Sweet Potato & Sausage Salad

Do you like sweet potatoes? If so... you'll LOVE this! This dish has become one of my new favorite salads! It's easy. It yields leftovers. It can be served warm or cold. And... it's delicious! Great for summer picnics or barbecues... and sure to be a Paleo-fan favorite! This salad was inspired by a salad they serve in the deli at New Leaf Market. Hope you enjoy!!!

Recipe:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1" cubes)

1 bunch green onions, diced

4 chicken sausages (any flavor)

1/4 C olive oil

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste!

Grill chicken sausages until brown and cooked through. When cool, slice and set aside. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Put in a pot and cover with water (just enough water to cover potatoes). Bring to a boil. Continue to cook sweet potatoes on a LOW boil for about 7-10 minutes. When potatoes are just tender, drain, and rinse with cool water. You do not want to overcook the potatoes! Place in a bowl and cover with olive oil. Add sausages and green onions and gently stir all ingredients using a wood spoon or rubber spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled!

Simple Salmon & Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

Wow, what a weekend! We followed our very own Annie Sakamoto to the Nor-Cal Regionals and she sure gave us reason to cheer! I think I can speak for all when I say how very proud and awe-inspired we all were by her! Annie is one of those rare gems that encompasses the best qualities in an athlete, a competitor, a mother, a trainer, a friend, a wife and a person! A lovely lady who truly deserves this shining moment: 3rd for our Nor-Cal Region!!! We love you, Annie!

Tonight's dinner was delicious! However, it was the side dish that I was most happy with! Sweet potatoes are a mainstay in our diet, and it is always a treat to find new ways to prepare them. This tasty recipe could be enjoyed hot or cold. Hope you enjoy! We loved it!

Recipe:

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 T coconut oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Pinch sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a low boil for about 8-10 minutes (until potatoes are just tender). Drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until tender. Add potatoes back to pan along with chili powder and cilantro. Mix well and season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve and enjoy this pleasant twist to the typical side dish! And... for all you cilantro dislikers (I do know a few)... substitute flat leaf Italian parsley!

Just for fun... here's a shot of (some of the) Annie's FANnies celebrating with Annie at the end of regionals:

Baked Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries

We eat sweet potatoes a lot. Crinkling them is a fun way to change things up a bit! Same ol' sweet potato... snazzy new look! I used my 'crinkle cutter' kitchen gadget on tonight's sweet potatoes to give them a showy & presentable look! They cook quicker this way, and the kids seem to enjoy them more! You can get a crinkle cutter at most kitchen stores for under $10. Works well with other vegetables, too. Just a fun kitchen gadget to have on hand...

Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

2 large sweet potatoes/yams, peeled and crinkled

2 tsp olive oil

spices of choice:

I used approximately 1 tsp of each:

black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

also:

a pinch of sea salt & a pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into thirds or halves (depending on how large the sweet potatoes are). Use your crinkle cutter to measure where to cut! My crinkle cutter yielded about a 3 inch fry. Toss crinkled sweet potatoes in olive oil and spices. Spread over a cookie sheet and cook for about 25 minutes (toss halfway through cooking time). I broiled them for an additional 5 minutes... just to get a little more crispy on the outside.

Serve and enjoy! Tasty AND ascetically appealing! ... a fun addition to any meal. Enjoy!

Pork Meatballs with Mashed Savory Sweet Potatoes

Meatballs are a household favorite, so when meatballs are on the menu the family is pleased! There are so many different ways to cook them, and you really can't go wrong with any variation! I enjoyed tonight's pork version. The cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans gave it a very comforting Fall feeling that paired really well with the savory spices in the sweet potatoes! It was total comfort food at its best and a great way to enjoy these crisp Fall evenings!

Pork Meatball Recipe:

1 lb. ground pork

1 egg

1/2 C applesauce

1/2 C super finely chopped pecans (I used a food processor)

1 T finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

pinch sea salt

2 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Combine pork and all other ingredients, mix well (I love to use my hands for this). Form into about 2 inch balls (which should make roughly 22-24 meatballs). Place in the skillet and brown on all sides. I did this fairly quickly and then placed in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to finish up. While they were baking, I made the sweet potatoes...

Mashed Herbed Sweet Potatoes:

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 T olive oil

3/4 C coconut milk

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion, diced small

1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 T finely chopped fresh mint

1 T grated orange zest

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

pinch sea salt

In a 5 quart pot, boil potatoes for about 10 minutes, until tender. Saute onion and garlic in 1 tsp. olive oil until translucent and tender. Mash potatoes and mix in coconut milk, remaining olive oil, orange zest, salt and pepper (I used an electric mixer to give it a smooth, creamy texture). Fold in sauteed garlic and onion mixture and fresh herbs. Mix well. Serve & enjoy!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Pan Fried Chicken

Sledgehammers? Back squats? 800 meters? Are you hungry yet? I'm not sure if it was today's CrossFit wod or this funky foggy July weather we're having, but I was hungry for a hearty meal tonight. This dinner was just that! ... and managed to satisfy my appetite.

*Bonus: it yielded leftovers. Leftovers=Lunch tomorrow. Yay!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes: (I loved these)

2 good-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1-2 inch chunks

1/2 C shallots (or sweet onion), chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, mince

1/2 C fresh basil, chopped

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 C coconut milk

1 T coconut oil

Bring about 4 qts. water to low boil, and add sweet potatoes. Boil for about 10-13 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Drain and mash. (I used a potato ricer... which is nifty kitchen tool that enables the perfect fluffy smooth texture for mashed potatoes) But, mashing with a fork is just fine, too! Add Coconut milk and mix well. In a separate small pan heat coconut oil an saute shallots and garlic, when they are just about done (about 5 minutes), add basil. Saute for a few more minutes and add to sweet potatoes. Stir well, add a little ground black pepper, and serve with the fried chicken!

Fried Chicken:

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin (I cut mine in half, too)

3/4 C almond meal

3 T dried parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 T oregano

1/4 C fresh basil, chopped

2 T Coconut oil

Heat oil in large skillet. Combine almond meal and spices. Dredge chicken breast in almond meal mixture (really pressing the spices into the chicken). When oil is hot, add chicken breasts to pan. Cook on each side for about 5-7 minutes (until chicken is cooked thoroughly and crispy).

That it! ...Hope you enjoy. :-)