Cinnamon-Crunch Sweet Potato Muffins

Fall is officially here, and it's officially become my favorite season!  As a child I dreaded September since it meant back to school and back to reality from summer vacation.  As a young adult I've finally come to appreciate the cooler weather, the changing color of the leaves, and all the delicious seasonal food that goes along with it!  One of those seasonal vegetables that I love fall for is the sweet potato.  Known also as a yam or squash, sweet potatoes are delicious and actually very nutritious for you!  Here is a great recipe for some fall themed muffins to brighten anyone's gloomy morning:

Muffins:

2 sweet potatoes or yams.  I used pre cut and peeled from Wegmans, 1 container had 14 oz.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 canola oil

1/2 cup milk

zest of 1 orange

For the topping:

Mix 5 Tbsp. sugar and 2.5 tsps. cinnamon in a bowl. set aside.

To make the muffins:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cook sweet potatoes.  Add to boiling water and let boil for 15 minutes.  Remove and drain well.  Put sweet potatoes in food processor and blend until fluffy. Let cool.

In one bowl mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt).

In a seperate bowl combine eggs, sugar, oil, milk and orange zest and whisk together.  Add the mashed sweet potatoes and whisk until completely blended.  Slowly add the flour mixture in with a spatula until all of it has been moistended; do not over mix!  

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full.  Sprinkle all the muffins with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for about 25 minutes, and let them cool before serving.  Makes about 16 muffins.

These were a hit when I served them and I think the sweet potato was very unexpected in a muffin!  Enjoy these with a tall glass of milk or some apple cider to round out a great fall snack!

Caribbean Cuisine Dinner Party

Last weekend we hosted our monthly dinner party at our house, and decided to honor the warm weather and fabulous summer season with a "Caribbean Cuisine" theme.  This prompted some questions and worry; "what is Caribbean cuisine?", "how did you think of this?", "what in the world should I bring?", but we were confident it would bring out the creative side of everyone joining us that evening.  And true to form, everyone pulled through and brought fantastic dishes to accompany the main course I made.  But we'll get to the food in just a moment.

First, I'd like to focus on the setting and decor.  It's really been a fantastic summer in Rochester, with hot days and cool breezy nights, and best of all, little to no rain!  So, I prayed the weather would continue to bless us and planned on eating outside.  In my opinion, there really is no better alternative to being 'al fresco'.  We have a small table outside that seats four on our not-so-big patio, and we were having about 10 people over. We decided to bring our similarly sized kitchen table out, and put it together with the patio table.  Thankfully, they were comparable in high and created the perfect long table for 10 of us!  We covered them with a colorful tablecloth, brought the kitchen chairs outside, and our table was all set.  Next, we worried about lighting as the sun went down.  We unfortunately don't have many lights out in the back yard, so we set up 6 tiki torches along the perimeter of the yard.  These served several functions, such as decor and atmosphere, light, and bug repellents! (They were filled with bug repellent tiki torch liquid).  We also set up some table candles to light as it got dark, and had wood for our chiminea on hand as well.  All of these decor elements, along with some freshly picked flowers from the Farmer's Market that morning lent to a great ambience.


Now, I planned to make the main course and dessert.  The menu would be mahi-mahi with coconut rice and mango salsa.  Now, when I went food shopping for fish, mahi-mahi didn't seem to be avaialble in Rochester (I wonder why!), but I settled on a mild flavored white fish called whiting.  This worked out perfectly! I would also recommend any other white fish for making this recipe.  The key to making this dish however, is marinating the fish for a few hours in the fridge before cooking.  The ingredients I used were:


10 mahi mahi fillets
6 tablespoons olive oil
5 teaspoons soy sauce
6 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
6 tablespoons chopped green onion
fresh seal salt to taste


I combined all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisked together.  I then put the whiting filets in a large ziplock bag, added the marinade, and shook up a bit to ensure all pieces were covered in the marinade.  I then let them chill in the fridge until I was ready to bake them.


When ready to cook, it's very simple.  I sprayed some baking pans with cooking spray so they wouldn't stick, and preheated my oven on the broiler setting of high.  Place in oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, with the rack up high so they turn a nice golden color.  Flip halfway through to ensure they are evenly cooked.


The mango salsa is also very easy to make.  The hardest part is cleaning and cubing the mango.  I did this ahead of time and stored the mango cubes in the fridge so I could quickly make the salsa without taking time away from my guests.  Ingredients needed are:


5 teaspoons butter
5 tablespoons white sugar
2-3 mangos, cubed


To make this salsa, melt the butter in a pan and add sugar.  When this mixture begins to bubble, add mango cubes, and cook for about 5 minutes.  Mango should be tender.  


The coconut rice is also easy to make and was a huge hit with my guests.  I recommend starting this before you put the fish in the oven.  The ingredients you need are:

 6 cups uncooked jasmine rice
 6 cups water
 3 tablespoons butter
 2 (16 ounce) cans coconut milk
 6 tablespoons white sugar


Bring the water and butter to a boil, and add rice.  Reduce heat to medium low and let rice absorb the water, about 20 minutes.  Once most of liquid has been absorbed, add the coconut milk and sugar, and let simmer about 10 minutes more until all the liquid has been absorbed.

To serve, I spooned some coconut rice on a dish, put filet of whiting on top, and spooned mango salsa on top of fish.


We had some fantastic dishes to accompany the main course.  For appetizers, friends brought fried plantains with dipping sauce, Jamaican-jerk spiced shrimp with mango salsa, and a modern take on ceviche.  We also got some littleneck clams and served them on the half-shell with fresh squeezed lemon.  For drinks, we had an assortment of wines brought by friends, and we served one of my favorite whites, Toasted Head Chardonnay.  I also made a juice cocktail of orange, mango, and pineapple juice, and had Malibu Rum on hand for mixing.  The cocktail was definitely a success, since the rum bottle was practically empty at the end of the night!

For dessert, we had a light and refreshing mango lime mousse with raspberry coulis and flaked coconut.  The ingredients needed are:


4 mangoes
4 tsp. unflavored gelatin
12 Tbs. fresh lime juice
6 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 1/2 cup chilled fat-free evaporated skimmed milk
6 Tbs. flaked coconut

Place a bowl in the freezer to chill. Peel the mangoes and cut the
flesh from the pits.  In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the lime juice and let
stand for 5 minutes. Place over low heat and stir until the gelatin
dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.  In a food processor or blender, combine the mangoes, gelatin mixture, sugar and coconut extract and process until smooth. Pour the mango
puree into a large bowl.  Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer and pour the evaporated milk
into it. Using a whisk, beat until thick and foamy, about 5 minutes.  Fold the evaporated milk into the mango puree just until no white streaks remain.

Divide the mousse among serving bowls.  I decided to serve it in margarita and martini glasses, and I was able to fill 9 of the. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 6 hours.  Before you are ready to serve, preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread the coconut in a small pan and toast in the oven until golden, about 5
minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.


To make the raspberry coulis, you will need:

4 cups raspberries
3 tsp. superfine sugar
2 Tbs. framboise (raspberry liqueur) or Grand Marnier
3/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice


To make the raspberry coulis, in a food processor, combine the raspberries, sugar and framboise and pulse until smooth. Pass the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl and stir in 1/4 tsp. of the lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice,if needed. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, up to overnight.  To serve, I put some raspberry coulis on the mousse and sprinkled with coconut.

All in all, this dinner party was a great success! These recipes were easy to make ahead of time (such as the dessert which I made the day before) or to prepare early so that cooking time was minimal the day of the event.   I recommend splitting these recipes in 2, since I cooked for such a large party.  This way you can enjoy your meal for about 4 people and have some left overs. I hope you enjoy, and try to make these dishes!  They were firsts for me, and if I can do it, so can you!
 

Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)

The other day I decided to make something light and nutritious for dinner.  Fakes is a staple in Greek kitchens, and contributes to what is considered a "Mediterranean Diet" (i.e. low in meat, high in protein, legumes, fiber and olive oil).  It never appealed to me as a child, but is yet another dish that I enjoy very much now.  This is a great light meal and is made even better when served with some crusty bread and feta cheese!  The ingredients you will need are:

1 lb. Lentils
1/2 cup olive oil
3 carrots
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Start by washing and rinsing the lentil beans.  I let them soak for an hour before cooking; this softens them and helps them cook faster.  Once ready to cook, put lentils and water in a large pot and boil on med-high for 5 minutes.  Chop up your onion, garlic, and peel and chop carrots. Add to lentils along with olive oil, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and oregano, and boil and for another 20 minutes.

After lentils and ingredients have boiled for 20-25 minutes, reduce heat and simmer.  Add crushed tomatoes and vinegar. My husband loves the vinegar taste so I'm liberal with it.  I recommend starting out light, and you can always add more right to your own serving if you decide you want more.

Let this lentil soup simmer for about 1 hour.  Keep checking back and add more liquid as needed, but you want this soup to get nice and thick.  As I said, serving with fresh crusty bread and feta cheese tops off this light Mediterranean meal! Enjoy!

Beef and Eggplant Stew (Mosxari me Melitzanes)

Eggplants are one of the vegetables used widely in Greek cuisine.  Growing up I didn't particularly like them.  I can't remember why, and I actually don't think I ever tried them to know I didn't like them, but something about them made me not want to try.  Now that I've grown up (ha ha) I love eggplants and incorporating them into my cooking.  This is a very traditional and easy Greek meal that is hearty and filling.  The ingredients you will need are:

2 lbs beef for stew
2 eggplants
4-5 potatoes
1 onion
1 can crushed red tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat your over to 420 degrees.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray so the food won't stick.  Rinse the meat and pat dry.  Cut into chunks and put into dish.  Wash and cut eggplants into chunks and add to dish.  Peel and cut potatoes into chunks and add to dish.  Chop onion and add to dish.  Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Stir everything together to make sure all ingredients are combined, and put in the oven.  I like to cook this in a dish that has a cover, which I use during cooking to keep some of the juices in.  I usually cook for a total of 1 hour.  I leave the stew in the oven for 20 minutes uncovered, then mix it and cover for the next 20 minutes, then stir it again and leave uncovered for the last 20 minutes.


And that's it! I told you it was easy; just throw all the ingredients into the dish and bake!  I recommend having some crusty bread on hand to eat this with; it's great for cleaning all the yummy sauce off your plate!

Traditional Greek Potato Salad

Summertime is great for casual barbecues with friends and family, and one of my signature side dishes that goes with any thing cooked on the grill is traditional Greek potato salad.  Forget the recipes weighed down by heavy and gooey mayonnaise; who needs that sitting in the heat, or in your stomach for that matter? The ingredients you'll need are:

5-6 potatoes
3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 medium onion
olive oil
white or champagne vinegar
salt and pepper
olives

Start by peeling and cutting the potatoes in half, and boiling until tender.  I like to make sure all the chunks of potato are uniform in size so they soften in the same time.  Let them boil about 20 minutes to get to desired tenderness.  You don't want them too mushy or they will disintegrate.

While your potatoes are boiling, hard boil some eggs.  I put them in a pot with water covering them, and turn the heat on high.  Let the water come to a boil and wait 2 minutes.  I then cover the pot, shut off the heat, and let the pot sit on the hot burner.  By the time I'm ready to peel them they have cooked to my liking.

Once the potatoes are boiled, rinse them with cool water and drain.  Put in a large serving bowl and cut into chunks.  Chop 1/2 an onion and add to potatoes.  (I sometimes use red onion for more of a kick!). Now you can peel your hard boiled eggs, chop, and add to potatoes.  Add salt and pepper for taste.  In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup white vinegar, and whisk together.  Pour over potatoes. Add olives to top of potato salad, and your done!

I recommend making this a few hours before you would like to serve, because I like to put this in the fridge and let it get cold.  The longer it sits (and soaks up all the oil and vinegar) the better this salad tastes.  If I have leftovers, I sometimes add some more oil & vinegar if it seems to have dried up a bit.

Enjoy this easy to make potato salad during the summer or in any season! Kali oreksi.

Grilled Chicken and Salad; Perfect for summer!

With all this hot humid weather, a light dinner is perfect to enjoy on the patio with a nice glass of wine.  This is a really easy and fast recipe, and can be made any night of the week.  The only part that needs some prep is marinating the chicken.  I recommend doing it the night before, that way you don't have to worry about it in the morning before going to work.  The ingredients you will need are:

4 chicken breasts
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
                      
                                                                                    belgian endive
                                                                                    mixed greens
                                                                                    cherry tomatoes
                                                                                    1/2 chopped onion
                                                                                    croutons

To marinate the chicken breasts, I just put them in a large ziplock bag and drizzle them with some olive oil (about 1/3 cup), balsamic vinegar (about 1/3 cup), salt and pepper.  Place in the fridge until ready to grill.

We have a gas grill here at home, although charcoal ones do lend for better taste.  You can use whatever grill you have at home (or even broil them in your oven if you don't have a grill).  I like to start out by letting the chicken sit for 5-6 minutes on one side to get good color before flipping over. Repeat on the other side.  After the chicken has been on the grill 5-6 minutes on each side, this is when I flip the chicken often.  The trick is to make sure your chicken is cooked throughout, without burning the outside or drying out the inside.  I usually close the top of the grill and let it get really hot inside for 4-5 minutes, and then flip.  Keep repeating until the chicken is done.  Typically chicken breast needs a good 30 minutes to cook thoroughly on the grill.  I also don't use the highest heat setting on the gas grill.  I keep it at about halfway so the flames don't get too high and char the chicken.

To make your salad, just chop all mixed greens and belgian endive and put in a large salad bowl.  I cut cherry tomatoes in half, and chop 1/2 an onion.  Add croutons if desired.  I like to use a balsamic vinegar dressing, and sometimes make it myself by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and water.

Like I said, this is very easy, light, and perfect for a hot summer night! Enjoy!

Gemista (Stuffed Tomatoes)

Summer is great; the weather, the sunshine, and all the fresh vegetables at the supermarket! It's my favorite time of year to make Gemista, or stuffed tomatoes.  In this case I stuffed both tomatoes and peppers, but feel free to do only tomatoes, only peppers, or even be adventurous and try stuffing some eggplants!  The ingredients you will need are as follows:







8 tomatoes
4 green peppers
1.5 lbs ground beef
4 cups rice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
6-8 cups water
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper

I used a large roasting pan to bake my gemista in, and sprayed it with cooking spray.  Keep it by your side so you can arrange your vegetables in it.  I start by emptying out the tomatoes.  Wash them thoroughly and cup off the tops, but save them.  Using a paring knife, scour the inside edges of the tomato to loosen the pulp, and using a spoon scoop out the inside.  Save the pulp and juice of the tomato in a bowl.  The peppers are even easier to hollow out; wash them thoroughly, cut off and save the tops, and cut out the inside making sure to get rid of all the seeds.  You can discard the inside of the peppers.  I arrange them in a roasting pan for now while I make the stuffing.

To make the stuffing, use a large pot and put in olive oil and chopped up onion on medium-high heat.  Let onion brown for 2-3 minutes.  Add the ground beef, and brown that for about 5-6 minutes.  Once it looks cooked through, add the cinnamon and stir.  Then add the red wine and let it boil down for 2 minutes.  Next, add 3-4 cups white rice, the tomato pulp and juice you saved from the fresh tomatoes, and 6-8 cups water to cover the beef and rice mixture.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover the pot and lower heat for it to simmer.  It only takes about 15 minutes for the rice to soak up the water.  Keep an eye on it and stir it every 4-5 minutes to make sure it doesn't stick.  Once the liquid is gone, taste the rice texture.  If it seems dry, you can add more water (and some wine) and let it simmer down some more.  Once the stuffing is done, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and mix.

Side note: you can also make the stuffing vegetarian by omitting the ground beef.  Just add chopped parsley, mint, and basil to your rice mixture.  I even like to add pine nuts for an extra crunch.  This will be just as delicious stuffed in your vegetables!

Once the stuffing is done, you can spoon into the hollow vegetables and arrange them in the roasting pan.  Once all the vegetables are stuffed, drizzle some olive oil on top and sprinkle some salt.

Bake in an oven at 365 degrees for about an hour, or until the vegetables have softened.  There will be plenty of stuffing left over in the pot.  To serve, I arrange some stuffing on the plate, and put two vegetables on top.  Many people in Greece also peel and cut potatoes around the stuffed vegetables in the roasting pan, drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper.  I didn't have room in my pan this time around, but they are delicious and complement stuffed vegetables if you'd like to add them.

It makes a large portion of food, for either a large dinner party or great for leftovers!  Enjoy!