Fried sweet potatoes, apples and onions

I'm a huge fan of sweet potatoes and Fuji apples so this is my new favorite recipe. Lots of vitamin A and fiber. It has a great combination of sweet and savory, which I love. This recipe works really well with poultry, I served it with sauteed chicken cutlets. It would probably pair well with some juicy pork chops too. My husband and I ate all of this, yes, all 4-6 servings worth, in one sitting. So, I guess you could say that we thought it tasted pretty good.

Fried sweet potatoes, apples, and onions:
Makes 4-6 servings

3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4" thick
1/4 cup water
2 medium red apples, peeled and sliced (I tried this with Fuji apples)
1 cup sweet onion, sliced
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp. butter (I made it with SmartBalance)

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a small bowl, set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the sweet potatoes and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the sweet potatoes and let brown another 2 minutes or so. Add the sliced onion, and simmer a minute or two until the onions are translucent. Add the water, sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes and onions. Add the apple slices, stir making sure that the sugar mixture is spread evenly. Dot with the butter. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

When it's done the sweet potatoes, apples, and onions should be soft and simmering in a sweet and spicy carmelized sauce.

Grits pie and collard greens

My husband is a Southern' Boy and so I've had the pleasure of trying lots of yummy Southern staples, including grits and collard greens. I'd had them both before I met my husband but now I've had them many, many times in lots of variations. There seems to be an endless number of ways you can cook grits, this is an old staple that can be added to, subtracted from, and modified to suit anyone's tastes. It's a great way to make an inexpensive meal that goes a long way and tastes even better as leftovers. The recipe is pretty basic, I included potential add-ins afterward.

First the grits - you can cook the collards while the grits are in the oven.

Grits pie:
Makes 4-6 servings

12 ounces of breakfast sausage or bacon (I use turkey or chicken for both)
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 ounces of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. of salt
4 large eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups of cooked grits

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie dish. Cook the sausage or bacon in a large skillet until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. I usually cook the onion with the sausage or bacon, and sautee until just cooked and translucent, you don't really want to brown them.


Remove the sausage/bacon and onion from heat. Mix the cheddar cheese, salt, and egg into the cooked grits until cheese is melted. Mix sausage/bacon and onion into the cooked grits. Pour the entire mixture into the pie dish.



Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the top is puffy and browned on the edges.





Possible add-ins: shrimp, chopped jalapeno, chopped red and green bell peppers, green beans, chopped frozen okra, there are lots of options.

Collard greens:
Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 lb. of collards with stems that aren't too thick, washed and roughly chopped
1 14.5 oz. can of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of water
3 tsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Bring the broth and water to boil, add the collards, sugar and salt, cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes.



Once the stems are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, drain the collards and move to a serving bowl. Toss with salt and pepper to taste, and red wine vinegar.

You can also toss with apple cider vinegar which I think is more common in Southern dishes.

Crock Pot Spanish Chicken

This is Nicole's friend Claudia... Nicole and Tripp got me a crock pot as a housewarming gift and I love it, I want to cook everything in it. I just tried this for the first time and it was delicious. It got the seal of approval from my boyfriend, probably the world's pickiest eater.

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper (I used a little more)
1 lb turkey sausages, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used spicy turkey sausage - we like things spicy)
1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, quartered, drained**
1 can (4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (black olives)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 packet of Sazon (the original recipe did not call for it, but I like it)

1. Mix all ingredients except artichoke and olives in slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is cooked and tender. Stir in artichoke hearts and olives; heat through. I put the olives in for the last thirty minutes of cooking time, so that some of their flavor could be incorporated into the sauce. Serve over white rice.

**I am not a fan of artichokes, so I replaced them with green pimento (spanish olives) about 20 olives sliced into thirds.

Enjoy!

Pasta and asparagus with alfredo sauce

This recipe has a few more steps than I typically like to deal with on a week night after many hours at the office, BUT, it's delicious and well worth the effort. I'm a huge fan of alfredo sauce, so I make mine "lite" by using a butter substitute and skim milk. That way I can eat two bowls full instead of just one.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. of pasta of your choice (about half a box)
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, washed and ends removed
2 tbsp. butter (I use SmartBalance)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk (I use skim)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the pasta. While the water is heating, steam the asparagus over low heat, just until bright green so the asparagus still has a bit of snap to it. Chop the asparagus into about 1" pieces. In a large, deep pan over low heat gently melt the butter, once the butter has completely melted add the onion and garlic. The onion should just become translucent, you don't want them to brown, so you may want to push them to the edge of the pan. In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Pour the Parmesan into the egg mixture and mix. Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the butter. Allow the sauce to warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, use the cooking water from the pasta to thin the sauce. Once the pasta is finished cooking, toss gently with the sauce and asparagus. Serve!

*I recommend tasting the sauce before adding any salt, depending on the Parmesan you use, the sauce may not need any additional salt.