SUPER-CRISPY SWEET POTATO CHIPS

It's happened again, another amazing recipe to make me fall more in love with sweet potatoes. Who would have thought I could have loved sweet potatoes even more?

I found a delicious looking picture of sweet potato chips. I admit I nearly licked the screen...Why lick the screen when I could just make them myself!

Yes I have attempted sweet potato chips, but this recipe takes it to the next level, these ones are SUPER crispy.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tbs olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 2 tbs polenta
• 1 tsp. sea salt (more to taste, if desired) 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. Scrub the sweet potatoes well under running water. Slice them into long sticks 1cm thick . Place them in a bowl of water, swish around a few times, then drain (this step helps remove some of the starch from the potato). 
3. Place potatoes on a clean tea towel and dry thoroughly. Let them air dry while you prepare everything else.
4. Place cut potatoes in a plastic bag, pour in oil, seal and shake bag vigorously to coat. Add polenta and salt to the bag and toss well to coat.
5. Place fries on a lined baking sheet, making sure that they are not overlapping. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and crisp (in my experience, there was no need to flip them halfway through cooking).

Served with baked chicken breast & shredded brusselssprouts.

HEALTHY NIGHT IN

It's a Tuesday night. No husband. Bravo TV line up is tonight's date. What to eat?

BE HEALTHY - BE HEALTHY. It's the new mantra that's getting me through NYC. Too many good restaurants can be dangerous.

So I thought it's time to get colourful. The more colourful, the healthier it has to be.

Ingredients:

• 1 x sweet potato, cut into chips
• 1/2 bunch kale, chopped
• 2 x capsicum, diced (use a variety of colours)
• 2 x tomatoes, diced 
• 2 tbs sunflower seeds
• 2 tbs pumpkin seeds
• 5 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs balsamic glaze
• 10 Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 tbs maple syrup 
• 1 tsp whole-grain mustard
• 1 tsp chili flakes, optional

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 250C (410F).
2. Add the cut sweet potato to a plastic bag, add two tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper and shake. 
3. Line the chips on a lined baking tray (you may need two trays).  Cook for roughly 45-50mins. Keep an eye on them.
4. Season the chips again when they're cooked. Add chili flakes if you like.
5. Place the Brussels on a lined baking tray. 
6. Mix maple syrup, two tablespoons of oil, whole grain mustard in a bowl. Pour over the Brussels.
7. Cook the sprouts in the oven for 40mins.
8. Mix kale, capsicum, tomato, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a bowl. Dress with olive oil and balsamic glaze. 

To be enjoyed in separate bowls, or combined on a plate.

MEXICAN MADDNESS

After indulging ourselves in Mexican cuisine - while visiting Monterrey, for only 3 days - to mark the 1 month off Mexican food (coincidentally on Valentine's Day), it was time to celebrate.

I really wanted to make a 'pollo con mole' that's mole chicken. So I asked my friend Lalo for some advice, he said "If you want to make it you can, but just so you know, most people in Mexico use mole from a jar." Normally I don't like to do this, but looking at a recipe I realised that, the jar is the way to go.

If you want to attempt - go for it, and please tell me how you go - here's a great mole recipe to follow, but it's not the easiest! 

Don't get scared, I'm giving you the FULL dinner run down. Sides, salads and all!

Mole Chicken (serves 4)

Ingredients: 
Chicken

• 4 x chicken breasts 
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs crushed garlic
• 1 tbs Mexican spices
• 1/2 dried habanero chili 
• Juice of one lime  
• 4 tbs mole sauce

Sweet potato chips

• 1 x sweet potato, chopped into chip
• 2 tbs oil 
• Salt and pepper

Salsa

• 1 can of corn
• 3 x tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup coriander (cilantro), chopped 
• 2 x shallots, chopped 

Sides

• 2 x zucchinis, shaved 
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• Lettuce leaves
• Guacamole
• Ricotta Salata, garnish  

Method: 

1. Follow instructions to make mole sauce. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 250C (410F). 
3. Mix the chicken marinade together, pour over chicken breasts - either use a bag to coat the chicken, or dip into a bowl. 
4. Place the chicken on a lined baking tray and put in to oven for 40-50mins (depends on your oven). 
5. Add the cut sweet potato to a plastic bag, add the oil, salt and pepper and shake. 
6. Line the chips on a lined baking tray (you may need two trays).  Cook for roughly 45-50mins. Keep an eye on them. 
7. To make the salsa, combine all ingredients into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
8. For the zucchini, shave with a vegetable grater. Only grate until the middle spongy part of the vegetable. 

Assembling: 

1. Place the chicken on a plate. Pour mole over the center of the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds. 
2. Grate ricotta salata over the black beans.
3. Put the salsa in a bowl. 
4. Season the chips again and put in a bowl.
5. Add the grated zucchini to a large bowl. 
6. Put the lettuce leaves in a bowl. 
7. Serve with Mexican salsas and guacamole.  

NB: I've been trying to stay on the healthy side so no tortilla wraps or chips (hence the lettuce and zucchini), but don't let me stop you! Enjoy it.

SWEETEST-SWEET POTATOES

I've unlocked the key to the perfect sweet potato dish! Mr. S is a HUGE fan of sweet potatoes, not regular potatoes, just sweet. Therefore, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to cook them. On a Pinterest search I found it! Without much hint of a recipe, it was time to experiment.

So it was going to be just hubby and me for dinner, so it was time to put the picture to the test. I've now tested this a few times, and with a variety of guests, it was a hit, and I promise, not too complicated.

NB: When experimenting with a new/untested recipe, don't attempt to try it before six guests are walking through the front door, it's just less hassle to test it out a week before and then try the big reveal!

Ingredients (serves 4):
2 x large sweet potatoes, washed, with skin on
1/4 cup coconut flakes (you can use shredded if you have that)
1/4 coriander (cilantro), chopped
2 x shallots, chopped
1/4 pomegranate seeds
Salt and Pepper 
Alternative to pomegranate:
1/4 cup hazel nuts (and/or) almonds, roughly chopped
1 tsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (405F). 
2. Cut bot ends off the potato.
3. Using a regular fork, poke holes in sweet potato (approx 20) around the whole potato.
4. Place the two potatoes on a lined baking tray and place in the oven for 45mins - 1hour (depending on your oven). The best way to tell if they're ready is use a skewer and feel how easy it is to go through - they should be soft but not mushy. 
5. While the potatoes are in the oven combine the coconut, coriander, shallots in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. When the potatoes are ready, cut an oval opening (use the side that was facing down), scrap off any of the sweet potato flesh into a bowl.
7. Using tongs, scoop out most of the sweet potato flesh (from both) into the bowl and mash with a fork. 
8. Gently place the mash back into the two whole-baked potatoes. 
9. Sprinkle over the coriander mix and pomegranate seeds. 

Alternative to pomegranates:

1. In a bowl mix nuts with the maple syrup. 
2. Spread the mix on a lined baking tray, and cook in the oven for 5 mins. 
3. Keep an eye on the nuts so they don't burn. 
4. Once cooled, add to the coriander mix.

Complete meal suggestion (comment below if you would like the recipe to any of these):
Grilled chicken breast
Green salad with feta cheese
Oven roasted Brusselsprouts

ONE PAN WONDER!

During the week - there's no time for fancy dinners. But what if I told you that you could pull off fancy, using one oven dish, with minimal chopping and effort. Laugh if you must, but then promise you'll try it. There will be no laughing - just lots of mmmm's and yummm's. 

I came up with this recipe when we had only a few veggies in the fridge, and had bought the Turkey breast pocket to try it out. I didn't have the energy to cook the sprouts on the cook top, and roast the potato and Turkey separately. So one-pan-wonder it was! 

Lets begin! 

Ingredients:

• Turkey Breast Pocket (I buy from the butcher at Edgecliff, it comes with sage and butter, discard)
• 1 x sweet potato, cut into half moons
• 10- 15 x Brussell Sprouts, halved 
• 4 x garlic cloves, whole with the skin left on

Herbs:

• Ras El Hanout
• Dukkah
• Dry chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 220 degrees, fan forced. 
2. In an oven roasting dish, place the Brussel Sprouts, sweet potato & garlic on the left and the right side of the dish, leaving room for the Turkey in the middle.
   Sprinkle the roast veggies with dukkah, chilli, salt and pepper. 
3. Add a splash of good quality of olive oil over the vegetables. 
4. To coat the Turkey with the spices: roll out some baking paper on the bench, place the Turkey in the centre and sprinkle over Ras El Hanout and salt and pepper, rolling the Turkey around to cover all the areas of the Turkey.
5. Pick up the breast pocket with the baking paper, and slide into the middle of the roasting pan.
6. Cook for 40 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after that if it needs further cooking.

While the Turkey was in the oven, it gave me time to put a quick salad together as well! But you could do the washing, watch TV, enjoy a sneaky glass of wine. Let me know what you would do with your spare 40 minutes!