life in the boat

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Lime Yogurt Sauce

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Roasted Sweet Potato WedgesAs the days get cooler, I look to comfort foods like baked potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite way to change it up a bit.  For a meal or game day snack, there is nothing more satisfying than Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges.  With a crisp, browned crust over a creamy, smooth center these wedges have a spicy outside, tamed with a yogurt sauce.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
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Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Lime Yogurt Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Soft on the inside with a crust of caramelized juices makes these wedges a versatile dish. They will compliment a spicy entree or stand alone as an appetizer with the sauce served as a dip.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 226 kcal
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
  • 1 1/2 pound sweet potatoes about 2 large
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Lime Yogurt Sauce
  • 1/2 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt
  • Juice and zest from one lime
  • 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425˚ degrees.
  2. Wash and cut each potato in half lengthwise. With the skin on, cut each half into four long spears.
  3. Cover a large baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
  4. Brush potato spears with olive oil then place wedges, skin-side down, in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Combine chile powder, cumin, salt, paprika and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the cut surfaces of the sweet potatoes with the seasoning mix.
  6. Roast the sweet potatoes for 25 minutes or until wedges are browned and beginning to carmalize.
  7. Make the sauce by stirring together the yogurt, lime juice, lime zest and honey.
  8. Serve the Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges on a platter, drizzled with Lime Yogurt Sauce and garnished with fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes

Covering your pan with parchment or foil is an important step for easy clean up.  The juices from the sweet potatoes can make a caramelized mess on your pan.

Sweet Heat Pecans

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Sweet Heat Pecans

Sweet Heat Pecans make the perfect gift in these pottery bowls made by Deb Babcock at Blue Sky Pottery.

Let’s face it- salads can be deadly dull when they’re just a bunch of lettuce and dressing in a bowl.  I like to jazz my salad up with an interesting toppings- feta cheese, bacon bits, preserved lemon.  But nuts add the perfect mix of texture and flavor to make a salad more satisfying.  If you want to really make your salad sing, make spiced nuts for a salad topper.

I started my search for the perfect spiced nut recipe by going to the experts.  The famous chef, Emeril Lagasse makes Emeril’s Spiced Nuts, but I found the main flavor profile of cumin was a dull addition to my leafy greens.  Next, I checked out Nigella Lawson’s recipe for The Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts.  Her recipe includes rosemary…I’m not a fan.

Finally I settled on the recipe that inspired my nut-quest in the first place, the Hot Sweet Spiced Nuts from the Routt County Fair’s cookbook – Fair Family Favorites.  This version has a sugar/cayenne glaze that makes these nuts a unique party snack or topping.  This recipe uses a microwave oven for it’s preparation, so batches of nuts can be easily made for a crowd or gifts.Sweet Heat Pecans

The one adjustment that that I did take from Emeril and Nigella’s recipes…they roasted the nuts before adding the coating ingredients.  Why toast nuts if you are going to cook them? I found a great explanation, check out this Why Toast Nuts post on The Kitchn website.  

Do you have a favorite spiced nut recipe?  I’d love to know what seasonings you use and how you serve them.  Leave a comment!

5 from 1 vote
Sweet Heat Pecans
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Sweet Heat Pecans
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
14 mins
Total Time
34 mins
 
These spicy, glazed nuts make a great nibble for a crowd or topping for a salad. You will need a microwave to follow this recipe.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 213 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper more or less to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons water
Instructions
  1. Roast nuts using one of these methods: preheat an oven to 350 degrees, spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes OR heat nuts in a dry hot skillet (cast iron skillets work well), stirring frequently as they toast for 4 minutes.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and water. Microwave the sugar mixture on high, uncovered, for one minute. The mixture will turn into a syrup.
  3. Add pecans to the warm syrup, tossing to coat all sides of the pecans. Microwave the coated pecans on high, uncovered, for three more minutes, stopping every minute to stir the pecans.
  4. Immediately spread the warm, glazed pecans onto a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Separate the nuts so that they won't clump together as they cool.
  5. Store in an airtight container or freeze for later use.
Recipe Notes

Inspired by Pauline Bouchard's Hot Sweet Spiced Nuts, a recipe found in the Fair Family Favorites cookbook.

Polenta Rounds

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Baked Polenta RoundsWhat  could be easier? All you need is a tube of polenta, a little cheese and some imagination, for an impressive appetizer or quick side dish.  I’d love to claim that I am organized and thoughtfully plan my food for the week. Nope, not me. Neighborhood potlucks and get-togethers with friends sneak up on me.  Staring at the open refrigerator or pantry looking for inspiration can all be solved if I have one ingredient— prepared polenta in a tube.  Tube of PolentaShelf-stable, fully cooked, zero fat and gluten-free, this yellow cylinder of cornmeal can provide the perfect foundation for something interesting.

Do you have a recipe using polenta in a tube?  I’d love to hear your ideas for easy dishes using this convenient product.  Share your ideas in the comment section and I’ll give it a try!

 

Baked Polenta Rounds
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Polenta Rounds
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
For an appetizer that looks impressive but is quick to fix, try these tasty polenta rounds.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 18 rounds
Calories: 80 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 roll (1-pound) prepared flavored polenta
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese
  • Your choice of pesto sauce julienned roasted red peppers, sautéed sliced mushrooms, chopped black olives, chopped fresh tomatoes or chopped fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut the polenta into eighteen ¼-inch slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch of the cheese.
  3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown and crisp. Cool slightly. Serve plain or top with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, basil and/or pesto.

Lemony White Bean Dip

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Lemony White Bean DipHosting nutrition students in Steamboat is one of the great pleasures of working as an Extension Agent for Colorado State University.  I recently spent a week mentoring Kia, a talented graduate student and aspiring dietitian. Using one of my favorite (and easy-to-make) dip recipes we spent an afternoon making short food videos.  Trying to replicate those popular, snappy over-head videos of a tantalizing dish turns out to be harder that it looks.  In the end, we laughed hysterically and learned a lot from each other.  Here is a short video for making Lemony White Bean Dip if you don’t have a food processor.

If you’re lucky enough to have a food processor, this bean dip can be made in under 10 minutes. Check out our official CSU Extension Lemony White Bean Dip video.

Did I mention that this bean dip has a bright lemon taste, finished by the richness of the Kalamata olives…a delicious and healthy alternative to ho-hum humus.

Lemony White Bean Dip
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Lemony White Bean Dip
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
The ingredients from this dip can easily be kept on hand for a quick appetizer or healthy snack. If you don’t have a food processor, use a potato masher and give your upper body a little workout.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 122 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 lemon juice and zest
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine the beans, garlic, lemon juice and zest in a large food processor. Drizzle the bean mixture with olive oil and top with the olives.
  2. Process on high until the mixture is a creamy consistency.
  3. Place the dip in a serving bowl and top with freshly ground pepper.
  4. Serve with your favorite fresh vegetables or chips.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from a recipe provided by the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center at Colorado State University

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa

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Grilling Corn

Corn on the grillThe smoky, charred flavor of grilled corn is essential for this Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa.  After reading all of my cookbooks and blogs about the best way to grill corn, I set about conducting my own experiment to determine the best grilling method.  Here are a few things that I learned along the way:

  • Grilling with the husk and silk still on the ear is the easiest approach.  Some experts will guide you through a process of pulling back the husk to remove the silk before grilling, but I found that the silk is easily removed with the husk after grilling – so I skip this extra work.
  • Soak the corn while the grill is heating.  All you need is 10 minutes of soaking and your corn will hold up to the high temperatures of the grill much better.
  • Give your corn 15 minutes of cooking time on the grill.  Turn the corn every few minutes to ensure that all sides of the ear are exposed to the heat.
  • Keep the corn in the husk until right before serving time to help it stay warm.
roasted corn salsa
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Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 35 mins
 
This unique salsa makes a great dip with tortilla chips, but it is also a perfect accompaniment or side salad to a bigger meal.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 58 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 ears sweet corn
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 medium tomatoes diced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
Dressing
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • tortilla chips
Instructions
  1. Heat grill to a high temperature and while the grill is heating, place corn (with husks) in a bowl of water. Some people remove the silk, but it is easy to remove after grilling, so I leave it on. Let the ears soak for 10 minutes.
  2. Place the ears of corn on the grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning the ears every 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the corn from the grill and allow it cool for 10 minutes before removing the husks. Cut the kernels from each ear and place in a medium bowl.
  4. Add black beans, tomato, cilantro and onion to the corn. Stir to combine.
  5. Combine dressing ingredients and toss with salsa. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to marry. Serve with tortilla chips.
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