Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

This is another recipe that I’ve been making for awhile…I bookmarked it back in 2012. I actually have no idea where I got it, but it is a wonderful vegetarian meal that I have put into my regular dinner rotation. The combination of the sweet potatoes and the black beans is so different and interesting. You might think it sounds strange, but it’s incredible! Even though the sweet potato takes a long time to roast, once that’s done this recipe comes together very quickly. And I know it doesn’t look very appetizing…but trust me, it’s worth trying!

Serves: about 8 small tacos

Time: 1 hour to roast the potato, then about 15 minutes to cook the rest of the recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained, then mashed with a fork or potato masher
• 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• about 2-3 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• corn tortillas (I like the corn and flour combination tortillas from Trader Joe’s because they don’t break apart like regular corn tortillas do!)
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1) Bake the potato: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for about an hour. I like to wrap mine in foil and bake it right on the oven rack, but you can also put them on a rimmed baking sheet. You want them to get really sweet, so that they are almost oozing and caramelizing a little bit. While this is baking, you can prep your other ingredients. When the potatoes are done, peel and mash them, then keep them warm.

2) Heat up a large skillet and add your oil. When it flows like water, add your onions and peppers. Saute until the onions are almost translucent, then add your garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft.

3) Add a pinch of salt, then add the mashed beans and 2 Tbsp water. Stir and cook until heated through. If it seems dry you can add a couple more tablespoons of water as needed.

4) Add the soy sauce, dijon, cumin, and cayenne, and stir. Everything should be smooth and creamy. Add a little more water if it’s really dry.

5) If your sweet potatoes need to be warmed up a bit, you can push the bean mixture to the side and add the sweet potatoes to the other side of the skillet. If you like your tortillas warmed up, you can do that in a microwave or nonstick skillet, or in the warm oven, which is what I usually do. You can always check the label of your tortillas for what they recommend.

6) To assemble the tacos, put equal amounts bean mixture & sweet potato in each taco. (Or you can change the ratio if you like.) If you want to add hot sauce, feel free, but I think the flavors are perfect as is!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This recipe is THE reason I bought my immersion blender! I first got the recipe from my dear friend Kaitlin. We made it together back in 2012. I’m pretty sure I went home that night and ordered my immersion blender from Amazon before I did anything else!! (I have this one, by the way! Cheap and it works great!) I have made this soup at least once every fall since then!

When Kaitlin and I made this recipe together, I don’t think I had ever had butternut squash before. I was AMAZED at how delicious it is! This recipe is still my favorite one for butternut squash soup. The combination of the apples and the butternut squash is great. And how excited was I when I found apples, butternut squash, and leeks in my CSA box??? SO excited! Plus, I already had cider from making applesauce. It was a sign that I just had to make my first batch of the season. I highly recommend it!

Serves: about 8 1-cup servings

Time: about 45 minutes to roast the squash, then about 45 minutes for the soup. Most of this is not active!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (You can replace half of the butter with olive oil or coconut oil if you wish. I’ve done both. I’ve also just done a couple tablespoons instead of all 4.)
• 2 leeks, well washed and coarsely chopped (I have used onions when leeks weren’t around!)
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
• 1 butternut squash (mine was kind of small for this batch, but it still worked okay. Medium is better!)
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, or a heaping 1/2 tsp of dried (which is what I normally do, but if you have access to fresh rosemary definitely use it)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup apple cider
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1) Prep the butternut squash: Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a baking dish or on a rimmed cookie sheet. Cover with foil and roast 35-40 minutes at 425 degrees until tender when pricked with a fork. This time mine took more like 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it cool and then scoop out the filling from the skin, discarding the rind. When I take mine out of the oven, that’s when I start the rest of the soup. By the time I’m ready to add the squash it’s basically cool enough to handle. If you have more time you can let it cool more.

2) Soup time! Melt the butter and/or oil in a large soup pot.  Add the leeks, celery and carrots. Cook over medium heat until the leeks are tender and very fragrant.  Add the squash, apples, rosemary, broth, and cider.  At this point you can also add a pinch of salt and some pepper. (You will season again to taste at the end.) Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered over low heat for about 30 minutes. At this point, an immersion blender comes in handy. It makes blending the soup SO easy. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can also carefully transfer the (slightly cooled) soup into a regular blender and blend, perhaps in batches. When the soup is as smooth as you like it, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy!

PS This soup also freezes beautifully!

Homemade Granola Bars

Making homemade granola bars was something that I always thought would take too much time and effort to be worth it. But I kept seeing recipes floating around the internet and on blogs. And I got curious…so I finally gave in and tried it! And it was actually really quick and easy, not to mention delicious!

Adapted from Ingredientsinc.net

Serves: 10

Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups Rice Crispies cereal (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (I pulsed some old fashioned oats in my mini food processor for a few seconds)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup natural peanut or almond butter (I used almond butter)
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions:

1) Line an 8×8 pan with foil or parchment paper, and spray with nonstick spray. This makes them much easier to remove later.

2) Put the cereal, oats, and cranberries in a large bowl and stir to combine.

3) Combine the nut butter and the syrup in a small sauce pan and heat on low, for 2-4 minutes, until it’s melted and a little bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in the flaxseed and salt.

4) Working quickly, pour the hot mixture over the cereal/oat/cranberry mixture and stir to get everything coated.

5) Put the contents of the bowl into your pan. Using a piece of parchment or wax paper, or plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, spread out the mixture so that it is even in the pan. Press down all over, very firmly, using the parchment paper/wax paper/plastic wrap. This will ensure that your granola bars do not fall apart later!

6) Cool at least 1 hour, until firmly set. Use the foil or parchment paper to lift the contents of the pan out and onto a cutting board. Cut the bars into 10 equal pieces. Wrap them up individually or put them in an airtight container. They will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks.

Slow-Roasted Grape Tomato Spread

I tried this recipe for the first time towards the end of the summer, and it quickly became my favorite way to use up the grape tomatoes from my CSA boxes! The spread tasted DELICIOUS with some goat cheese and pasta! I’m so happy that I have more of this in the freezer now to last me through the winter. If you’re into trying new things, whether it be canning or making homemade almond butter or granola, you should check out Marisa McClellan’s blog over at Food In Jars. It’s one of my favorites. I have both of her cookbooks and they are amazing!

from Preserving by the Pint

Serves: makes about 1 cup, which is probably enough for about 4 servings of pasta

Time: about 40 minutes total

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes (which is about 12 oz, this is approximate)
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, or whichever salt you prefer
• black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spread the clean tomatoes onto a rimmed cookie sheet or baking dish.

2) Add the garlic cloves randomly on the dish, spread throughout the tomatoes. Sprinkle the thyme, salt, and pepper, then drizzle the olive oil over all.

3) Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and shriveled. Take the dish out of the oven and let it cool. Then put the contents of the dish into your food processor. Pulse it until the tomatoes have become a chunky puree. You can make it chunkier or smoother to your liking.

4) To store this spread, put it in an airtight container and top it with a thin layer of olive oil. Then you can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a year.

5) To serve, try tossing some with pasta and goat (or your favorite) cheese, or add it to omelets. I’m sure there are many other uses for this…I’m picturing it with some chicken…but personally I thought it was fabulous with pasta!

Finally…a CSA Update!

I haven’t had a chance to post pictures of my CSA boxes lately, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been awesome! I’ve been loving the fall produce that comes every Tuesday in my box. I’m seriously going to miss getting my CSA box every week when the seasons ends in November!

Here are a few pictures of some of my recent boxes along with any interesting things I might have made with the produce. I’m going from oldest to newest, although I am not sure about the exact dates since it’s been awhile!

Above you can see one of my late summer boxes. I used many of the tomatoes to make this amazing roasted tomato puree, which I will post soon. The jalapeños found their way into my corn chowder, and I also froze some to make some hot pepper jelly.

Here is a similar box, with some summer squash and cucumber. I actually tried making zucchini “noodles” with some of the squash and it worked pretty well!!

I could tell fall was coming with this box came! The spaghetti squash was a very welcome addition. I roasted it and ate it with some tomato & meat sauce! Spaghetti squash is so amazing…I know that even if I don’t get any more from my CSA I will be buying it from the grocery store again soon.

This box was from about 2 weeks ago. I was jumping for joy when I saw the butternut squash! It’s one of my favorites!! AND it was perfect that I got leeks with it, because my favorite butternut squash soup recipe calls for leeks. (And apples!!) Of course I took pictures as I made it, and you’ll see it here on the blog soon!

This is last week’s box! I was totally intrigued by the purple carrots in the front. Apparently they are quite similar to regular carrots. I’m going to cook them soon, maybe with some marmalade and butter. I was excited for the pears because I haven’t had any yet this fall. They have been tasty! I also am excited to use the beets. The acorn squash is intriguing…still not sure what I’m going to do with it! Any ideas?

Corn has become a bit of a running joke with my boyfriend and I because I keep getting it in the boxes and it just piles up and I don’t know how to use it all! I froze a bunch of it but my freezer is full…lately I’ve just been giving it away! I’m still grateful to be getting such wonderful sweet corn this fall.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures of all the CSA boxes! I promise from now until the end of the season I will post them more often. What’s your favorite fall produce?

Corn Chowder

It’s been quite awhile since my last post! Things at work have been busy, and I’ve also been busy doing things in the evening. I’ve been spending lots of time cooking, and I’ve even got a memory card full of pictures to upload, but I haven’t been finding the time lately to edit & upload my pictures and write posts! But this week I’m going to try to develop a bit of a schedule that I’ll be able to stick to for updating this blog. In the meantime, make sure to follow me on Instagram at myjerseykitchen (check out the sidebar at the right for a link).

Today I’m sharing a recipe that I have already made twice in the span of a few months. With the CSA I’ve been getting delicious soup, which means that I’ve had to come up with some creative ways to use it. I can only eat so much corn on the cob! This corn chowder was amazing and I highly recommend it.

Here’s how I cut my kernels off the cobs.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
Serves: 9 1-cup servings
Time: about 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 5 green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (optional but suggested)
• 1 large carrot, chopped (optional but suggested)
• 2 bell peppers (any color), seeds removed and chopped
• 4 small potatoes or 2 medium
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 ears of corn, kernels cut off. Save the empty cobs to use in the soup. (You can also use 2 cups frozen or canned corn.)
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt, plus more to taste, and black pepper to taste
• dash or pinch of cayenne pepper, depending on your spice tolerance

Directions:

1) Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Then add your celery and carrot, if using, plus your peppers and potatoes. Also add in the broth and your empty cobs (if you have them). Cook this until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

2) In a bowl, whisk together the flour and milk, then add to your pot and stir to combine. Add your corn kernels, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Simmering away!

3) Remove empty cobs, if you used them. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Sauteed Green Beans

This summer, I’ve gotten quite a few green beans in my CSA boxes. As a kid, I really didn’t like green beans. I’ve learned to like them as an adult, but I still wasn’t sure what to do with so many green beans! I did make the delicious warm green bean salad back in August, but I have also been experimenting with quick and easy ways to make green beans as a side dish. My favorite so far is to sautee them. It’s very simple yet tasty!

Serves: 2 as a side

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• green beans– however many you expect to eat. About 2 cups is good for 2 people. Snap the ends off and wash them before you begin.
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (I like to use flavor-infused olive oil to add interest. Lemon olive oil is one of my favorites)
• bowl of ice water
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Bring a pot of water to a boil. You need enough so that the green beans will be completely submerged. Add a pinch of salt.

2) Add the green beans to the boiling water and boil for about 2 minutes. The green beans will be bright green.

3) Drain and immediately dump the green beans into the bowl of ice water. Let it sit while you heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet.

4) When the olive oil is hot, drain the green beans again and dry off as best you can. Put the green beans in the skillet. Stir a bit as you sautee them. You want them hot and a bit crispy. This takes around 5 minutes.

5) Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Corn Fritters

This is the last post (for now!) in my Southern-inspired recipe series. The past month or so, I’ve been getting corn EVERY week in my CSA box. I love corn as much as anyone, but I can only eat so much boiled corn on the cob. SO—I’ve been experimenting!! These are corn fritters. Not so healthy perhaps, but interesting and different compared to how we usually eat corn here in the North. Not to mention they are delicious!

adapted from Taste of the Lowcountry

Serves: 6-8 as a side or appetizer

Time: about 30 minutes total

Ingredients:

• 3 ears corn, kernels cut off and cob scraped with the back of a knife to release its juices
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grits
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 or 3 green onions, sliced
• canola oil
• salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together the egg and milk. Add grits, baking powder, and flour. Stir and then add corn, juice from the cobs, and green onions. Stir to combine.

2. In a nonstick pan, pour oil just to cover the bottom. Put over medium heat until hot (shimmering, a pinch of flour sizzles when you drop it in). Use a tablespoon to pick up some batter and drop it into the oil. After a few minutes, flip the fritters. You want them to be golden brown on both sides. When they are done, carefully remove them from the pan and let them dry a bit on paper towels. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Enjoy!

Eggplant Pizzas

When I got the eggplant from my CSA recently, I was kind of at a loss about what to do with it. I have the great Eggplant Rollatini recipe, which I love, but I didn’t have the other ingredients I needed and I didn’t have the time or the inclination to get them. With school starting I’ve switched into quick-and-easy mode, at least during the week!! So I did a quick Google search and I came upon the idea of making mini-eggplant pizzas! They are SO quick, easy, and delish!!

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

Time: about 10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking

Serves: about 4 appetizer portions, depending on the size of your eggplant

Ingredients:

• 1 medium or small eggplant
• shredded mozzarella cheese (the amount is up to you, but I probably used about 3/4 cup shredded)
• tomato sauce (again, the amount will vary depending on your eggplant. Maybe 1/2-3/4 cup total)
• olive oil spray
• Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Preheat the oven to 375. I tried a few in my toaster oven and some in my regular oven, and they worked well in both types. Slice your eggplant into rounds. You don’t want them to be TOO thin, because then they will be floppy and impossible to pick up. Just use a knife and slice them about 1/2 inches thick.

2. Place the eggplant slices in one layer on the cookie sheet. Bake the eggplant for about 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway.

3. Take a small spoonful of tomato sauce and spread it on each eggplant round. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on each.

4. Sprinkle a little (or a lot!) of shredded mozzarella on each slice.

5. Put the cookie sheet back into the oven and cook for about 6-8 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!!!

 

CSA Updates

You may or may not know that I’m a teacher by day (and food blogger by night!) So now that we’re back into the school year, I haven’t been able to find time to post. I’m hoping to get back into a routine and make time to write. I’m starting to feel like I’m really getting back into the swing of things at work, which is great. The thing about teaching is every school year it can feel like you’re starting over, which is both a good and a bad thing!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been receiving more great CSA boxes! I haven’t picked mine up yet for this week, but here are pictures from the past couple weeks.

Highlights from two weeks ago:

• I got a watermelon! I cut it up into manageable chunks and gave some away. I still have some in my fridge, and I’m planning to experiment with a watermelon & feta salad soon.
• eggplant: I ended up making eggplant pizzas with this, which were great! If you follow me on Instagram (see the link at the right), you already saw pictures of this. I’m planning to write it up into a blog post soon.
• more green beans, tomatoes, and fruit!

Last week:

Last week’s box was great. As you can see, I got:

• corn (gave some away and made some corn salsa!)
• potatoes
• nectarines (Love them raw!)
• cherry bomb peppers (stuffed these with ricotta and goat cheese, then baked them. Yum)
• cherry tomatoes (made a great pasta dish from Cooking Light)
• 2 random peppers (Hungarian Hot and Anaheim) (froze some for jelly, plus used some in the corn salsa)
• red bell pepper (froze this for jelly or anything else)
• 2 apples
• a red onion (used in the corn salsa)
• 2 heads of broccoli

It’s been fun seeing the new things I’ve been getting as the summer produce ends and fall begins!