Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta (recipe from Hy-Vee)
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups shredded, peeled sweet potato (about 1 medium)
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preparation:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cook pasta until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cook 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Stirring occasionally until sizzling and fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes and water. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bell pepper is tender crisp. Approx. 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from heat after pepper is crisp, cover and keep warm.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta.
• Drain the pasta.
• Return the pasta to the pot.
• Add the vegetable mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, parsley, tarragon, vinegar or lemon juice.
• Toss to combine.
• Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time to achieve the desired consistency.

This is a great recipe. I’ve never had sweet potatoes in my pasta before, but it might become more of something that I do now. I will say that I spent almost 45 minutes just cutting up my vegetables with an addition 30 minutes of actual cooking. I couldn’t find any cloves, so I used this garlic salt that I had instead for a substitute. I didn’t use fresh parsley or tarragon because I couldn’t find any so I used some dried ones I had. I also omitted the goat cheese as I have no idea where I would get anything like that and it’s a dairy item which I can’t consume.

Overall, this dish smells phenomenal. It tastes delicious too. I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out since I was adding sweet potatoes to pasta, but I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re looking for something to liven up your pasta, give this one a try!

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Stuffed Peppers

Toasty Egg

I love breakfast foods especially eggs. This is going to be fun and easy y'all!

Suggested total time: none specified
Recipe: Toasty Egg (otherwise known as Egg-In-The-Hole) from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:

• Sliced bread (can be any kind: white, wheat, sourdough, rye, etc.)
• Butter
• Large eggs
• Salt
• Black pepper

Preparation:

• Lay the piece of bread down.
• With a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut a hole in the center of the bread.
• Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
• Place the bread in the skillet and allow it to soak up the butter.
• After 1 minute, crack a large egg into the hole.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.
• Add more butter into the pan, just for kicks.
• With a spatula, flip slice to the other side.
• Move it around in the pan a little bit to allow this side to soak up the butter.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until it’s cooked to your desire.

I love this recipe! I love eggs. I eat a lot of them for protein since I rarely eat meat and can’t have dairy products. Instead of butter, I used a butter substitute and I just threw some into the pan. I didn’t bother to measure out 2 to 3 tablespoons. My amount was much less than that and it still cooked just fine.This recipe was really easy and the outcome tastes delicious! It reminded me of french toast - just without the added vanilla, cinnamon, milk and syrup. If you want to add more flavor to the recipe you could add the vanilla, cinnamon or just a dollop of your favorite preservative.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Suggested total time: 4-6 hours
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Applesauce (recipe from a friend)
Ingredients:

• 4 large apples
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of water

Preparation:

• Remove the core and skin of the apples.
• Cut the apples into quarters.
• Put the apple quarters into the crock-pot/slow cooker.
• Add the lemon juice and water.
• Then add the vanilla, cinnamon & brown sugar.
• Mix it all together.
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
• When the apples become very tender - mash them with a potato masher.

I loved this recipe! I am a big fan of applesauce and this recipe is SO GOOD! My applesauce was done within four hours of being in the slow cooker. I will say that you know the applesauce is done when it starts to have this brown tinge to it. I don’t have an apple corer so that took a bit longer to do, but overall I would say the total time it took between cutting the apples, etc. and cooking was four and a half hours. The smell of the applesauce in the slow-cooker is really amazing too.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week's recipe: Toasty Egg