Sweet Potato and Sausage Stew

Every fall I look forward to this stew, it is one of my absolute favorites, it's warm and sweet and just plain delicious. The thing I love most about this recipe is how versatile it is. Instead of butter try using all olive oil, or substitute the chicken apple sausage with a nice Italian sausage, use Yukon Golds or a variety of potatoes in place of the sweet potatoes, there are so many ways to adapt this recipe just to your liking. I like to add a little apple juice to complement the sausage, but you could use all water if you prefer. This recipe is fun to switch up and is flexible enough so you can use what you already have on hand. I hope you enjoy this stew as much as I do!

Sweet Potato and Sausage Stew
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
4 chicken and apple sausages ( I like Aidells), cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 of a cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted add the red onion and cook 5-7 minuets stirring occasionally. Add the paprika then stir in the sausage and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, apple juice, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick. Bring stew to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 25-35 minutes. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick, salt to taste.

Recipe adapted from Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros

Fall Bucket List

It is officially fall here in Salt Lake City. The leaves are changing, there is more than just a chill in the air, and pumpkins have made their appearance at every grocery store and farmer's market. That means it's time to get started on my fall bucket list so here it goes!

1. Bake something involving pumpkin and cream cheese (more on that in another post).

2. Carve, paint, or etch a pumpkin.

3. Make candy corn jello shots.

4. Knit a scarf. I got this book last October and have yet to put it to good use.

5. Take a drive up the canyon to see the fall leaves and take pictures.

6. Rock this maxi skirt.

7. Get bangs. I am still on the fence about this one but I was thinking of something like this or this.

8. Take my dogs for a walk around Wheeler Farm with pumpkin spice latte in hand.

9. Sign up for a Thanksgiving Day 5K or maybe even a 6K.

10. Have cider and doughnuts.

11. Go see Frankenweenie, and speaking of Fankenweenie, check out this adorable cake.

12. Get flannel sheets.

13. Go to the Haunted Village.

14. Get out and enjoy the fall weather because winter is just around the corner.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins

If you have bananas sitting on your counter about to go the way of the dodo I suggest giving these muffins a shot. Pretty much every week I find myself in this predicament, I have bananas that are about to go bad and I need to figure out what to do with them stat. Usually I peel them and stick them in the freezer for smoothies which by the way is an excellent solution, but since my freezer is becoming overrun by frozen bananas I figured I'd better do something else with these ones. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand don't sweat it just use all-purpose flour instead, and if you have more than two sorry bananas on your hands this recipe can easily be doubled.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins 
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Very Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together 1 of the bananas and the sugar on medium-high for at least 3 minutes. Beat in the butter, egg, and vanilla , scraping the sides as needed, until well mixed. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed. Mash the remaining banana a bit so some texture remains then fold the mashed banana and nuts into the batter. Distribute the batter evenly among the cups, about half way and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Makes 12 Muffins

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence at the Food Network

Sweet Potato Hummus

This sweet potato hummus has become my new favorite. It is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. I use this hummus as a dip for vegetables and a spread for crackers, wraps, and sandwiches. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hummus 
1 pound Sweet Potatoes (about 2), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 (15 oz can) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 cup Sesame Tahini
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 Garlic Clove, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sweet Paprika for garnish
2-3 tablespoon Water to thin

Steam sweet potatoes until tender, 12-22 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic to the food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with paprika. Serve with chips, vegetables or use as a spread for wraps and sandwiches. Hummus will last up to 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container.

Recipe from Power Foods

White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti

 Happy groundhog day! I guess Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so we are in for 6 more weeks of winter. Oh well, look on the bright side the cold will make that afternoon cup of hot coffee or tea and biscotti taste that much better ;)

White Chocolate Dipped Green Tea Biscotti 
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Matcha Powder
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Almond Extract
2 Eggs
3 ounces White Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder, set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together for a few minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time scraping after each addition, until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour mixture in three additions until well mixed, scraping the bowl as needed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a log, about 12 inches, then place the log on the prepared baking sheet (the dough will be a bit soft, I used two spatulas to gently lift the log onto the baking sheet). Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the log from oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Once cooled, slice the log diagonally into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place pieces back on the baking sheet and bake for another 30 minutes, turning them half way through. Allow biscotti to cool while you prepare the white chocolate. To prepare the white chocolate place either chips or chunks into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 second intervals stirring in between until chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate is melted and the biscotti is cooled dip the bottoms of each biscotti into the white chocolate, you can also use an offset spatula to help spread the chocolate along the bottom evenly. Place dipped biscotti on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate until white chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Makes 6 Biscotti , plus 2 ends