Baby Kale Saute

Baby Kale Saute

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 0.6 ounce)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 2.2 ounces)
1-1/2 pounds baby kale

3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar

Heat a 12-inch deep skillet or large dutch oven over medium-high heat (8.0 on induction cook top). When skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl around bottom of pan. Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and cook until garlic and shallots are beginning to brown. 

Taylor Farms brand 1.5-pound package Organic Baby Kale can be purchase at Costco.

Working in batches, add several handfuls of baby kale to the pan at a time. Using 2 spoons, toss the kale to mix with the garlic and shallots. As kale begins to wilt down, add more handfuls of baby kale to the pan.

Continue to cook and toss with 2 spoons and adding more baby kale to the pan as each batch wilts down. When all the kale is added to pan, add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until kale wilts down completely, adding more olive oil, if needed. If pan still seems dry, add just a splash of water. When kale is cooked, toss in vinegar and remove from heat.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Roasted Broccolini

Roasted Broccolini

Broccolini is a hybrid between broccoli and Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan). I first tasted broccolini when Earthbound Farm came out with "Broccolette." I purchased a 2-pound bag of "Broccolette" at Costco for $5.99 (now $4.99), where it is the most reasonably priced. I roasted the broccolini in the oven the same way I roast broccoli, only at a slightly lower temperature. Since then, it's been my favorite roasted vegetable. I prefer broccolini over broccoli. There is no trimming/peeling necessary in broccolini. I only trim away very little of the stalk ends because it looks dry (but that is not necessary). Just wash, dry, and cook. Broccolini is very versatile to cook with. You can boil, steam, saute, grill and roast broccolini, which roasting is my favorite way to prepare broccolini. Each stalk has a broccoli floret and a few long leaves. Some stalks will be thicker than others, so I vertically cut the thicker stalks in half for even cooking. It's that simple. Broccolini is very nutritious: high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium, iron and fiber.

1 pound broccolini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Trim very little of each stalk ends if it looks dry and ugly. Cut thicker stalks in half, vertically, for even roasting. Plunge broccolini in a very large bowl of cold water to wash well. Drain well and towel dry. In a very large bowl, toss broccolini with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place broccolini in one even layer on a shallow-rim baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. I like to roast mine for exactly 22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly in the pan. Transfer to a serving dish and ready to eat.

Yield 2 to 4 servings

Spicy Shredded Cabbage MuChim

Spicy Shredded Cabbage MuChim

Here is another favorite Korean side dish recipe adapted from www.aeriskitchen.com. I am addicted to this cabbage side dish. It has a nice balance of spicy, salty, tangy, and a touch of sweetness all in one. It is delicious eaten as a side dish alongside with rice, meats, seafood, and/or other vegetable side dishes. I'm satisfied just eating this with rice all by itself. It doesn't keep too long in the refrigerator, so you do want to consume it within a few days. I had mine for about three days and it was still delicious on the third day.

Half of a medium-size green cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced to fine shreds (1 pound, 453g)
2 thick stalks green onions, finely chopped (40g)
3 tablespoons Korean coarse red pepper powder (17g)**
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (21g)
1-1/2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds (9g)**
1 tablespoon sesame oil (9g)**
1 tablespoon organic brown rice syrup (14g) or agave nectar
1 large garlic clove, finely minced (6g)
1 teaspoon salt (5g)

**These items can be purchased at a Korean market or any Asian stores that carries Korean products.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage and green onions. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine the red pepper powder, vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, brown rice syrup, garlic and salt. Stir the sauce with a spoon until thoroughly blended.

Add the red pepper powder sauce to the cabbage. Wearing a disposal vinyl glove, toss the cabbage and sauce until cabbage is thoroughly coated with the sauce.

Salad can be eaten right away or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

To serve, transfer desired amount to serving dish. Sprinkle with roasted black sesame and white sesame seeds for garnish. Eaten as a side dish alongside with any meat or seafood dishes and, of course, BROWN RICE.

Yield about 6 cups

Sauteed Greens with Tomatoes and Garlic

Sauteed Greens with Tomatoes and Garlic

One 16-ounce package Trader Joe's brand Southern Greens Blend OR 16 ounces of your own blend of mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, and/or kale, large tough stems already discarded, washed well and cut up into bite-size pieces
8 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced vertically in half
2 large garlic cloves, minced (0.6 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Heat a 12-inch deep skillet (will need a cover for later on) over medium-high heat (7.0 for induction cook top) until hot, but not smoking. When skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom. Add all the southern greens to the pan.

 

 

Cover with the lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes. Greens will also cook down significantly. If pan becomes dry, add more olive oil as needed.

 

When 6 minutes of cooking is done, uncover pan and add the tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, uncover, stirring frequently for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

Appliance Recommendation: Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone. I replaced my old rectangular heavy, grease-stained baking stone with Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone. I highly recommend this pizza stone. I have already used it several times and I am very satisfied. It's lightweight, easy to use and easy to clean. My pizza bakes up more crispier than my old baking stone. You preheat the stone the same way you would preheat a regular baking stone. You do not need to treat, grease or spray the stone before sliding your pizza on the stone. The pizza stone has handles making it easy to remove the hot stone from the oven with the baked pizza on top and using the stone as a serving platter. You can actually cut your pizza directly on the stone and it will not scratch the smooth "micro-crazed" finish. However, I still prefer to cut my pizza on a wooden peel because the pizza tends to slide around the smooth glazed finish while cutting. After I'm done cutting the pizza, I slide the pizza back onto the hot stone to keep the pizza hot. For the cleanup, I soak my stone in hot soapy water to loosen any hard baked-on foods. I have even used a scouring pad and Bar Keepers Cleanser to get stubborn stains off and it looks brand new again, although, it is dishwasher safe. This pizza stone costs $49.99 and is well worth the investment.

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

1 pound refrigerated fresh whole wheat pizza dough (i.e., Safeway brand White Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough)

2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms, about 1/4-inch thick slices (5.0 ounces)

1 cup sliced zucchini, about 1/4-inch thick slices (8.0 ounces)

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices (5.5 ounces)

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices on the grain (4.5 ounces)

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 large garlic cloves, minced (0.3 ounce)

1/2 cup tomato puree (4.5 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon pesto sauce (0.2 ounce)

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

Whole wheat pastry flour for dusting

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (2.8 ounces)

2 tablespoon small fresh basil leaves (optional)

Remove pizza dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes before using.

Position two oven racks: first rack on the center position of the oven and the seond rack on bottom third oposition f the oven. Place baking stone on the bottom third oven rack. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Roasting the vegetables: In a very large mixing bowl, combine the mushroom, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, Herbes de Provence, 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss vegetables until thoroughly combined and transfer to a shallow rimmed baking pan in a single layer. Place in the oven on the center oven rack and bake for 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and toss in the minced garlic. Set aside. (Vegetables can be roasted a day in advance, cool and refrigerated until needed.)

Immediately lower oven temperature to 450 degrees. Transfer baking stone to the center oven rack.

Pizza sauce: In a small bowl, combine the tomato puree, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper and the pesto sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.

Assembling the pizza: Have ready a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal. Set aside.

Generously dust a large wooden board with the whole wheat pastry flour. Unwrap the pizza dough and lay on the wooden board. Dust all sides of dough with the flour and flatten one side of  the dough with your finger tips into a flat disk. Turn dough over and gently slide around to get more flour on the underside of dough. Flatten the second side of dough with your finger tips into a slightly larger disk. With a floured rolling pin, gently roll out pizza dough a few times just to flatten pizza dough more. Pick up dough and stretch the dough by holding the dough by the edge and stretch, turn, stretch, turn until you reach full circle. Place the dough on the knuckles of both hands (fingers turn in and don't forget to remove your jewelry). Stretch the dough by pulling your knuckles of both hands apart; then turn the dough, either right or left to rotate the dough, stretch and turn, stretch and turn until you reach full circle. It is also easier to stretch when the dough is slightly angled vertically than horizontally so that the weight of the dough can help with the stretching. Repeat the knuckle stretching until you get about 13 inches in diameter. For better clarification of stretching the pizza dough, you can watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72oe_j-0gwE

Place pizza dough on the pizza peel dusted with corn meal. Shake the pizza peel to make sure pizza dough is not sticking to the peel. Constantly shake the pizza every now and then to make sure the pizza will not stick to the peel (Shake). Make a little dam around the edges of the dough to prevent any oil/liquid dripping off the edge of the pizza. (Shake) Brush 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the pizza dough. Spread the pizza sauce on the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border. S(hake) Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese (2 ounces) on top of the sauce. Spread the roasted vegetables evenly on top of the cheese. (Shake) Sprinkle the vegetables with crushed red pepper and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese (2 ounces) on top. (Shake) Dollop with ricotta cheese. (Shake) Slide the pizza onto preheated pizza stone. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown, rotating pizza to halfway of baking time. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil leaves, if desired. Slice pizza into 8 wedges and serve.

Yields 4 servings

Roasted Carrots with Thyme and Honey

Roasted Carrots with Thyme and Honey
Adapted from Pastor Ryan and Pioneer Woman

Ree Drummond from http://thepioneerwoman.com first posted this recipe on her food blog November 2009. She pinky swears that you will always crave for carrots cooked this way from now on and she is right! Up until now. roasting carrots is my favorite way to eat carrots. Prepping and roasting carrots in one baking pan couldn't be easier and cleanup is not much at all. The oven is doing most of the work so it's easy to multi-task in the kitchen. One thing I do differently is that I drizzle some honey at the end of roasting just to give it a touch of sweetness which gives good balance of sweet and savory to the carrots. Here is the recipe:

12 whole medium-thickness carrots, peeled (about 4 pounds at purchase)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme (0.2 ounce)
OR 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup olive oil (1.7 ounces)
2-1/4 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position the oven rack to the center of the oven.

Cut each carrot in half, lengthwise, and transfer to a shallow baking sheet. Drizzle carrots with olive oil and toss to coat evenly.

Sprinkle the thyme, salt and pepper over carrots and give another toss to coat evenly. Arrange the carrots in one layer on the baking sheet.

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes. The carrots should be tender and wrinkly.

Drizzle some honey over carrots for a touch of sweetness. Transfer carrots to a serving platter.

 

Note: There are times when I buy carrots in a 10-pound bag at Costco. When you buy carrots in bulk, you will find that the carrot are not uniform in size. I had carrots that were thicker on the root end and pencil thin half way towards the tip. To make the carrots more uniform in size during roasting is to cut the carrots in half, horizontally. I leave the pencil thin end whole and cut the thicker root end in half, vertically. Some carrots are so thin that I don't bother to cut them in half, vertically at all. I decrease the roasting time to 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness, and the carrots turns out perfect.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

I remember when I first watched Ina Garten roast Brussels sprouts on her show, Barefoot Contessa, aired on the Food Network in 1999. Since then, this have been my favorite way to enjoy Brussels sprouts. I like to roast a large batch of these Brussels sprouts so I can refrigerate the leftovers and snack on these straight from the fridge. I acutally crave for these.

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer bad leaves discarded
3 tablespoons olive oil (1.2 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Place Brussels sprouts in a very large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and ground black pepper. Transfer to a shallow baking sheet in one layer. Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the roasting pan halfway of baking time to brown the Brussels sprouts evenly. When done, transfer the Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl.

Yield 6 servings

Roasted Vegetable Whole-Wheat Pasta with Herbes de Provence

Roasted Vegetable Whole-Wheat Pasta with Herbes de Provence

Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice (Reeni)

 

  

I was in search for a vegetarian pasta recipe when I came across this recipe. I love roasted fennel and Herbes de Provence so this will be the recipe I'll make this week. The recipe calls for grape tomatoes which I substituted with large round cherry tomatoes since they were on sale and halved them. I realize after roasting the vegetables that I should of left the tomatoes whole. I was surprised there was not any garlic in Reeni's recipe so I added in some minced garlic. The recipe also calls for two tablespoons of Herbes de Provence. Herbes de Provence is a strong blend of herbs so I was hesitant to add that much Herbes de Provence, but I followed the recipe and it worked out perfectly. Pasta dish was full of flavor and the roasted fennel and fronds along with the tomatoes, zucchini, onions and the Herbes de Provence roasted up perfectly. The aroma in the kitchen was so fragrant as the vegetables were roasting in the oven. I immediately knew this was going to be delish...and it is! This recipe is very easy to put together. Just cut up the veggies, toss with oil, herbs, salt and pepper and in the oven to be roasted. Cook the pasta and toss everything together with more olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Very simple, healthy and delicious! Tastes even better the next day.

My photo doesn't look as sharp and colorful as Reeni's photo, but trust me, it is delicious pasta dish. Here is Reeni's recipe: Roasted Fennel, Zucchini and Tomato Pasta with Herbs de Provence. My version of the recipe follows:

Roasted Vegetable Whole-Wheat Pasta with

Herbes de Provence

2 fennel bulbs, cut in half lengthwise, core removed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (about 13.8 ounces)

1 large red onion, cut in half lengthwise and slice on the grain into 1/4-inch slices (about 10.9 to 13.4 ounces)
1-1/2 pounds zucchini, unpeeled. cut in half lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch, half-moon slices

One 12-ounce frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

One 6-ounce can medium black olives, drained and rinsed

6 cloves garlic, finely minced (0.8 ounce)
1/2 cup snipped fennel fronds (0.3 ounce)

2 pounds large grape tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes, whole

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (3.4 ounces) plus a separate 1/4 cup (1.7 ounces)

3 tablespoons Herbes de Provence, crushed

2 teaspoons salt plus a separate 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound whole-wheat fusilli pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Position two oven racks in the lower third and upper third of the oven. Set aside two sheet pans.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the fennel, onions, zucchini, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic and fennel fronds. Toss in 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and ground black pepper until thoroughly combined. Divide vegetables into two sheet pans. Roast in oven for 35 minutes, rotating pans half way of baking time.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente (about 11 to 13 minutes). Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Set aside until vegetables are done roasting.

When vegetables are done roasting, transfer all the vegetables to the pasta. Add the 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Give pasta good toss and ready to serve. Top with more grated Parmesan cheese.

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Kabocha Squash Curry with Lentils and Spinach

I am craving for more Kabocha squash, but today I am feeling lazy to do any heavy duty cooking. It's mostly about Trader Joe's today. I'm doing a quick cook using most of the ingredients purchased from Trader Joe's. Kabocha squash is a Japanese pumpkin. This squash is cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. The skin is edible so you don't have to peel it. Kabocha squash is rich in beta carotene with iron, Vitamin C and potassium. Trader Joe's does not carry Kabocha squash. You can purchase Kabocha squash from an Asian market. A few supermarkets do carry this squash, but it is more affordable purchased from an Asian market. 

One 3-1/4- to 4-1/4-pound (purchased weight) Kabocha squash
Two 15-ounce jars Trader Joe's brand Curry Simmer Sauce
2 cups water (16 ounces)
One 17.6-ounce package Trader Joe's brand Steamed Lentils
One 10-ounce package Trader Joe's Organic Lacinato Kale OR 1 bunch lacinato kale, tough stems removed, washed well and spin-dried, then sliced into thick strips (about 6.2 ounces) OR One 12-ounce package Trader Joe's Baby Spinach
3/4 cup Kitchen Thai brand coconut milk (6 ounces)
One 10.5 package Trader Joe's Indian Fare Punjab Choley
1 teaspoon salt
Cilantro for garnish

Scrub the Kabocha squash well under running water and dry with a paper towel. Cut squash in half and discard the seeds and membranes. Cut the Kabocha squash into 1-1/4-inch-size chunks. You will now have approximately 2:14.6 to 3:8.6 pounds of squash. Set aside.

In a 6-quart stock pot, combine the curry simmer sauce and water. When sauce comes to a boil, add the Kabocha squash and lentils. When mixture returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually reduce heat from medium to medium-low heat if mixture is bubbling profusely. Add the kale or spinach and continue to cook, covered, for additional 3 minutes (5 minutes for kale), stirring occasionally. Stir in the coconut milk, Punjab Choley and salt. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken more as it cools. Garnish with some fresh cilantro and serve with brown rice.

Yields 8 to 10 servings

Baked Tofu

Baked Tofu

Here is an ingenious kitchen tool which I cannot stop talking about. It's a tofu press which I think is a great handy kitchen tool to have. I purchased my tofu press from Amazon.com. What I love about this tofu press is that it easily presses out all the water from the tofu without wasting a lot of paper towel and finding heavy plates/objects to balance on top of your tofu to press out the water. The tofu press is one gadget I am so glad I had purchased. You can learn more about the tofu press from the maker of this press: TofuXpress.com. I bake a lot of tofu, so I really love this gadget.

There are various ways to bake tofu, but I like my tofu very simple and plain where the tofu is versatile in any grain salads, pasta or rice dishes. You can purchase baked tofu in most supermarket or health food stores, but baked tofu are a pit pricey. Baking your own tofu tastes better and has a better texture, besides being inexpensive to making your own. Well...the tofu press may be a bit pricey, but well worth the investment. Here's how the tofu press works:
.

The tofu press consists of a container (to contain the tofu) and a top (presses down on the tofu). The top consists of 3 parts which easily comes apart.

Remove the tofu from its packaging (I purchase a 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu and it fits perfectly into the tofu press). Then place the tofu into the container. After attaching the top to the container, you can see immediately that the water is starting to press out of the tofu. I usually let this sit overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, you can see a lot of water pressed out of the tofu. Pour out all the water into the sink and your tofu is now ready for cooking.

Here is a basic recipe for baked tofu. I like to cut my tofu into cubes and then toss with a tablespoon of olive oil (or Garlic-Infused Olive Oil) and some salt to taste.

Bake in the center of a preheated 400-degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turn each cube over and bake for additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. I can eat the tofu just baked this way as a snack and other times I like to toss them with Maangchi's seasoned sauce (yangnyeomjang) which is great eaten with rice or soba noodles.

What is your favorite way to bake tofu?

Maple Sweet Potato Puree

Maple Sweet Potato Puree

This is a very simple sweet potato recipe which I love to make year round or as long as Garnet sweet potatoes are available. Using 100% pure maple syrup instead of brown sugar makes the puree less sweet with a robust maple flavor. Do not substitute maple syrup for the imitation pancake syrup. They are not the same. I normally make a very large quantity of this recipe so that I can eat this as my lunch. I can just eat this all on its own and be satisfied. Sweet potatoes are the healthiest vegetable on the planet. Sweet potatoes are great complex carbohydrates loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, iron, potassium and fiber. They are also fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low sodium.

Garnet sweet potatoes are my favorite variety of the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes because it's more starchier, moist and flavorful compared to the Beauregard and Jewel varieties. Peak season for the Garnet variety is September to March. According to the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, Garnet "yams" as labeled in the supermarkets, are really sweet potatoes. North Carolina is the largest producers of sweet potatoes in the U.S., while China is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the world.

5 pounds Garnet sweet potatoes
1/4 cup unsweetened fresh coconut milk or 2% reduced fat milk (2.0 ounces)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 ounces)
2 teaspoons organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses or any grade of your choice (0.3 ounce) (Optional)
1/2 cup 100% pure Grade A, dark amber maple syrup (5.2 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to center of the oven.

Scrub sweet potatoes clean under cold water and damp dry. Cut off pointy ends of each sweet potato (if you cut off the pointy ends, you don't need to prick the sweet potatoes). Wrap each sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and place on a sheet pan. Bake for about 1 to 1-3/4 hours, depending on the size, until knife tender when inserted into center of the sweet potato (start checking after 1 hour). Remove from oven and let sweet potatoes cool until cool enough to handle. Peel and discard the skin and cut into large chunks into the bowl of a food processor.

In a microwavable measuring cup or small bowl, heat the milk in the microwave for about 25 seconds on high power. Stir in the molasses, butter and maple syrup until blended. 

Add the milk/molasses/syrup mixture and salt to the sweet potatoes. Process until thoroughly combined and smooth. Transfer to a serving dish.

Yields 10 to 12 servings

Roasted Broccoli

Roasted Broccoli

This is my favorite way to enjoy broccoli. I used to steam my broccoli, but ever since I roasted broccoli in the oven, this is the only way I cook my broccoli from now on.

2-3 broccoli crowns or 1 large bunch broccoli, separated into florets with the stems attached (about 1-1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

In a very large mixing bowl, toss the broccoli florets with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the broccoli onto a shallow-rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes or until the edges are crispy and browned and stems are crisp tender. Toss with lemon juice, if desired.

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Quick Tahini Salad with Homemade Pita Chips

Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Chips

One package Trader Joe's Brand whole wheat pita bread (6 pita breads)
Garlic-infused olive oil
Fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position oven rack to the center position.

Working with one pita bread at a time, lay the pita bread on a cutting board. Brush the first side with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil (regular EVOO will work fine). Sprinkle with a pinch of fine sea salt. Turn pita bread over. Brush the second side with another 1/4 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of fine sea salt. Cut pita bread into 8 wedges. Repeat the same for the remainder five pita breads. Place as many pita bread wedges on an ungreased shallow-rimmed baking sheet pan in one layer, leaving some spaces between wedges. Bake for 15 minutes, until brown and crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat baking with the remainder pita bread wedges. Store cooled pita chips in an airtight container for several weeks.


Tahini Salad

This is an easy and quick method to make a Middle Eastern style tomato and cucumber salad with Tahini Sauce. Tahini sauce is made from ground sesame seeds (tahini or sesame butter), garlic, lemon juice, water and salt. Tahini sauce is the sauce traditionally served with falafels and used as a dressing in falafel and schwarma wraps. Trader Joe's makes a great Tahini Sauce. Tahini sauce can easily be made from scratch, but if you don't have time to make your own, you can purchase it at Trader Joe's. This tahini salad is creamy, refreshing. delicious and healthy. With the addition of pita chips, it gives the salad a nice crunch.

One-half of an English cucumber, unpeeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 8 ounces)
1 Roma tomato, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 4 ounces)
4 tablespoons Trader Joe's brand Tahini Sauce (2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 pita chips, crumbled into bite-size pieces

Combined the cucumber and tomatoes in a medium-size bowl. Add the tahini sauce and sea salt. Toss together until combined. Add the crumbled pita chips and toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl and ready to eat.