Roasted Yam, Quinoa, and Mixed Greens Salad

Featured on Calgary's CTV morning show with our very own Brigitte
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Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny!

Ingredients:

2 medium Yams, peeled and cubed (can also use sweet potatoes)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Spice Sanctuary's Ground Red Chili Powder
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups mixed greens (Kale is also great for this salad)

Optional:
1/4 cup dried cranberries/raisins/sunflower seeds/whatever you feel like!

Salad Dressing:

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp. minced shallots
1 1/2 Tbsp honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Rinse and peel yams, chopping them into 1/4 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, oregano and chili powder until completely coated.

3. Spread out cubes evenly onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, flipping them once.

4. While the yams are baking, cook the quinoa in a rice cooker (quinoa has the same exact water ratio as rice, so just check your cooker's water requirements and go!). Once quinoa is done, stir to fluff it up and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.

5. In a large bowl, combine greens and quinoa.

6. Mince your shallots, then in a smaller bowl mix together dressing ingredients and toss with the greens and quinoa

7. Gently fold in the sweet potato cubes, then sprinkle your dried fruit or seeds on top for presentation.

Citrus Peppered Salmon with Roasted Root Vegetables

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens


INGREDIENTS

4 medium carrots, chopped
2 small yams, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt or salt
4 skinless salmon fillets
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper blend or black pepper
1 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a baking pan combine carrots, yams, half of the oil, and half of the salt. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting time. Transfer vegetables to a platter; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, sprinkle salmon with the remaining salt and the pepper. In a skillet heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add salmon; cook for 3 minutes. Turn; cook for 3 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer to platter with vegetables.

Add orange juice to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, about 2-3 minutes or until thickened; spoon over salmon.

Easy Sushi at Home

A number of years ago now, a couple of friends of mine went "WWOOFing" (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – an organization that connects volunteers with farms all over the world in need of assistance, often in exchange for room and board) in Japan. One of the farms they stayed with introduced them to a way of preparing sushi for a large, busy family without someone having to spend hours assembling all the rolls or cones. When they came home, they introduced this technique to our group of friends:

First, get your sushi rice cooking. For how to make the sushi rice, see this recipe.

Sushi ready for assembly: Steam broccolini stems, avocado, baked sweet potato sticks, cucumber sticks, and homemade tamago.

Second, prepare all the ingredients you like to have in sushi rolls. We like veggie rolls of various kinds, so we cut tofu, avocado, and cucumber into sticks and grate a bit of carrot and/or radish. We also lightly steam asparagus or broccolini/broccolette stems and bake yam sticks. You may also want to get more adventurous and add raw or cooked mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, mango, green onions, baked squash, homemade tamago, tofu (plain or marinated), or, of course, shrimp, crab, and sushi-grade fish. For condiments, in addition to soy sauce or tamari, you may want wasabi, pickled ginger, mayonnaise, cream cheese, toasted sesame seeds or gomasio. Check out the online menus of sushi restaurants for inspiration.

Third, cut your sheets of sushi nori into square quarters.

Finally, when your rice and other ingredients are cooled, lay out all the ingredients on the table. Just like having a taco night, everyone grabs some nori squares, add some rice and their favourite ingredients and condiments, roll it in their hands into a rough cone shape or just hold it like a taco, and eat!

Add in bowls of miso soup to complete the meal.

Cheese Stuffed Yam Croquettes

Adapted from Recipe Archive

Ingredients: 

250g Yams chopped coarsely (Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes can be substituted)
25g Butter
½ Egg beaten
1 Spring Onion chopped
25g Mozzarella or Edam Cheese cut into 5 cubes
35g Fine Dry Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying
Salt and Pepper
Pinch Thyme
Optional Garnish:
6 Pimento Stuffed Olives

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil yams until soft, drain well and put through the ricer add the egg and the butter mix to a smooth puree and mix in the spring onion and thyme.
2. Shape the mix into required size.
3. Push a cube of cheese into the centre of each ball and re-shape the yam mix around them.
4. Roll the balls in beaten egg and then breadcrumbs until coated.
5. Deep fry until golden brown drain on kitchen paper.
6. Place on a warm plate and garnish.

Baked Latkes

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 lbs potatoes (or combination of any of the following: potatoes, zucchini, yams, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Coat two cookie sheets with 2 to 3 teaspoons of the oil on each.

Grate the potatoes (and other vegetables, if using) into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, including remaining oil. Stir to combine.

Drop the potato mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly to make them into patties rather than mounds.

Bake for until the undersides are lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Brush the tops of the latkes with a very light coating of oil, then flip them over and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them; they are done when they are crisp and golden brown.

Serve hot with sour cream or apple sauce.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Goat Cheese and Kale

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup milk
4 cups kale, chopped
4 oz goat cheese
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil sweet potatoes or yams uncovered in a large pot for 15 minutes or until very soft. Drain and set aside.

Place one tablespoon of lemon juice in a one cup measuring cup, add milk to measure one cup and let sit for 5 minutes. 

In the same pot that the sweet potatoes or yams were boiled in, add the kale, goat cheese, and milk mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the kale just wilts. Add salt and pepper and turn heat off. Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the mixture of kale, goat cheese, and milk. Mash together. 

Serves 6.

Creamy Yam Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 small celery stalks, chopped
1 medium leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)
1 large garlic clove, chopped
5 cups cubed, peeled yams
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups cereal cream
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped celery stalks and leek, and then saute for about 5 more minutes. Finally, add the garlic and saute 2 minutes.

Add yams, vegetable broth, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the yams are tender.

Discard the cinnamon stick. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Return blended soup to the pot.

Add the cream and maple syrup and heat at medium-low, stirring constantly. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8.

Roasted Yams with Maple Syrup

INGREDIENTS

Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 yams, peeled and cut into chunks
Sea salt and pepper
1 - 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
1 - 2 Tbsp pecan pieces
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking sheet. Place the diced yam on the baking sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until yam is tender when pierced with a fork.

Oil a baking dish. Pour the roasted yam into the baking dish followed by the dried cranberries and pecan pieces. Mix the melted butter and maple syrup together then drizzle on top of the yam mixture, tossing to coat. Cover and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 5 minutes. Taste and drizzle with more syrup if needed. Serve immediately.

Yam Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound yams, peeled and cubed
1 cup coconut oil
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

Steam yams until very tender; about 15 minutes. Remove yams from steamer and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line cupcake tins with paper liners. You will need 24 liners.

Melt coconut oil. Place eggs, melted oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and cooked yams in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into yam mixture, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into paper liners, filling 2/3 full.

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean; about 17 to 20 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Beat together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar; mix until smooth. Frost cool cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Quinoa with Yams & Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 small yam, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

DIRECTIONS

Stir the quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to take on a toasty aroma, about 5 minutes. Pour in the water, and add pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, yams, and cayenne pepper; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the yam is soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour a splash of water into the skillet if needed to keep the vegetables from burning. Spoon the vegetable mixture over a bed of quinoa, and sprinkle with chopped pecans to serve.

Christmas Time Yam and Cranberry Casserole

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
2 large onions, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if using frozen cranberries)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsps melted butter
1 large orange, juice and rind
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

Mix sweet potatoes and onions and put mixed veggies in two sprayed shallow oven proof dishes (about 8"x12" each). Spray the veggies lightly with oil and bake until sweet potatos are just tender (a bit under done), about 20-25 minutes.

Lower heat on oven to 350F degrees.

Combine the remaining ingredients, mix well, and pour equally into the two casseroles. Mix well to coat all the pieces of vegetable.

Bake uncovered about 30-40 min or until tender and getting sticky. Stir once during cooking.

You may keep the casseroles in your refrigerator, tightly covered, for a day and then bake on the day of your dinner, or you may freeze them, tightly covered, before the final baking. Defrost before the final baking.