Easy Sweet Potato Waffles

Several days ago my friend, Kate, sent me a message on Pinterest with a link to a recipe for Sweet Potato Waffles… they looked fabulous!  But when I read through the ingredient list, I knew I wouldlikely never make them.

The recipe called for coconut oil, and as much as I like it, and do use it, I am not liberal with oils in my own baking and cooking. I try to limit them to a couple of teaspoons per day at the most. I prefer to get my healthy fats in food…nuts, avocadoes, eggs, olives, light cheeses, along with almond and coconut milks.

But I thought that Sweet Potato Waffles sounded like a great idea so I went ahead and made my own with just a couple of ingredients.  And yes, I made them just for myself!  Next time I will add some more spices… cloves, allspice, nutmeg and perhaps some ginger, too.

I dressed them with strawberries and some hemp seeds.  But I bet nut butters or blueberries and bananas would be lovely, too.




Sweet Potato Waffles
Makes 1 serving

• 1/2 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Blend ingredients well and cook in your waffle iron according to directions.
2. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Per serving, without toppings.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 250; Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 25g; Fat 10g; Fibre 3g.

Printable Recipe

I love waffles!  Are you a fan?  What are your favorite kind?

5 Fabulous Fall Soups

There is a lovely aroma in our apartment right now… a new Fall soup on the stove… this one with kabocha squash, carrots, and cauliflower… and onions and garlic, of course! I love to make soup when the days become a bit shorter, and a bit cooler, and the local farmers are flooding our produce markets with sweet potatoes, root veggies,  and all kinds of squash.  Mmmmm.

I have a usual method that I use to make vegetable soups… and the variations are endless depending upon the veggies and spices and broth you select. You can make them gluten-free, paleo vegetarian, and even vegan if you choose the right ingredients.  They are are all delcious.

You really can’t go wrong.

I will share this new soup later, but today I want to share some other favorite Fall soups from the last couple of years.

In no particular order… just click the picture to find the recipe.

Of course there are lots more on my blog and you can find them under my Soups, Salads and Dressings  tab… If you give any of my soups a try or Pin them, I would  love to know!

And if you are looking for some other ideas for homemade soups, check out these articles too:

• How to Roast Red Bell Peppers
• How to Make Homemade Turkey (or Chicken) Broth
• How to Make Your Own Vegetable Broth

Do you like to make Fall soups, too?  What’s your favorite?

Souvlaki Style Pork with Vegetables and Sauce

This dish was inspired by something I found in a magazine a few weeks ago.  It is kind of an easy version of one of my favorite Greek dishes, Pork Souvlaki.  But here there is no messing with the barbecue or kebabs… it’s just a lean pork loin roast (or a tenderloin if you prefer) and some veggies.

It is a simple matter of browning the pork roast in a pan with some olive oil, and then baking it in the oven while the veggies are cooking in the same pan you used to brown the roast.  It all comes together pretty quickly and it is quite delectable.

I used a mixture of white and sweet potatoes. I would have used all sweet for me, but The Captain prefers white.  And the sauce is very garlicky… just the way we both like it!

This meal fed the 2 of us on three different occasions so I only made up two servings of the sauce each time... one for each of us.  I prepared it first and let the garlic work its magic in the yogurt while I prepared the main dish. Of course you will omit the sauce if you follow a Paleo diet.

Souvlaki Style Pork with Vegetables
Makes 6 servings

• 1-1/2 lb lean pork loin or tenderloin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced vertically (about 3/4 cup)
• 8 ounces sweet potato, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 8 ounces white or yellow potato, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 dried oregano

1. Trim any fat from the pork roast and then rub about 1 tsp of dried oregano all over the surface.
2. Place 1 tsp of olive oil into a large non-stick pan set it over MEDIUM heat. 
3. Set your oven to 425°F to preheat.
4. Put the roast in the warm pan and cook it a couple of minutes on each side until browned.
5. Place the roast on a baking sheet and bake in hot oven about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. When the roast is cooked through, remove to cutting board and allow to rest for a few minutes until slicing into 18 slices.
7. Meanwhile, add the other 1 tsp of olive oil to the same non-stick pan and add the potatoes, onion, and garlic, and cook about 6 minutes till the potatoes begin to soften and the onions are lightly browned.
8. Add the chicken broth and water, and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat and simmer till the potatoes are almost cooked through. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
10. Add the remaining vegetables and 1 tsp of oregano.  Cook about 5 minutes until the zucchini and the pepper are tender.
11. Remove from heat and serve with Souvlaki Sauce on the top. Garnish with more oregano if desired.

Souvlaki Sauce
For each serving

• 2 Tbs fat free plain Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced

1. Mix together and refrigerate while preparing the roast and vegetables.

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers new Simple Start program, or the Simply Filling Technique, there is no counting to be done here… these are all Power Foods. But I did calculate the N.I. for those of you who count Points Plus Values.

Per serving, without Souvlaki Sauce
Weight Watchers P+ = 7.
Calories 266; Protein 27g; Carbohydrate 21g; Fat 8g; Fibre 3g.

Per serving, with Souvlaki Sauce
Weight Watchers P+ = 7.
Calories 287; Protein 30g; Carbohydrate 23g; Fat 8g; Fibre 3g.

Printable Recipe

Are you a Greek food fan?  What is your favorite dish?

National Sweet Potato Month... My 10 Most Popular Sweet Potato Recipes

Did you know that February is National Sweet Potato Month?

I am so happy about that because they are one of my very favorite foods.  I have featured many Sweet Potato recipes here over the last few years.

Here are the 10 most popular:

Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl Scramble

Sweet Potato and Flax Egg Cake

Kidney Bean, Barley, and Sweet Potato Stew

Sweet Potato Muffins

Guilt-Free Chips

Beanless Paleo Beef Chili

Curried Coconut Sweet Potato Soup

Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash

Carrot Soup with Sweet Potato and Red Pepper

and as a bonus... don't forget about the Baked Sweet Potato Curly 'Fries' with Chicken recipe I posted a few days ago... got great reviews!  Check it out if you haven't yet...

Baked Curly Sweet Potato 'Fries' with Chicken

Are you a Sweet Potato fan?  What is your favorite way to eat them?

Baked Curly Sweet Potato 'Fries' with Chicken

Now you all know how much I love my new spiralizer… so you will not be surprised to learn that I have pretty much given up spaghetti squash in favor of zoodles these days. I have been eating them a couple of times a week at least, with different sauces, but my Sensational Sesame Sauce remains my very favorite.

But I knew I needed to spread my little spiralizer wings a bit and try some other veggies just as my dear, generous friend, Kate, sent me this fabulous idea… and some pictures from her own kitchen to go along with it.

I couldn’t wait to try it for myself and went immediately to my local Bulk Barn to pick up some Cajun Spice (why have I never tried this before?) to make this dish.  It was so easy and so delicious!  I know you will love this idea, too!

I call it Baked Curly Sweet Potoato ‘Fries’ with Chicken – you can call it whatever you like, but TRY it.  Do it.

Kate wrapped her sweet potato curls around the chicken breasts when she baked them. I am lazy so I just piled mine on top.  Half way through cooking I tossed them around. The curls become quite crunchy, and baking the sweet potato really brings out the flavor.  The chicken breasts are juicy and moist. Win, win, win.  No negatives here!

Kate used half a sweet potato for each chicken breast and then served hers with some other veggies.  When I made this dish, I used a whole sweet potato for mine, and a couple of small white potatoes for The Captain’s, and didn’t serve other veggies. I happen to really like sweet potatoes.  Your choice of course.  

I have to admit, I have also made these sweet potato curly 'fries' since, without the chicken, and served them on a lean ground beef burger, and also a salmon burger.  I love, LOVE, LOVE them.  You will too. 

Thanks to Kate for allowing me to use her pictures.  I will give you the recipe and instructions as she made it up. And I should add, that you could use a ribbon slicer to make your sweet potato curls if you don’t have a spiralizer.

Bakes Curly Sweet Potoato ‘Fries’ with Chicken
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• dry Cajun Spice as needed, about 2 – 3 tsp

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut the sweet potato into curls using the large noodle maker disk on the spiralizer.
3. Toss the sweet potato noodles with the coconut oil and then add a healthy sprinkling of Cajun Spice (start with about a tsp and then add more if you like peppery heat).
4. Wrap the curls around the chicken breasts.
5. Bake for 35 minutes.
6. Remove to serving plates and enjoy.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 10.
Calories 395; Protein 34g; Carbohydrate 34g; Fat 13g; Fibre 4g.

This N.I. was calculated using a 5 ounce chicken breast, 1 tsp coconut oil, and 5 oz raw sweet potato.  Yours will vary according to your own ingredients, of course.

Love the curls coming off the spiralizer.  Makes me so happy!

Aren’t they beautiful?  Toss them with coconut oil and Cajun Spice.

Wrap around seasoned chicken breasts (or just pile them on top) and then bake in the oven.

They will become crispy as they bake.

Lovely and crunchy!

Kate says she thinks she might like them with Curry instead of the Cajun Spice, too.

Mine were a little less curly, and a bit more crispy, I think!

Printable Recipe

Home Made Chips Make Great Nachos

I worked the Weight Watchers booth for a few hours one afternoon in September at a local Women’s Health Fair.  Before my shift started, I wandered around and looked at the other exhibits… quite an interesting mix of diets, supplements, makeup and beauty products, jewellery and accessories, teas, fitness gear and even a guest celebrity speaker.  It wasn’t a huge show by any stretch of the imagination but pretty well attended by our smallish-city standards.

I picked up this chip maker at at an Epicure Selections booth. I was a bit sceptical but the friendly woman selling the products assured me it really worked.  She says she makes apple chips on hers, a lot…  so I handed over $18 and off I went to attend to my own work duties.  I should add it was an enjoyable experience working the show. I had never done anything like this before and it was really fun.

So…to the chip maker.  We have tried it out a few times now, and I am so enthralled with it that I just had to share it with you.

It is made of some kind of silicone.  And apparently it makes chips out of many different kinds of fruit and vegetables in the microwave oven.  But I am pretty much only interested in potato chips at the moment so that is what we have been making on it.

The Chipster packaging

White potatoes release a lot of watery starch after they are sliced so I patted them dry with a paper towel before salting them and putting the tray in the mike.  It takes 4 minutes on HIGH for each tray of chips to cook..

This was the first batch we made and they were so much better than any baked chip you can purchase.  Just potatoes with a bit of salt.

And truly crispy!

We made some again on Sunday to have with our dinner.  These are orange sweet potato chips.  Sweet potato is much drier than white potato and there was no need to pat them… just slice and salt and mike.

We made chips from an orange sweet potato, and a lighter yellow sweet potato and then used them as ‘nacho’s and enjoyed them with some guacamole, ground beef, and some salsa.  This was truly delicious…. and even if you use a different method to make your sweet potato chips, I would urge you to try them as ‘nachos’.

Okay, maybe I will give the apple chips a try… all you need is a mandolin or a very sharp knife to make sure the slices are very thin!

Have you ever used a vegetable chip as nachos?

Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

I decided to celebrate the First Day of Fall by making my first homemade soup of the season!  And a good soup day it was…. gloomy, wet, and quite cool for our little corner of the World for this time of year.

It was like Summer was bidding us a very tearful goodbye!

The Captain has been purchasing lovely locally-grown squashes and sweet potatoes for me this past couple of weeks so I selected a butternut squash for my soup… and then decided to add some sweet potato, too, for a bit of extra thickness, rich color, and of course, great taste!  You know I love me some orange YAM!
I am going to share the proportions and the method I used, but I know you will adjust it to suit your own dietary needs and tastes.  Whenever I make these types of soups, I use the same method…. it’s only the ingredients and spices that tend to change.

And I was fortunate to have some homemade turkey stock on hand today so of course I used that, too.

Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Makes 8 one-cup servings

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 cup sliced white onion (6 oz.)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (1-1/2 lb.)
• 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks (9 oz.)
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• healthy/liberal sprinkling of dried ginger and nutmeg

1. Place coconut oil in a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat and sauté onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add squash, sweet potatoes and saute a few minutes more.
3. Add several sprinkles of ginger and nutmeg, stir into veggies,  and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add broth broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and when cooled, blend until smooth with immersion blender.
6. Reheat, to serve, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt if you like.

Per 1-cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3. Not including garnish.
Calories 102 ; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 20g; Fat 2g; Fibre 3g
 

Cook the onions and garlic till just translucent, not browned.

Add the sweet potato and squash to the pot.

Cook for about half an hour and then let cool.

Puree.  An immersion blender is a very good tool for this job.

Creamy and thick and quite delicious!

Printable Recipe

Do like to make homemade soups, too?  What is your favorite?

Squash and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche

I first saw this intriguing dish when my friend Sara pointed it out on Facebook a short while back. The author at paleOMG calls it Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Bake.  I call it Squash and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche.  Who cares?  It is AWESOME!

I Tweeted the link and highlighted is a favorite so I would be sure to be able to find it again… sometimes this is quicker for me than Pinterest.

The recipe itself is a fun twist on a crustless, cheeseless quiche, and the prose that accompanies it is witty and irreverent.  You may want to read it for the humor alone.  And drool.

I finally got around to making this dish a few days ago.  I admit, there is a fair amount of preparation involved.  I miked the spaghetti squash while shredding the sweet potato and onion in my food processor.  (I had never used the shredder blade before.  Who knew it could be so easy?)  At first I thought I would only need 6 eggs, but at the last minute whisked in 2 more.   And I didn't use a 8X8 pan as apparently I no longer have one!


Before baking, it looked a bit soupy….

And the final cooked result?

P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N 

Now to be honest, the ingredient list contains some of my very favorite items, so I was pretty darned sure I was going to love this dish.  And I do.  And so did The Captain, which was a huge bonus for me, too, as these are NOT some of his favorite ingredients…. but he did love the outcome.

We ate half for lunch the day I made it… then the other half for dinner a couple of night’s later.  I reheated it on a MEDIUM power in the mike for a couple of minutes… I was afraid that HIGH power might make the eggs rubbery. The Captain also thinks it would be good cold.

And just look at those tomatoes… grown on our balcony in containers!  Red and yellow cherry tomatoes. Mmmmmm.

Next time, I just may bake this quiche in my silicone muffin cups…. they would make handy snacks too!

By the way, it is also paleo, vegetarian, gluten free... all those good things!

The N.I. as I made it, for 1/4th of the whole:

Weight Watchers P+ = 6.

Calories 243; Protein 14g; Carbohydrate 16g; Fat 14g; Fibre 3g.

Give it a try.  Plan to spend some time at it.  Thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your labors.  And then send me a Tweet or come back and leave me a comment here, saying THANK YOU… it’s that good!

Are you a quiche fan?  What is your favorite kind?

A Variety of Tasty Egg White Bites

I have been making versions of these delicious little ‘bites’ ever since Gabby posted her recipe for 2-ingredient Sweet Potato Bites when I was doing my first Whole 30 Paleo Challenge in January.

I am so thankful to her for introducing me to these wonderful little morsels!

I didn’t have any sweet potatoes in the pantry when I first read the recipe, so I opened a can of pumpkin and used that instead.  I loved them immediately… and I really enjoyed them for a quick snack with a dab of almond butter on top!

I know my Weight Watchers buddies are going to want some details...

I didn’t have a  mini muffin tin at the time so I just used my regular sized silicone muffin cups.
I made 9 regular muffin-size 'bites' instead of the 18 minis that Gabby made and they came out to only 12 calories each.

Then I made them with a whole mashed banana and enjoyed them just as much.  I think the banana makes them a bit sweeter, too.  Again, 9 regular muffin-size 'bites' and these were 19 calories each.

Since then I have made them with sweet potatoes but I changed things a bit.  I used only 2/3 of the ingredients but made 9 again, and they were 24 calories each.

But then I finally bought a mini muffin tin!

And Saturday morning I was making a batch of Bacon and Egg Muffins, so I decided to do a batch of ‘bites’, too…. I had about 1/4 cup of mashed sweet potato in the fridge so I mixed 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce with it and made up my ‘bites’…. wonderful!

So it worked out to only using half the prescribed amount of the ingredients but I made 12 mini muffins out of it and they are 9 calories each.  You can see the size difference between the mini muffin tin and the regular size muffin cups that I used for the Bacon and Egg Muffins.

So now mine truly are just little ‘bites’.

They do make wonderful little snacks… a perfect mix of protein and carbs.  Of course they need to be stored in the fridge, but are very portable and handy…. and it is so fun to see what combos you can come up with.

Check out the original recipe at Gabby’s Gluten Free and then get cooking!

What other combinations do you think would work?… kabocha squash perhaps, and maybe some pureed strawberries.