Grace's Mosaic Moments


Saturday, November 11, 2017

Accent on Unusual Recipes

RECIPES
 
Here are three rather different recipes I have enjoyed over the last few weeks:
 

Sweet Potato Salad
This is one of the most exotic tastes I have encountered among the many recipes I've collected. I prefer it served warm and with pine nuts in place of pumpkin seeds, but that does not affect the overall flavor impact, which is truly remarkable. This recipe is from Grits and Pinecones. Below is the original recipe for 8 servings. I halved it for my personal use.

Grace note for Recipes One and Three:  If you a serving only 1 or 2 persons and expect to have leftovers, do NOT mix the dressing with the salad ingredients. Save and use only when needed, so salad greens do not wilt nor the flavors become overbearing.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut in 1" cubes
3 TBsp olive oil
1 TBsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup dried cranbeerries
½ cup chopped scallions (green & white parts)
½ cup jarred roasted sweet peppers, chopped *
½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or pine nuts, sunflower seeds, etc.)

Dressing:
6 TBsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup reular or mango chutney (not hot)
1 TBsp Dijon mustard
2 TBsp honey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup olive oil

*I actually found jarred strips of roasted pepper, but this is rare.

Make dressing ahead. Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed.

To make the salad, preheat oven to 425°. 

1.  Mix the sweet potatoes with the olive oil on a large baking pan or cookie sheet and toss to combine. Make sure the sweet potatoes are evenly covered with oil. 

2. In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, salt, pepper, cumin, and ginger. Stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the sweet potatoes and toss to combine. Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer and bake until potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown - about 20-25 minutes. Do not overcook.

3. Meanwhile, put cranberries, scallions, and red pepper in a small bowl & mix well. Set aside.

Assembly:
Put the roasted sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cranberries, scallions, roasted red pepper and half of the dressing. Toss carefully & taste. Add additional salt and pepper if needed, and more salad dressing if you like. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve warm or cold.

~ * ~

Garlicky Zucchini Noodles

Grace note: for this one you will need the help of a "spiralizer." I bought mine online from Amazon, along with a recipe book with a lot more "spiral" recipes. If you really can't get into fruits and vegetables, this might be a way to make them more interesting. Here's what I bought:


Three-blade spiralizer by Zest




GARLICKY ZUCCHINI NOODLES


 2 medium zucchini
3 TBsp walnut or olive oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled & halved lengthwise
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
½ tsp sea salt
2 cups chopped cooked meat or poultry*
1 cup thinly sliced tart green apple**
Fresh ground black pepper

*I used pre-cooked Perdue chicken pieces
**I used the spiral cutter blade on the spiralizer to cut very thin apple "flowers." Or you can use a mandoline* to cut finer slices than is possible by hand.

1.  Using a spiralizer, julienne cutter, or mandoline, cut zucchini into long thin noodles.

2.  In a large skillet, heat 2 TBsps of the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and sir 2 minutes or until starting to brown. Add zucchini noodles; cook and toss with tongs 1 minute. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add walnuts to skillet; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until toasted. Add to bowl with zucchini. Sprinkle with salt.

3.  Add remaining 1 TBsp oil to skillet. Add meat; heat through. Add to bowl with zucchini. Add apple slices; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with black pepper.

*I later bought a mandoline by Kitchen Bask, which slices at both 1.5 and 2.5, as well as having three other types of blades. (I am still experimenting with my two new gadgets, but so far they work as promised, and they have definitely increased my interest in fruits and vegetables. And added a whole new frontier of recipes.) The recipe above is from Paleo Recipes.





ARUGULA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

 Grace note: I used the 1.5 slicer blade to cut the red onion very fine, making it more like ambrosia than an onion.




½ cup very thinly sliced red onion
½ cup white wine vinegar
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut to lengths desired
3 cups fresh argula
2 TBsps snipped fresh mint
2 TBsps olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

1.  In a small bowl, combine onion and vinegar, pressing onion into liquid to cover as much as possible. Cover and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or chill up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.  Cook asparagus, covered, in enough boiling water to cover 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain again. In a large bowl combine asparagus, arugula, and mint. 

3.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer onion to asparagus mixture. 

4.  For dressing, pour 3 TBsps of the vinegar from onion bowl into a small screw-top jar. Add remaining ingredients; covr and shake well. Drizzle dressing over asparagus mixture; toss gently to coat. 

Added note: If asparagus spears are thick, cut in half lengthwise.

This recipe is also from Paleo Recipes.

~ * ~
 
For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

For an eerie true tale, visit Blair's Facebook Author Page at: click here. 
 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace
 

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