Man I’m Baked
Potatoes, that is.
First off, I have to say my birthday was the best. Thanks to everyone who came out, mom, dad, Shawn, Kati, Petra, Brian..and everyone who couldn’t due to price or me wanting to go home early.
My low carb diet had gone so well, I decided to keep it up. (That being said, right after making and eating this, I also ordered Dominos, but, balance, right?)
I had been trying to figure out what to do with the broccoli mom and dad brought, and for some odd reason sweet potatoes came to mind. Granted, if you’ve been reading for a little while, you know my feelings on sweet potatoes. I wanted to do something simple, but yet tasty, and something that had buffalo chickpeas involved (no clue why) So I came up with this dish. It was supposed to be twice baked stuffed sweet potatoes, but I can’t ever get the potatoes out of the oven fast enough before the skin falls apart; so they ended up being baked mashed potatoes.
This dish is super easy, super low carb, super healthy and could be a good side dish for a meal. If you want to make it vegan, all you have to do is leave the goat cheese off, or substitute your favorite vegan cheese.
Here’s what to get from the store:
Sweet Potato
Broccoli
Chickpeas
Goat Cheese
Buffalo Sauce
Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Buffalo Chickeaes
1 sweet potato, cut in half
1/2 small head of broccoli, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 can chickpeas, diced
Buffalo Sauce
Salt, pepper, paprika
- Coat the potato with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through.
- When the potato cools, scoop out the middle, mix in the broccoli, garlic, salt pepper and paprika. Use a potato masher to mix everything together.
- Place the mixture in a greased ramekin, or giant muffin tin. Top with the chickepeas and goat cheese. Bake until the goat cheese is starting to brown.
I’m still working a lot, but it’s paying off financially, which is what I wanted. I actually like working; sure I’m exhausted and I barely have time for anything, but I get to meet new people and run around instead of sitting at a desk.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Movin on Up
After almost 2 months of stress, I’ve moved! I’m really happy it’s finally happened. Even though I tell people I’m from Indiana, because I spent a little over half my life there, I’ve never really felt at home there. I had some great memories and have a hand full of friends back there, but Illinois and Chicago feel like home to me.
Last night I was finally able to cook a meal in my new place, and I was able to cook for one of my friends! (Most of my friends back in Indiana except for Shawn were really picky so cooking them dinner never really happened).
I knew I hadn’t been eating very well thanks to moving, and I really wanted something filling and good for you. I had bought my dad heirloom tomato seeds for Christmas, and had really been wanting to make a stuffed heirloom tomato. However, my parent’s tomatoes aren’t ready yet (just their cucumbers, which are fabulous), so I had to buy some. True to my attempt at being healthy, I filled them with quiona, goat cheese, black beans and spinach. The result was really delicious.
This recipe is very easy, it just takes some time to bake after you stuff the tomatoes. My tomatoes also fell apart, so if I do this again I’ll put them in a different contain besides a giant muffin tin.
Here’s what to get from the store:
Heirloom tomatoes
Goat Cheese
Quioa
Vegetable Broth
Canned Black Beans
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Basil
Pinot Noir
Balsamic VinegarRed Onion
Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes
2 Heirloom Tomatoes
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
Black Beans
Goat Cheese
Spinach
Basil
2 tbsp red onion
1 cup Pinot Noir
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Cayanne Pepper
Sriracha
- In a sauce pan, start cooking your quinoa in the vegetable broth until fluffy. Add black beans, a hand full of chopped spinach, a few tablespoons of goat cheese, a few leaves of basil, salt, pepper and paprika. Taste to adjust seasoning.
- Cut the top of your tomatoes off and take out the middle, set aside. Place the quiona mixture into the tomatoes and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. About 25 minutes in, add a few slices of goat cheese on top to brown.
- While the tomatoes are in the oven, start your sauce. Saute the onion in olive oil with salt and pepper until fragrant. Once the onion is cooked, add the middle of the tomatoes and liquids. Stir and reduce. Add the sriracha and seasonings, taste to adjust. Serve on top of the tomatoes.
I’ve only been here a week and it’s been amazing. Instead of having to leave 2 hours before I have to be at work, I’ve been leaving an hour and still have a lot of time when I get down there. I love having so much more time on my hands again.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Baaaaa
The first time I make a recipe, I try to stick to the ingredients they tell me to because changing ingredients changes the recipe. Well, last night’s dinner was of course like this. I had found a recipe for Penne with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts and Goat Cheese. I wasn’t to sure about the tomatoes, because I had never worked with them before and hadn’t been a huge fan of them in other dishes I had eaten. I put them in anyway, and they ended up being much to sweet for the recipe. If I make this again, it’ll get fresh tomatoes instead.
Penne with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese
(from http://www.jerseygirlcooks.com/2011/04/penne-with-sun-dried-tomatoes.html )
12 ounces penne pasta
1 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) of artichoke hearts(rinsed, drained and chopped)
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
salt and hot pepper to taste
- Cook pasta until Al dente. Drain and keep warm. Reserve one cup of hot pasta water.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat. Saute garlic, sun dried tomatoes and artichokes for about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add goat cheese. Add cooked pasta and reserved water to the pan. Mix well and simmer for a few minutes until pasta is creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.
Ramblings of the Culinary Addicted 