Sweet Potato Casserole

Taken from Eating Well. I loved it! Not too sweet and the orange gave it a yummy twist. I think for every day eats we will stick to plain old sweet potatoes but definitely worth adding to the holiday dinner table or for another special occasion.

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (3 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate (I subbed the juice from the orange I used for zesting)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• pecan halves to add to the top (not part of the original recipe but I thought it really added a nice look and texture)

Preparation

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the pan. Mash with a potato masher. Measure out 3 cups. (Reserve any extra for another use.)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (or similar 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Whisk eggs, oil and honey in a medium bowl. Add mashed sweet potato and mix well. Stir in milk, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish.
4. To prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, orange juice concentrate, oil and butter in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingertips until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over the casserole.
5. Bake the casserole until heated through and the top is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes.

Brussel Sprouts on a Stick

Growing up I had never seen fresh brussel sprouts (rosenkål in Danish). Then I moved to Denmark and they are everywhere! Sadly Mark can't stand them so I don't get the opportunity to eat them often. However, our food box last week happened to have some nice fresh ones still on the stalk! I don't know what or how or where I thought they grew, but I didn't quite imagine this.

Beets

These are some beets I got the other week in our food box. How absolutely gorgeous!! I was so sad to eat the last of them. We ate them raw on salad, in a carrot and beet salad and roasted.

Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread

Finally the dish that this blog is named after! Yum yum YUM!

Beans: I used half a bag of dried black eyed peas. I either let them soak in water over night or I boil a pot of water and let them soak for about 6-8 hours. When you are ready to cook them, add 1 large cube (I use Knorr) of pork bullion. When I have them, I will use some large pork bones with a bit of meat on them. Either way, the beans need some porky pig love. Bring to a boil and cook over med low for 45 min-1 hour.

We prefer to eat the beans over brown rice with some diced raw onion. I put a small pat of butter on, Mark likes Sriracha pepper sauce, and Twig likes his with ketchup. A dash of Tabasco or Texas Pete is also pretty common.

Now for the corn bread...I use a slightly modified recipe from Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. The original recipe is great as is which I why I include it with my modifications.

As a side note: If I was only able to bring one cookbook with me no matter where I lived, I believe it would be this one!

BHG Cornbread *(my modifications)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar *(I only use 1 tbs sugar)
  
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt*(I use 1/4 tsp salt)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk* (I use 1 cup Buttermilk)
  
• 1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
• Honey (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, a 9x1 1/2-inch round baking pan, or an 8x8x2-inch square baking pan. Place in the preheated oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven; swirl butter in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot skillet or pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into wedges or squares. Serve warm. If desired, drizzle with honey. Makes 8 to 10 pieces.

Corn Muffins: Prepare as above, except omit the 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon the batter into 12 greased 2-1/2-inch muffin cups, filling cups two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until light brown and a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Blomkåls gratin (Cauliflower Soufflé)

This is a traditional Danish recipe I modified to use as the September Cooking Challenge with my Surfing Sisters ladies. I love it and it is one of my favorite Danish inspired dishes! Keep in mind it isn't a true "French style" Souffle. So you don't need a special souffle dish to make it. Any casserole dish with at least 2 inch sides will do. I only use cauliflower and leave out the ham. I plan to try the version with broccoli sometime in the next couple of weeks. I added that substitution for our challenge so I know there are a whole lot of cauliflower haters out there and I didn't want to leave them out.




Blomkåls gratin (Cauliflower Soufflé)

75 g(1/2 cup) flour
4 dl ( 1 ¾ cups) milk
25 g (1oz. Or 1 ¾ Tbsp.) butter
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
400g (2 cups) fresh cauliflower (or broccoli) florets
150 g (5.5 oz.) cut strips of ham (can leave this out for vegetarian option)
unseasoned breadcrumbs


Place milk in a thick-bottomed saucepan and add flour. Stir briskly with a whisk until the flour is dissolved. Over low-medium heat continue stirring until the mixture thickens, then add the butter. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add one egg yolk at a time and stir well between each. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Add the cauliflower, salt, and pepper to the milk and flour mixture.

Whip the egg whites until you get very stiff peaks (you can turn the bowl upside down and they don't move). Gently fold them into the mixture. Do not stir or mix. This can deflate the egg whites. Butter the sides of a 2 liter (2 quart) baking dish. And coat with breadcrumbs. The pan can be round or square-ish and preferably glass or ceramic. Pour in the batter.

Place in a preheated oven 175 C ( 350 F) and bake for 1 hour. Try and resist opening the oven door to avoid deflating the souffle!

Serves 4.