Homemade Tortilla Chips

by Anne Papina on October 6, 2004

Homemade Tortilla Chips
 
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Recipe type: Snack
Ingredients
  • 5 low carb multigrain tortillas
  • Vegetable spray
  • Salt
  • Knife
  • Cookie sheet
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Lay out tortillas and spray with vegetable oil.
  3. Turn over the tortillas and repeat steps two and three.
  4. Cut the tortillas into four equal parts.
  5. Lay the parts on the cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Cool.

 

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Heart Healthy Tacos

by Anne Papina on October 6, 2004

Heart Healthy Tacos
 
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Recipe type: Main
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg. (6 count) flour tortillas (low carb multigrain)
  • 4 cups leftover chicken, meat or turkey, shredded or chopped
  • 3 to 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup onion, chopped (optional)
  • 3 cups of lettuce, shredded or chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 cups of shredded cheese (monterey or cheddar)
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat meat in a non-stick pan. Season with salt and pepper to desired taste. Warm tortillas and set aside. Individually serve a small amount of meat onto each tortilla and top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and cheese.
  2. For a spicy touch, add your favorite salsa!

 

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Grilled Vegetable Fajitas

by Anne Papina on October 6, 2004

Grilled Vegetable Fajitas
 
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Recipe type: Main
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1 large eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 bell peppers, halved, deribbed, seeded, and cut into 1 inch squares
  • 2 zucchinis cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • ½ pound small mushrooms
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 10 multigrain low carb tortillas
  • Prepared salsa
Instructions
  1. Prepare eggplant cubes, rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle salt.
  2. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire. Thread presoaked wooden skewers with vegetables, alternating pieces of eggplant, bell pepper, red onion, zucchinis, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Whisk olive oil with salt and pepper to taste; drizzle over vegetables.
  3. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil; place on grill to warm about 5 minutes. Grill vegetables basting often with seasoned oil, about 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Use a fork to push fajitas off of skewer.

 

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Italian Sandwiches with Fresh Figs

by Anne Papina on October 6, 2004

Italian Sandwiches with Fresh Figs
 
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Recipe type: Sandwich
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces feta cheese
  • ½ teaspoons black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 focaccia (9 by 13 inch sheet)
  • Garlic flavored olive oil
  • 6 fresh California figs, sliced lengthwise
  • 8 ounces dry salami (12 slices) or thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1 ounce baby spinach leaves
  • Parsley springs; for garnish
Instructions
  1. Combine feta cheese, pepper and butter in a small bowl: mix and blend with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Divide focaccia into 6 equal portions. Slice each piece horizontally. Brush cut sides of each piece with garlic-flavored oil; arrange cut side up on a cookie sheet. Broil until golden brown.
  3. Spread cut sides of bottom slices with 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture each. Arrange fig slices on top and then layer with salami and baby spinach leaves.
  4. Garnish tops of sandwiches with parsley springs and decorative toothpicks.
  5. Garlic flavored Olive Oil Slice 1 clove of garlic into ¼ cup of olive oil and heat until warm.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 480 Fat: 35 g Carbohydrates: 25 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 16 g Cholesterol: 70 mg

 

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Sweet Potato Brownies

by Anne Papina on October 4, 2003

Sweet Potato Brownies
 
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Contributed with permission by Louisiana Sweet Potatoes and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together.
  3. Add remaining ingredients in order listed, stirring after each addition.
  4. Spread batter in a greased 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Glaze
  1. For glaze, mix powdered sugar, butter, and enough milk to make a thin glaze. Spread over hot brownies.
  2. Cool before cutting. Makes 24 servings.

 

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Pork Chops and Sweet Potato Gravy

by Anne Papina on October 4, 2003

Pork Chops and Sweet Potato Gravy
 
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Contributed with permission by Louisiana Sweet Potatoes and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 pounds pork scaloppini (thin cuts of pork medallions) or boneless pork chops
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups thinly sliced onions
  • ¼ cup pecans, chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes (yams), baked, peeled and mashed or 1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of pork with seasoning.
  2. In large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, over high heat, heat oil and brown pork on each side. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add flour, stirring constantly to brown the flour. Add onions and sauté until almost tender, about five minutes. Stir in pecans. Add water and bring to a boil. Gradually add sweet potatoes and blend until smooth. Stir in syrup.
  4. Return pork to pan, reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pork is done, stirring occasionally. If gravy gets too thick, add water. Sprinkle with green onions and serve. Makes six servings.

 

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Sweet Potato Crunchies

by Anne Papina on October 4, 2003

Sweet Potato Crunchies
 
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Contributed with permission by Louisiana Sweet Potatoes and ARA Content
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 3 cups fresh sweet potatoes (yams) cooked and mashed or 2 (15-ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
  • 1 tablespoon margarine
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups crushed corn flakes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add margarine, brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, flour and cinnamon. Mix well. Beat in the egg.
  3. Form the mixture into bite-size balls and roll in crushed corn flakes.
  4. Place the sweet potato balls on the baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes. Serve with toothpicks. Makes 3½ to 4 dozen.

 

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Baked Sweet Potato with Topping

by Anne Papina on October 4, 2003

Image: baked sweet potato(ARA) – For parents trying to keep kids on track to develop healthy eating habits, the holidays can be as frustrating as that granddaddy of all bad eating days, Halloween. Sugar-filled chocolate Santas and holiday cookies, starchy stuffing and fat-filled mashed potatoes all can conspire to derail parents’ best efforts and intentions.

“Eliminating sweets and starches from our holiday fare probably isn’t practical for most of us,” says Holly Clegg, cookbook author and spokesperson for the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. “But it’s easy to prepare healthful, festive holiday meals that will also please your child’s sweet tooth. Turn to the sweet potato for inspiration.”

Yams for the holidays are an American tradition. Native Americans were cultivating yams when Columbus arrived, and sweet potatoes were almost certainly on the menu for the very first Thanksgiving. But when Grandma set that dish of candied sweet potatoes on the holiday table when you were a child, she may not have realized the health benefits she was sharing with her family as well.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest considers sweet potatoes to be one of the most nutritional vegetables out there. Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene (which gives them their yellow or orange color), vitamins A, C, B6, and E, iron, potassium and fiber, and are naturally low in fat. What’s more, says Clegg, yams are among the “good carbs” nutrition experts recommend.

Clegg and the yam experts at the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission offer these tips and recipes for sweetening your holidays:

  • Fresh sweet potatoes store well at low temperatures and low humidity, making them available year-round. There’s no need to refrigerate uncooked yams; simply store them at 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Choose fresh yams that are smooth, dry, plump and clean.
  • When using canned yams in a recipe, add them at the end of the cooking process since they are already cooked before they are canned.

“Sweet potatoes are so versatile they can play a role in virtually every course of your holiday meals,” Clegg says. “They are great as a side dish or dessert and can even be incorporated into soups and main dishes.”

For more tips and recipes, visit www.sweetpotato.org.

Baked Sweet Potato with Topping
 
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Contributed with permission by Louisiana Sweet Potatoes and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 Fresh sweet potato (yam)
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon raisins
  • 2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Prick potato with fork. Bake on foil-lined baking sheet one hour, or until very tender. Split sweet potato and top with maple syrup, raisins and sunflower seeds. Season to taste.
  2. Microwave instructions: Pierce potatoes with fork and arrange on paper towels. Microwave on high eight minutes; turn potatoes over after four minutes.
  3. Makes one serving.

 

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Quick Vegetable Stock

by Anne Papina on September 12, 2003

Use with Vegetarian Split Pea Soup!

 

Quick Vegetable Stock
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 leeks, washed & coarsely chopped
  • 2 med onions, peeled & coarsely chopped
  • 4 or more cloves garlic, halved
  • 3-4 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 10-12 peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 quarts water
Instructions
  1. In a large stockpot, sauté vegetables until golden brown. The deeper the browning, the richer your stock will be, which is important for flavoring. Just be sure not to burn anything as that will turn your stock bitter.
  2. Add the seasonings, herbs and water to the pot, stir well. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for an hour.

 

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Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

by Anne Papina on September 12, 2003

Almost an afterthought, I tossed some Mezzetta tamed jalapenos in this soup, and the resulting dish had an amazing flavor — definitely worth trying. Of course, some folks need to have a little meat in their split pea soup, and chopped prosciutto (served on the side) is just the right flavor and weight to blend in for the non-vegs at your table.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
 
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Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Author:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ quarts vegetable stock
  • 1 lb dried split green peas, rinsed & drained
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (use the hearts)
  • 2 medium onions, halved and sliced thinly
  • one bunch green onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3-4 sprigs parsley, chopped
  • 1 ½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp (or to taste)
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¾ cup frozen petite peas
  • 1 cup shredded smoked gouda
  • Suggested garnishes:
  • -- smoked gouda, cubed into bite-sized pieces
  • -- fresh garlic croutons
  • -- sliced jalapenos (Mezzetta "tamed")
  • -- and if you really must have some meat, chopped prosciutto!
Instructions
  1. In a large stockpot, bring vegetable stock to a boil and add the peas. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes, covered.
  2. While peas are simmering, in a large skillet, melt butter. Add celery, onion, garlic, carrots, and green onion, cooking until onion is golden brown.
  3. To the split peas, add the sautéed vegetable mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Mix well. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours, covered. Add frozen peas and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Just before serving, stir the smoked gouda into the soup until completely melted. Serve with your favorite garnishes.

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