enough said.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

It has been warmer for the past couple of days, and the rain yesterday melted the snow, but we are still seriously lacking sun. It appeared for a short while today (and we rejoiced), so I celebrated by going out for a run. I envy those who live in communities which have paved roads and sidewalks, because all I have to run on are my trails (through our 50 acres) and they are often quite mucky. But I don’t have to worry about errant vehicles trying to run me down, either, so I shouldn’t complain. And I’m not! It was a wonderful run and, if the weather forecast is correct (haha), I will be able to do another on Wednesday.

Tonight I decided to use another of those ever-multiplying butternut squash which are in my basement. I don’t know how this happens, but I am quite certain that I harvested less of them last fall than I currently have in the basket, even though I use them regularly.

I adapted a recipe from October 2006 Cooking Light. Their Pumpkin and Red Lentil Curry became Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry. I had about 4 ounces more squash than the pumpkin which the recipe called for, but used it all anyway.

This was absolutely delicious, and Jack surprised me with how much he enjoyed it. This recipe was to make 6 servings, but… ;)

Remember, as you prepare this, that those little red lentils cook quickly and will become quite soft and fall apart if they are cooked for too long. It is for this reason that you should only cook the squash (pumpkin) until it just starts to soften, and add the lentils. By the time, then, that the squash is cooked the lentils will be perfectly done as well. I also added a little arrowroot to thicken it a bit more.

This is a very flavorful, very pretty stew. I am happy, and surprised, that I still have fresh cilantro in my cold-frame outside (despite the bitter temperatures of the past few weeks). The cilantro is a “must” for sprinkling on top of each serving and we also found out that some chopped roasted cashews are an excellent “topper” as well. We, obviously, figured out the cashews after this photo was taken.

This time, it was served with naan (Trader Joe's), next time I will serve it over brown basmati rice.

Pumpkin and Red Lentil Curry

Because pumpkin has a neutral taste, it works well in Indian curries, where it takes on the flavors of the spices. For the best results, choose pie pumpkin, which is smaller, sweeter, and more tender than the larger pumpkins used for carving jack-o'-lanterns. You can substitute brown lentils and cook them 20 to 30 minutes longer, adding more broth, if necessary.


1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled fresh pumpkin (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup dried small red lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 lime wedges

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin and next 7 ingredients (through jalapeño); cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender. Stir in lentils; cook 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in salt and black pepper. Ladle stew into individual bowls; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups stew, 2 teaspoons cilantro, and 1 lime wedge)

CALORIES 222 (11% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g); IRON 4mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 123mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.9g; SODIUM 657mg; PROTEIN 10.3g; FIBER 8.7g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006