I saw some great looking sweet potatoes shaped like bananas in the produce section yesterday and thought they were so cute… I bought them. The sweet potatoes really were too cute to puree and didn’t look like they wanted to be baked. They cried out “Tostones! ” instead.
Tostones are a tasty little latin snack food that are traditionally made with fried plantains and topped with anything from chorizo to fruit salsas. Because the tostones are starchy and slightly sweet, they get crispy on the outside but stay very soft and fluffy on the inside. Hmmm… starchy? slightly sweet? It sounds like sweet potatoes will fit right in and make terrific tostones.
You can serve sweet potato tostones as an hors d’ hoeuvre, first course or side dish. They can even be served alone. But, since I love the flavors of cranberries, pecans and feta cheese with my sweet potatoes, I put them together in a salad with baby arugula to top my tostones with. The tart cranberries and acidic vinaigrette are a great match with the crispy, fried sweet potatoes.
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We promise you will be in shock and awe at the texture and taste of these amazing healthy flourless black bean brownies.
When I first ate these, I tried hard but couldn’t guess the secret ingredient. Even after I knew, it was hard to detect any bean taste.
If you have 100 friends and family over and serve these brownies, we guarantee that 99 of them – if not 100 – will never guess the secret main ingredient. They’re that good!
If you like the flavor of chiles and chocolate together, add in some chipotle powder for a little kick – totally optional, of course.
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Assorted Roasted Pepper Rings
When you are making a recipe with peppers of any kind, try this fabulous and frugal tip to make a beautiful garnish effortlessly while your dish is cooking.
This is so easy and your pepper rings will roast while you’re finishing your dish! Here is the entire recipe: slice your peppers into very thin slices (1/8 inch or less), spread in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet, spray with a little oil on top, sprinkle with a little S & P, and roast in the oven. If you have lots of time, roast them slowly (I did 275 degrees with the convection feature of my oven for about 45 minutes) or you can roast them in a hotter oven- but watch them closely so as not to burn. That’s it. Really.
These rings will keep for several weeks in your pantry in a zip top bag with a paper towel inside. They are so handy to throw onto the tops of soups, entrees, whatever you’re making. I used them to top a cream soup. Delish.
Easy. Delicious. Beautiful. And you will be a culinary rock star!
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Will you eat them on St Pat’s? Will you eat them wearing hats?
I do so like them, Sam-I-Am, I do like green eggs and no ham!
– Modified from the Dr Seuss classic “Green Eggs and Ham”
The Southwest pesto takes this breakfast classic – Eggs in a Basket* – to a whole new level! It can turn your St Patrick’s Day breakfast into Top ‘O The Mornin’ And the basket shape of the bread makes this a perfect Easter basket breakfast or brunch!
Steaming the spinach makes the pesto smoother and darker green. I used spinach and no basil to make this sauce more budget friendly. And I love a little lemon zest to brighten the taste, but the jalapeño is the ingredient that sets this pesto apart from the rest. A kick of heat and spice!
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I know, they’re not exactly traditional Irish food, but – Hey! – jalepeños are green, right? So, why not make some for your St Patrick’s Celebration?
Roasting instead of breading and deep frying saves tons of work, and mess, and calories. I like this approach to homemade jalepeño poppers because the flavors are still intense and spicy. All the flavor without all the fuss!
I wanted a crunchy topping, even though these are roasted and not deep fried, so instead of bread crumbs I used ground pecans, a traditional Southwest nut. This turned out to be THE thing that put this recipe over the top: roasted pecan crunchiness! Woo Hoo!
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