Fall Harvest Pasta Salad

Fall Harvest Pasta Salad

adapted from Bonappeteach

This salad is a vibrant, multi-textured dish that celebrates the best of autumn. It features al dente pasta tossed with earthy roasted sweet potatoes and caramelized Brussels sprouts. Crisp apples, toasted pecans, and nutty pepitas provide a satisfying crunch in every bite. Tart dried cranberries add bursts of sweetness that contrast with the savory roasted vegetables. The maple vinaigrette ties the ingredients together with a warm, tangy finish.

Makes 4 servings

4 oz short cut pasta, (such as rotini, fusilli, cavatappi, or penne), cooked according to package directions and cooled.
2/3 cup sweet potato diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 cup shredded Brussels sprouts
1 tsp olive oil, divided
2/3 Granny Smith apple, cubed
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. pepitas

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme dried
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1/2 tsp of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper; Transfer to a baking sheet.
3. Roast sweet potatoes for 7 min to start.
4. Toss the shredded sprouts in the remaining 1/2 tsp of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the shredded sprouts to the partially cooked sweet potato and cook both for an additional 5 minutes; The brussels sprouts should be light charred and cooked.
5. Set the potatoes and Brussel sprouts aside to cool.
6. In a large bowl combine the pasta, cooled sweet potato and brussels sprouts, apple, cranberries, pecans, and pepita seeds; Toss to combine.thymesalt
7. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper.
8. Once the dressing is well mixed, pour HALF over the salad and toss to combine; Reserve the remaining dressing.
9. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge, tossing again before serving. If serving later check the need for additional dressing before serving.

Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

adapted from elisemuseles.com

This salad can be served warm or at room temperature. The balsamic maple vinaigrette provides just a little sweetness to the caramelized root veggies.

Makes 2 servings

2 cups of a mixture of root vegetables, cubed, cut into rounds, or sliced into sticks. (Carrots, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt to taste
3 cups mixed greens
Dried cranberries and pecans for topping, if desired

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp, white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar free maple syrup
1 tsp, Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. fresh herbs, chopped, such as thyme and/or parsley
Sea salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add the prepared veggies and mix in the olive oil, sea salt, and chopped parsley.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown around edges and crispy, turning the vegetables over once halfway through cooking. Remove the trays from the oven and cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together olive oil, vinegar, water, maple syrup, mustard and herbs until well-combined.
5. Place the vegetables in a bowl on a bed of greens; Add some dried cranberries and/or pecans, if using, to the top and drizzle with the dressing.
6. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

adapted from Eating Well

Air fryers are very popular these days. I have a convection setting on my oven which is the same cooking process that is used in an air fryer. I was going to borrow a friend's air fryer to see if it works better than my convention oven when I found this video which did a side by side comparison of an air fryer and convection and found very little difference between the two. I like having the ability to cook larger amounts in my oven as opposed to the smaller portion in the air fryer.

Makes 2 servings                                                            2 WW pp / serving
1/2  tsp.  Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 oz. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch sticks

1. Preheat your convection oven or air-fryer to 400F.
2. Lightly coat an rack placed in a baking sheet or air-fryer basket with cooking spray.
3. Lightly coat the potatoes with cooking spray.
4. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon 
5. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the potatoes; toss to coat completely.
6. Place the potatoes in a single layer in the prepared basket or on the rack.
7. Cook until browned and crispy, about 14 minutes, flipping halfway through. 
8. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Boxty

Boxty

Bon Appetit May 1996

Being of Irish heritage, I like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with traditional foods. I wanted to make something a little more WW™ friendly than the corned beef and cabbage or lamb stew that I usually make.

Boxty uses a few readily available ingredients to produce different results - bread, pancakes or dumplings. 

I set out to make a nontraditional boxty by using cauliflower-potato mash in place of mashed potatoes but it got even more non-traditional when I realized I was out of russet potatoes so I substituted some sweet potato.

Makes 2 servings                                                                4 WW pp / serving

1/2 cup Cauliflower-Potato Mash
3/4 cup grated peeled sweet potato
6 Tbsp. cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. skim milk + more as needed
Cooking spray

1. Mix the cauliflower-potato mash, grated potato, flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually mix in enough milk to form the texture of firm mashed potatoes.
2. With damp hands, form the potato mixture into 4 pancakes.
3. In a skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the pancakes for 3 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Blackened Shrimp with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Andouille Sauce

Blackened Shrimp with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Andouille Sauce

adapted from  Food Network

You can adjust the heat of this dish by increasing or decreasing the blackening spice.

Makes 3 servings                                                  5 WW blue points / serving

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3/4 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 Tbsp. Parkay Vegetable Oil Spray

Pinch of cinnamon

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Andouille Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. minced shallots

2 Tbsp. minced celery

1/4 cup white wine

2 oz. Lidl andouille chicken sausages, chopped

1 fresh thyme sprig

1/2 c. evaporated fat free milk

1 tsp. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning or your favorite

Cooking spray

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

24 extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Our Favorite Blackening Seasoning or you preferred

Cooking spray

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the potatoes until for tender. Drain and put through a ricer or mash.
2. Add the oil spray, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Keep warm.
3. Meanwhile make the andouille by cooking the garlic and shallots in a small pan coated in cooking spray.
4. Add the wine, sausage and thyme. Cook for about a minute or until reduced in half.
5. Add the evaporated milk and reduce inn half again then add the Cajun seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Keep warm and remove the thyme sprig before serving.
7. For the shrimp, dredge the shrimp in the blackening seasoning and cook in a sauté pan coated in cooking spray until cooked through. Be careful not to burn the spice mix or it will be bitter.
8. Serve the shrimp with the potatoes and topped with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Hash with Duck Eggs

Vegetable Hash with Duck Eggs

Shishito peppers are unique in that 9/10 are mild and that other 10% are slightly spicier, more than a bell pepper but less than a jalapeno.

Makes 4 servings                                                      1 WW Blue point / serving

4 oz. purple sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices

4 stalks rainbow chard, stems chopped, leaves torn

2 cups spinach, leaves torn

Cooking spray

1 small onion, chopped

6 Shishito peppers or baby bell peppers, sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

4 duck or extra large chicken eggs

Smoked sea salt or kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the potato until fork tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, to a bowl and set aside.
2. Put the chard stems into the same pot of water, cook 5 minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the potatoes.
3. Add the chard leaves and spinach to the same pot. Blanch for 1-2 minutes. Strain and wring dry in a kitchen towel.
4. Sauté the onion, peppers and mushrooms in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Return the potato mixture and the blanched greens to the skillet and cook until heated through.
6. Reduce the heat to low and cover to keep warm.
7. In a medium skillet, fry the duck eggs to desired doneness.
8. To serve divide the hash among 4 bowls and top each with an egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad with Green Beans, Potatoes and Peppers

Chicken Salad with Green Beans, Potatoes and Peppers

adapted from Real Simple July 2009

This is an extremely simple salad that can be made from all leftovers if you have some potatoes available. I loved the appearance of the salad when it was plated in a deconstructed manner rather than tossed.

I also added some pickled asparagus, pickled okra, giardiniera and pepperoncini.

Makes 2 servings                                            1 WW Blue point / serving

1 small purple sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch rounds (1/4 cup)
4 oz. green beans
1 cooked chicken breast or equivalent of leftover chicken, shredded
3 large romaine lettuce leaves, torn
1/3 bell pepper, sliced

Favorite salad dressing

Any other salad topping you would like to use.

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potato slices and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and move to an ice bath.
2. Place the green beans in a steamer basket.
3. Bring a couple of inches of water to a boil. Place the steamer basket in the pot cover and steam for about 5 minutes, until tender crisp. Move to the ice bath.
4. Divide the chicken, romaine, bell pepper, potatoes, and beans among bowls.
5. Serve with your favorite salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Personal Meat Loaves, Sweet Potatoes with Maple Molasses Butter and Bok Choy & Cabbage Stir Fry

I can't say a stir fry with meatloaf would be my first choice but it tasted great and cleaned out the vegetable drawer. My bok choy and napa cabbage was rather limp. After letting them sit in an ice bath for about 20 minutes, they crisped right up.

Personal Meat Loaves 

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp chicken stock 

1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 lb ground beef (preferably 81 percent lean)
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs 

1 large egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper in the olive oil for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent but not brown. Remove from the heat and add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly. You don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense and tough. Divide the mixture into 3 portions and shape each portion into a small loaf. Place on a sheet pan lied with foil. 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the meat loaves are cooked through. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees F. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger Molasses Butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature

3 Tbsp (packed) light brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Very small pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger
3 sweet potatoes, rinsed, patted dry
Mix the butter, brown sugar, molasses, ginger. cinnamon and cloves together. Stir in crystallized ginger. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Cover and chill. Bring ginger-molasses butter to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes several places with fork; bake until tender when pierced with fork, about 50 minutes.
Split each potato in half and top with ginger-molasses butter to serve.
Stir Fried Bok Choy and Cabbage 

1/2 lb bok choy, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 lb Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp Asian sesame oil
Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. Saute the garlic for 10 seconds. Add cabbage and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Serve drizzled with sesame oil.