SANDRA'S ANYTIME SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

I microwave the sweet potatoes with 1 TB of water

so as to retain their utmost flavor

versus boiling them in the traditional fashion.

This makes for a phenomenal sweet potato casserole...

Servings: (6)

Par-Cook: 7-10 Mins.

Bake: 30 to 35 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

4 (about 1 lb.) of regular-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons real maple syrup (more or less, to your desired sweetness)

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

--2 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside an 8x8" casserole dish.

Place sweet potatoes in a medium glass bowl with 1 tablespoon water, cover with a large microwaveable plate, and cook in microwave on high for 7 minutes. Stir, recover, and microwave in for 1 minute -- 3 times; for a total of 10 minutes, just until sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Using mitts, as bowl will be hot, remove from microwave (do not drain). Add butter, maple syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg; toss to combine just until butter has melted. Spread evenly into prepared baking dish. Top with miniature marshmallows.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven, until marshmallows are puffy, golden brown and crispy. ~ Enjoy!

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Tip:

If you prefer a fluffy and smooth sweet potato casserole, simply use a hand mixer to beat the mashed sweet potatoes and other ingredients (except marshmallows), then top with marshmallows before baking.

SANDRA’S ANYTIME QUINOA (“Keen-Wa”) PATTIES with POACHED EGGS

I often make these delicious patties

using leftover quinoa,

and this afternoon I decided to

add poached eggs on top.

These are spectacular and wholesome...

Servings: (4)

Prep: 10 Mins.

Cook: 20 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

Patties:

2 large eggs

1/2 whole grain Italian breadcrumbs

1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/3 Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

Poached Eggs:

Water

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Serving options:

--Lettuce leaves

--Dried parsley

--Dabs of sriracha sauce (Asian chili hot sauce)

METHOD

Beat eggs in a medium bowl.  Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine.  Add remaining patty ingredients, except the olive oil. Stir to combine, and form into 4 (3”x1”) patties.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and add the patties.  

Cook for 10 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, until golden brown as well. 

Place patties on a paper towel lined plate, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in another large skillet, bring 1-1/2” depth of water to a gentle simmer, and then reduce heat to medium-low so water is no longer boiling.  Add vinegar to congeal the egg whites more easily.  Working with the eggs one at a time, crack an individual egg into a small ramekin, then place ramekin near the surface and gently slide the egg into the hot water.  Cover skillet, and let poached eggs cook for 4 minutes. Lift poached eggs out of skillet using a slotted spoon.

To serve, place quinoa patties over lettuce leaves on serving plates, top with poached eggs and sprinkle each with a pinch of parsley, including adding a dab of sriracha sauce to each plate. ~ Enjoy!

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Tip: Whole grain quinoa is the most nutritious of all grains and is high in fiber, iron, and 8 essential amino acids.

SANDRA’S ANYTIME MARSHMALLOW-WHIPPED SWEET POTATOES

A very scrumptious

side dish to serve anytime,

not just during holidays anymore...

Serves: 4

Prep:  10 Mins.

Cook/ Bake: 30 Mins. Total

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 3 to 4), peeled, and cut into 1” cubes

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

½ teaspoon fresh orange zest

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Pinch of white pepper

2 cups miniature marshmallows, divided

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 1-quart baking dish, and set aside.

Place the sweet potatoes into a medium sized pot and cover with cold water, cover pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for 15 minutes, just until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced.  Drain, and pour the hot sweet potatoes into a medium bowl; add the orange juice, butter, ginger, sea salt, white pepper, and 1 cup of miniature marshmallows.  Using an electric hand mixer immediately beat the hot mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy. (If you need to further melt the marshmallows, as I do at times, feel free to microwave the mixture on high for 1 minute, then continue mixing until fluffy.)

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining 1 cup of miniature marshmallows over the top of the whipped sweet potatoes.

Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the marshmallows turn a light and crispy golden brown. ~ Enjoy!

This pairs well with my recipe for Whole-Roasted Spicy Beer-Can Chicken (which I made on the outdoor charcoal grill versus in the oven):

Sandra's Whole-Roasted Spicy Beer-Can Chicken

SANDRA’S ‘ANYTIME’ GARDEN OMELET

Oh what cheesy goodness!


This photo is featured 
@ http://lacucinaitaliana.org/paccheri-pesto-gamberi

Servings: (2)
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Cook: 10 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 green onions, finely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 roma tomato, finely diced, divided
5 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of garlic powder
Finely ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons medium shredded cheddar cheese

METHOD

Melt one tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Place half of the onion, all the bell pepper, and half the tomatoes in small skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

While the vegetables are cooking, whisk the eggs in a small bowl with the milk, garlic powder, sea salt and ground pepper, to taste.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet low heat. Add the egg mixture and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the eggs begin to set on the bottom of the pan. Gently lift the edges of the omelet with a spatula to let the uncooked part of the eggs flow toward the edges by swirling the skillet. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes or until the center of the omelet starts set.

Sprinkle the cheese over half side of omelet and spoon the cooked vegetables on top of the cheese section. Using a spatula gently loosen underneath of the omelet, and then fold one edge of omelet over the vegetables. Cover with tin foil and let the omelet cook for another two minutes, until the cheese melts and the omelet is fully set. Slide the omelet out of the skillet onto a cutting board; slice in half and serve on two serving plates by sprinkling remaining uncooked tomatoes and green onions on top as a garnish. – Enjoy!


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Tip: This omelet is wonderful with your favorite salsa, or hot sauce, basically it's great served any time of day.

SANDRA'S ROASTED UNCURED-BEEF BRISKET with ROSEMARY POTATOES

The best ever...
You should try this...

Servings: (6)
Prep: 15 mins.
Cook 4 hrs.
+ 3.5 hrs. for rub & standing time

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

· 4 lb. uncured brisket

**Rub:
· 2 tablespoons flour
· 1 tablespoon chili powder
· 1 teaspoon cumin
· 1 teaspoon oregano
· 1 teaspoon basil
· 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

***Roasting Sauce:
· 2-1/2 cups beef broth (plus more if needed)
· 1 cup tomato juice
· 3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 onion, finely chopped

***Add 30 minutes before brisket is done:
· 2 lbs. ‘baby’ potatoes (or 1” cubed potatoes)
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 tablespoon rosemary

METHOD:

Clean and pat dry the brisket, trimming any excess visible fat and grey film.

Combine flour, chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil and dry mustard in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mix all over brisket, place in a large ziploc bag and refrigerate for 3 hours for flavors to penetrate, take out to return to room temp. for 30 minutes before roasting.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine stock, tomato juice, worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes to reduce and enhance flavors. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When brisket has returned to room temperature, in a dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown the brisket on both sides. Remove dutch oven from heat and add the roasting sauce. Put brisket in the oven and roast, tightly covered at 325 for 4 hours, adding more broth as needed.

30 minutes before brisket is done, toss baby potatoes in oil and rosemary. Remove lid from roasting pan. Add potatoes, scattering them on top of the brisket. Add more broth until you have about 1.5 cups around the sides of the brisket. Continue to roast uncovered for 30 minutes to cook the baby potatoes (if using larger sized potatoes, increase cooking time accordingly). Poke potatoes with a toothpick to ck. tenderness.

Remove from the oven. Take brisket out of the pot and place on serving platter along with all the other ingredients, tent with foil and let brisket rest for 10 minutes. Take any remaining liquid and drippings in the Dutch oven and make gravy, adding more broth if need be. (I usually just add equal amounts of flour and water to jar fitted with a lid and shake it until smooth, then pour into roasting liquid and drippings in dutch oven until desired thickness of gravy is achieved), and pour gravy into serving container.

Slice the brisket against the grain and return to platter with potatoes. Serve it with the gravy, along with hot with rolls and your favorite vegetables. - Enjoy!