Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

It's time for recipe #2 of my Thanksgiving Recipe Series!

This is a grown folks sweet potato casserole! And there's nothing more that I like than adding my favorite liquor to a Thanksgiving classic. ;)

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 medium sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks with skin
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter or margarine (I used Smart Balance Light)
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup bourbon (Jim Beam!!)
• 1/2- 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large pot, cook the sweet potatoes in boiling water until they're tender. Drain and let them cool before you peel off the skin.

2. Place the peeled sweet potatoes in an oven-safe dish and mash them. Add and mix the mashed sweet potatoes with the brown sugar, butter, orange juice, bourbon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and sprinkle the marshmallows all over the top. Broil just long enough to give the marshmallows a golden color.

Voilá!

Thanksgiving Recipe Series

Hello peoples!! Are you as excited as I am that the most delicious holiday of the year is right around the corner??!! I thought that it would be a good idea to do a Thanksgiving Recipe Series for the next couple of weeks leading up to the BIG day. I know lots of people are scrambling trying to find those crowd-pleaser recipes guaranteed to impress the fam, so I'm gonna try to help you out.

Since 2004 when I moved to DC and my friends and I were forced to make our own Thanksgiving together, I've been trying out all sorts of different recipes, some that I've liked, others that I (and my dinner guests) could've done without. So follow me these next couple of weeks as I share my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, including my mom's bacon-wrapped oven-roasted turkey recipe. Yes, I said BACON-wrapped!

For today, we're going to start off with probably the easiest soup you've ever made. It's Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup. You can serve it as an appetizer or as part of the main course. You can even substitute the sweet potatoes for butternut squash, which I've done on numerous occasions. Best thing about this soup... ZERO fat! Kinda helps make up for the other, not so health-conscious recipes. :)

Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 quart vegetable stock (I used Kitchen Basics Vegetable Stock b/c it's lower in sodium than many other stocks)
• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup sherry wine (if you don't have sherry, just add 1 more cup of veggie stock instead)
• hot sauce, to taste
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the sweet potatoes, red peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, veggie stock, and wine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

2. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the veggies get soft.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and a generous dash of hot sauce (if you like a little kick). Serve warm.

More to come!!! Stay tuned...

It's Flu and Cold Season...

...And I've got just the thing!

After an entire year of being in a hospital around all sorts of illnesses thinking I might get through it without getting sick, ... I got sick. :P It was like a domino effect. One day one of my classmates had it, the next day two did, and so on until I got it. It's all over Miami! This morning I went to CVS and found myself in the cold & flu aisle along with four other people (it's 8 am on a Saturday morning). We all looked at each other like "yep, I feel ya". Whatever this flu/cold/sinus thing is, I've decided I'm going to nip it in the bud today. Which leads me to today's recipe: a shmishmorshen of caribbean veggies made into a delicious and hearty soup.

I give you ajiaco [ah-hee-ah-ko]. It's the kind of food mom used to make when you were young that somehow magically cured all and made you feel better instantly! Traditionally, ajiaco is made with tasajo (cured, dry beef) and pork. For today, I decided to ix-nay both. I made it with yuca (cassava), malanga, boniato, corn on the cob, platanos (plantains), calabaza (West Indian squash), potatoes, and carrots. You can find all of these vegetables at a latin grocery store or in the latin produce section of your supermarket.

*I used a pressure cooker to make the ajiaco. If you have one, great! If not, just use a large pot, it'll just take longer to cook.

Ajiaco (vegetarian)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 10 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Sazón Completa seasoning
• 2 corn cobs, cut into smaller pieces
• 1 malanga, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small yuca, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 yellowish-green platanos, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 boniato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1-2 cups of calabaza, peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots, chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Fill the pressure cooker half way up with water and add the corn cobs, green pepper, onion, garlic, 2 bay leaves, and a few dashes of Sazón Completa . Bring the heat to medium-high, secure the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook for 10-15 minutes. This will give the corn the extra time it needs to cook.

2. Let the pressure out of the pressure cooker and open the top. Add the rest of the vegetables to the broth and add a little more water if the water level is too low. (*Do NOT fill the pressure cooker past the maximum level line) You may also want to add a few more dashes of Sazón Completa to maintain the seasoning level for the added water.

3. Secure the lid back on and cook for another 5 mins. on medium-high heat. Let the pressure out once more, open the top, and check to see that all the veggies have cooked through. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve. Squeeze some lime on top and you'll be feeling great in no time!

Enjoy! :)

Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart

... the more you eat, the more you increase your dietary fiber intake. What? ;) But seriously, this fresh summer recipe is packed full of fiber, protein, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C! Enjoy!

Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:

• 4 tbs white wine vinegar
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• juice of half a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the beans, red pepper, celery, and red onions.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Add the vinaigrette to the bean salad and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour to let all the flavors mingle.

Olives and Capers

If you like olives and capers, you're definitely going to like this one. The recipe is simple, quick, and doesn't require many ingredients. It's also a nice change from your regular spaghetti and tomato sauce.

Spaghetti with Olives and Capers

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I heart garlic, so I used 5 cloves)

1 small dried red chili, crumbled

12 oz tomatoes, fresh or canned, chopped (I like to use grape tomatoes)

2/3 cups pitted black olives

3 tbsp capers, rinsed

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 lb spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pan of water to a boil, and add salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside.
   
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and dried chili, and cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic is just golden.
3. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, and tomato paste. Stir well and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes letting all the flavors seep into the sauce.
4. Pour the spaghetti into the sauce and cook for 1-2 more minutes, turning pasta constantly making sure pasta is well coated.
5. Sprinkle some parsley on top and serve!

(Crispy garlic bread goes great on the side.)

Bon appetit!!