Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

We were heading off to Lake Tahoe for our annual Ager Family ski trip, and planning out the menu and shopping list. Every year, Joel and I go to the Truckee Safeway and buy about a hundred dollars worth of rib-eye steaks to barbecue, roast a bunch of russet potatoes, and make a big salad. But this year, there would be no baked potatoes for "Atkins Girl"; amazingly, potatoes are higher on the glycemic index than pure sugar - go figure! Burgers and Fries, no more. Sigh. Then I remembered: Sweet Potato Fries! Yay! I can have those! As I have gone on and on about before, sweet potatoes, despite their tasty, sweet nature, are low on the glycemic index, meaning that your body digests them into blood sugar slowly. Plus, they are PACKED with nutrients. And best of all, they are DELICIOUS. Bring 'em on!

So, dinner time came around. Best steaks ever. Plenty of baked potatoes (for everybody else) and I made a batch of sweet potato fries; guess which ones were wiped out?

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

* 2 pounds orange sweet potatoes (aka yams) about 3 large ones
* olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
* 1 Tbsp salt
* 1-2 Tbsp spice, spice blend, or spice combination of your choice: cumin, za'atar, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chinese five-spice, garam masala, cayenne, black pepper, cinnamon, chiles, Cajun seasoning, etc.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 F

Wash, dry, and trim off the ends of the potatoes, and remove any obvious blemishes.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then, laying the flat side down, cut each half into 4-8 wedges, depending on how big the potato is. The thinner the wedge, the more crispy it will be. If you like them more soft, make them bigger. If they are really long, cut them in half crosswise as well.

Put the wedges in a large bowl and drizzle them with the olive oil, then, using tongs, toss well to coat. Sprinkle them all over with the salt and spices, and toss well again until the seasoning coats the the wedges evenly.

Lay the wedges in a single layer on a large baking dish, being careful not to crowd too much. (If you crowd them, they won't brown as well, and will be more squishy than fry-like). If it is overly crowded, add a second pan.

Bake them for about 15-20 minutes, then, using a spatula, turn them all over. Return to the oven for another 15 or so minutes. When they are golden brown and tender, they are ready.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Joel has often described his youth in the suburbs of Detroit, when his mother, a highly intelligent and educated woman, (and reluctant housewife), described the preparation of the evening meal thus: "It is four o'clock, and housewives all over America are looking at a chicken and wondering what to do with it."

Well. My limes are so plentiful and ripe, they are falling off the tree, and I happened to have a couple of packages of organic chicken thighs in the refrigerator..... So I decided to try this recipe, which I found three pages away from the fabulous Philippine Adobo recipe I wrote of earlier. Uh, wow. Once again, a deceptively simple recipe, (this time invented by a Gourmet reader), creates a wonderful and complex dish. Delicious, pleasing to all family members, and super fast prep time. You have to do a little advance planning to get the marinade going for the right length of time, but otherwise, easy peasy lemon (or limey) squeezy. Gotta love that short ingredient list! And while it's in the oven, why not squeeze up any leftover limes and make a few margaritas?


Garlic Lime Chicken

Recipe by Bella Jarret of New York City, inspired by a box of limes she received from Florida. From The Gourmet Cookbook.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 olive oil
1 TB minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 pounds skin-on chicken parts: 4 breast halves or 6-8 chicken thighs

Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a container just large enough to hold them plus the chicken. Wash, pat dry, and cut off excess pieces of fat, but be sure to leave on the skin. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Marinate, turning once or twice, for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

Put a rack into the upper third of the oven, then preheat to 400 F.

Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and arrange skin side up, without crowding, in a shallow baking pan. Season all over with salt and pepper.

Roast until just cooked through, 25 - 35 minutes.

Turn oven to broil. Broil chicken about 2 inches from heat until the skin is crisp, about 2 minutes. Serve with lime wedges, and brown rice cooked with chicken broth. The pan juices make a lovely sauce for the rice.

Variation 1: yes, you can use lemons. They are good, but not as good as the limes.
Variation 2: Take 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, wash and dry, and, using only the leaves and tender stems, pile under the chicken before you roast it. (I'm sure it would also be good as a garnish.)

Note: Any leftovers are easily reheated; microwave to heat, then re-crisp the skin with the broiler setting of the toaster oven. None of it has lasted long enough to try these ideas yet, but I think would be worth a try: on top of a composed salad, as a filling in enchiladas or burritos, added to a soup.....

Sugar-Free Sweet Potato Bread

Sweet Potatoes, how do I love thee; luscious, moist, flavorful, low glycemic, packed with vitamins and fiber - sweet! So, it naturally followed that I should develop some new, recipes using this wonder food. This is very, very good; moist and rich tasting.


1 1/4 cup/12 ounces cooked sweet potato, mashed
1/2 cup water
1 large egg
1 extra large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract OR 1 TB bourbon
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, (minus 4 TB)
2-3 TB flax meal (optional)
1 TB soy protein (optional)
1 TB whey powder (optional)
1/3 cup xylitol
4 1/2 tiny scoops stevia
3 TB +1 tsp erythritol ("Zero")
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

If you don't have access to erythritol, raise the xylitol to a scant 1/2 cup.

If sugar is not a problem for you, substitute 3/4 cup of sugar for all of the sweeteners.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes well with a potato masher, and whisk in the water. Then stir in the eggs and vanilla or bourbon until well blended.

If you are using the supplemental proteins and flax powder, measure the 2-3 TB of flax meal, 1 TB of soy protein, and 1 TB of whey powder, then fill the rest of the measure with the whole wheat pastry flour. In a medium sized bowl, add this, plus the second cup of flour, the baking soda, the salt, the spices, and all of the sweeteners, and whisk the ingredients to blend.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. Add the nuts and blend. Spoon into the loaf pan, using a spatula to get all of the batter, and bake for about an hour. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf, then cool on a rack. This is quite delicious toasted, served with sweet butter or toasted nut butters.

Notes from Christine: You may have a bunch of questions as to why I've given the substitutions I have. Why whole wheat pastry flour? Pastry flour is lower in gluten than regular flour, so it makes a less dense bread. This way you get the whole grains and the reduced carbohydrates, but without the heaviness. Why one extra large egg? When I have made similar breads before using 100% whole wheat, it didn't rise as much as it did with all unbleached refined flour, or 50/50. When I baked this version, I happened to have one extra large egg and one large egg on hand, and this is what I used. Voila; it rose to perky heights! Why the flax meal? Flax meal is full of omega 3 fatty acids, which actively convert "bad" cholesterol into "good" cholesterol in your body. Here is a lovely way to sneak them into something yummy. Also, if you are cutting carbs, this substitutes a lower carb ingredient. Why the xylitol, stevia and erythritol? As I have written in previous posts, stevia is a calorie-free, completely natural sweetener extracted from stevia leaves. However, it has a funky aftertaste. Therefore, it is best to mix it with another sweetener. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, which the body metabolizes differently than sugar. It is 40% lower in calories, and metabolized 75% more slowly than cane sugar. I like those numbers! Plus, it is actually good for your teeth. However, it is extracted in weird and yucky ways from wood, so I'm not thrilled. Erythritol (marketed as Wholesome Sweeteners Zero) is my new darling; it is available made from organic sugar which has been fermented, with zero calories and zero on the glycemic index - wow! But, it is only 60% as sweet as sugar, and is wickedly expensive. So, ta da! Mix them together!

Whey powder is available from well-stocked grocery and natural food stores. Berkeley Bowl carries whey powder and flax meal in a refrigerated case near the bulk food section.

Sugar-Free Deep Dish Apple Pie

I admit it; I have O.P.D. - Obsessive Pie Disorder. Ever since I went low-carb, I've been developing new recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth. I've been averaging a pie a week, alternating between apple and sweet potato, with a chicken pot pie thrown in for good measure. Yum.

As I've gone, I've continued to fiddle with the balance of sweeteners, trying to hit the sweet spot. As I have mentioned before, stevia is a completely natural, calorie-free leaf extract, but it has a funky aftertaste. Xylitol is a sugar alchohol, slightly sweeter than cane sugar, neutral in flavor, measures like sugar, 70% lower on the glycemic index than sugar, anti-cavity, BUT - extracted in a funky fashion from wood. Then I discovered a new darling; erythritol, marketed as organic "Zero" by Wholesome Sweeteners. This is also a sugar alcohol, but made naturally through fermentation, and available as an organic product. (Be careful; some of the stuff out there is made from corn cobs in China. No thank you.) No calories, zero on the the glycemic index - Ooh - so far, so great! But it is only 60% as sweet as sugar, so you need to use more, and it is wickedly expensive; about $14 for a 12 ounce bag. Ouch!

So, the blending continues...

Deep Dish Apple Pie

Whole grain pie dough for one crust (see my earlier post for pie crust)

8-10 baking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Meyer lemons: all grated zest, plus 2 TB juice (or more to taste)
OR 1 Eureka/Lisbon lemon: all grated zest, plus 1 TB juice (or more to taste)
1/4 cup xylitol
3 tiny measuring scoops powdered stevia
3 TB erythritol (Zero)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2-4 TB (1/2 stick) sweet (unsalted) butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg whisked with 2 TB water, milk or cream for glaze
1 tsp sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425 F, and bring the crust to room temperature.

Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples, put them in a large non-reactive bowl, then toss with the lemon juice and zest.

Combine the salt, sweeteners and spices in a small bowl, and whisk to combine them well.

Sprinkle sweetener/spice mixture over the apples, and toss well to combine.

Pour the apples into a deep-dish pie plate. Dot with the butter.

Roll out the pie crust, and carefully transfer it to the top of the apples. It's fragile; try using a spatula to help transfer it over. If it breaks on the way, don't freak, just patch it up with your fingers. Tuck the excess dough down into the sides of the pie dish. Cut a circle of steam slits with a sharp paring knife.

Put the pie onto a cookie sheet to catch the drips. Bake the pie at 425 for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F, and bake until the fruit is tender when pierced with a skewer and the crust is golden brown; about 25 more minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool 15 minutes or to room temperature before eating; this helps thicken the juices.

Note: This makes a delectably sweet pie. If you want it a little less sweet, cut back the xylitol by a couple of tablespoons and check the taste.

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup. It doesn't sound very appealing, does it? It sounds like some kind of pathetic'70's hippie health food joke. And frankly, it doesn't look all that appealing either; it's got that drab, khaki color. BUT - you saw this coming, right? Every time I cook it, I am amazed at how truly delicious and satisfying it is. Plus, it's packed with protein and flavor, it comes together quickly (lentils cook much more quickly than most recipes out there imply), it can be made vegetarian or vegan if you so choose, AND, drum roll puh-lease: it's low on the glycemic index, so with some modifications, even I can eat it! (Of course, it does have plenty of good quality carbohydrates, so if you are counting them, keep counting.) I can hear you out there; you're doubting me on this one, right? Sometimes, my friends, you just have to go on faith. Have I steered you wrong so far?


Lentil Soup

Adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook
Cooking Time: About 1- 1 1/2 hours

1 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa

Group I.
1 lb (2 cups) raw lentils
5 cups water or stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
optional: 4-6 sun-dried tomatoes

Group II.
1 chopped yellow onion
2 stalks chopped celery
3-4 chopped carrots
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 large, or 1 small/medium celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed

Group III.
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
2 (ish) TB dry red wine
2 (ish) TB fresh lemon juice
1 (ish) TB red wine vinegar
(1 (ish) TB brown sugar or molasses - optional)
Cayenne pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce

Optional: 3-4 potatoes instead of the celery root

One of the nice things about this recipe is that you can continue to chop and add to the pot as you go, speeding up the cooking time.

If you have enough time, soak the lentils in the water or broth a few hours before starting the recipe; it's okay if you don't. When you are ready to start cooking, bring the ingredients in Group I to a boil in a big soup/stock pot, then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, while you do the next steps.

Chop your sausage into the desired sized pieces and then brown in your (preferably iron) skillet. While they brown, begin to chop as many of the vegetables in Group II as there is time for, starting with the onion. When the sausage is browned, remove it to another bowl or plate with a slotted spoon. Reserve it to serve in the bowls of soup later; this keeps the flavor/salt from leaching out of the sausage while the soup cooks.

If there is any fat left in the pan, you can keep two TB or so (TB = tablespoon) in the pan to brown the vegetables. Discard any fat that is excess or unwanted, and use olive oil to make up any deficits. Now it is time to start on the Group II ingredients; starting in this order: gently cook the onions over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When you are not stirring, chop the remaining vegetables and keep adding them to the pan, stirring with each addition. If things are browning too rapidly, lower the heat. Add the garlic close to the end to prevent scorching. Cover the pan for a while to capture the heat and cause the vegetables to "sweat" in their own juices, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn't burning or sticking.

When the vegetables are tender and lightly golden, add them to the lentils and stir in. Continue to simmer. When things are coming together nicely, add the rest of the seasonings from Group III. If you desire, now add the potatoes. These should be added soon before you serve to prevent them turning to mush. If at any time the soup is too thick, add more liquid. When the lentils and vegetables are tender, adjust the seasonings. Put some sausage in each bowl, and serve. This makes a great one-dish meal. I especially like a hearty, crusty bread like Levain with this, with sweet butter, and a glass (or two) of red wine. Obviously, if you are trying to reduce carbohydrates, these are optional.

p.s. This is a great "travel" dish. You know, like when you're renting a ski condo with friends, or, true story - cross country skiing 5 miles to get to your cabin with friends, carrying all your food and gear on your back. The ingredients are compact, not very perishable, and not very heavy.

Enjoy!

Sausage-Stuffed Baked Apples

There are some recipes I make that are so simple I hesitate to post them; this is number one on that list. However, in speaking to friends I found that so many of them who had never had this dish before, I knew that I had to include it. My mother made this all the time when I was growing up; I loved it then, I love it now, the rest of the family loves it, and now that I am "Atkins Girl" and can no longer throw a pot of pasta on the stove in a pinch, I appreciate it more than ever. There are only 2 ingredients in this dish, and it comes together super fast. As they bake, the juices of the apples combine with the juices from the sausage in a completely savory-sweet, toothsome and delicious way.


Sausage-Stuffed Baked Apples
adapted from the Joy of Cooking


6 large, tart, organic baking apples

1/2 pound well seasoned sausage meat or small links

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Wash, dry, and core the apples. Scrape the opening generously to make room for the sausage. Put the cores in your compost bucket, but save any extra, edible apple bits and add them to the baking pan.

3. Stuff the apples heaping-full with the sausage, and put them in a heavy ceramic or glass baking dish just big enough to hold them. If you have any extra sausage, make little balls out of them, or cut links up into bite-sized pieces, and add them to the pan.

4. Put the pan into the oven, and bake them until tender and a fork easily pierces them, about half an hour to 45 minutes.

These are lovely served with well-seasoned brown rice, or noodles - be sure to serve the juices as a tasty sauce. Come to think of it, latkes would be completely delicious, too, if potatoes are on your list of foods you can eat.....



Notes: Apples - I like to use Pink Ladies, Fujis, Baldwins.... Whatever apple you choose, just pick one that cooks well and has a strong flavor. Why Organic? Aside from the usual reasons, if you must pick and choose how to spend your food dollars, apples are one of the key places to do it. The poisons used on apples are particularly likely to stay with them when you eat them. Sausage: my Mama used conventional breakfast sausage links, and I, of course, being Foodier Than Thou, make my own sage-seasoned sausage with pork from my rancher friend, Mary Pettis Sarley. I have never used a non-sage sausage for these, but another type might make interesting results. If you do, would you please report in? Use your judgment, but do try to get as sustainable a sausage as you can. If you use a very lean sausage, such as turkey or chicken, you may wish to add a little water or apple juice to the pan. The Pan: Why should the pan be "just" big enough? If you put the apples in a bigger pan, and/or a lighter pan, the juices will evaporate, and you will not have the yummy sauce. Moreover, the pan will be harder to clean, because the juices will stick to the pan as they evaporate.

High Protein, Sugar-Free Banana Nut Bread

One of the ways you can tell how much action a particular recipe gets is to open someone's cookbook and see where the pages land. It can be fun to try this experiment the next time you visit a friend (and have had a glass of wine or two.) I've been making this Fannie Farmer Cookbook recipe for about.... oh, 40 years. (Ack! Believe me, that was hard to say.) But, it is still true; I started making this as a girl, using my Mama's cookbook, and when you crack open my own copy of the Fannie Farmer cookbook, this is one of the primary spots where it falls open.

Now, I know there are untold numbers of banana bread recipes out there, and I don't claim this one is the most delicious. Our elementary school pal Laura Kate served us some banana bread a few months ago that was unbelievably delectable, and Johanna did not spare my feelings about how much she wanted me to make that recipe. However, I think this one is one of the healthiest recipes around. The only moisture comes from ripe bananas and eggs - no butter, no oil, no fat. Most of the loaf breads out there (zucchini, pumpkin, persimmon) all seem to call for a cup of "salad oil."

Of course, if you've been following my posts, you know that the fat is no longer a problem for me - it's the sugar. Yeah, and the carbohydrates. So, of course, I had to make some changes to my old favorite. That being the case, I will give both versions of the bread; the original from Fannie Farmer, and the sugar-free, whole-grain adaptation. Either one is completely delicious, but of course, the whole grain version is even more nutritious, and you know how I like to pack in those nutrients.

Fannie Farmer's Banana Nut Bread

3 ripe bananas, well mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan. Mix the bananas and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the walnuts and blend. Put the batter in the pan and bake for one hour. Remove from the pan to a rack. Serve warm or cooled, as you like it.

Notes from Christine: the recipe does not specify the size of the bananas, and of course, banana sizes vary widely. I use 3 large bananas, or 4 small ones. This can mean varied liquid amounts, which can add to the length of the baking time. Just be sure to test the center with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.


Christine's Banana Nut Bread - EVEN NEWER - LOWER CARBIER THAN EVER!
Adapted from Fannie Farmer

3 large, ripe bananas, or 4 small ones, well mashed
2 large eggs

1/3 cup erythritol

3 TB xylitol

5 tiny scoops stevia


1 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup almond meal
3 TB plain whey powder or milk powder

1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup soy protein
1 TB wheat germ
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan.

In a small bowl, measure all of the sweeteners and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and stir in the sweeteners, then whisk in the eggs.

Measure the flours, salt and baking soda into a medium sized bowl and whisk them to combine.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mix and stir well. Add the nuts and stir in well. Spoon batter into the loaf pan, and bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf, then cool on a rack. This is most delicious toasted, served with butter or cream cheese.

Notes from Christine: You may have a bunch of questions as to why I've given the substitutions I have. Why whole wheat pastry flour? Well, pastry flour is lower in gluten than regular flour, and more finely ground; therefore, it makes a less dense bread, which I consider desirable! This way you get the whole grains and the reduced carbohydrates, but without the heaviness.  Why the flax meal? Flax meal is full of omega 3 fatty acids, which actively convert "bad" cholesterol into "good" cholesterol in your body. Here is a lovely way to sneak them into something yummy. Why the xylitol, erythrytol and stevia? As I have written in previous posts, stevia is a calorie-free, completely natural sweetener extracted from stevia leaves. However, it has a funky aftertaste. Therefore, it is best to mix it with another sweetener. Xylitol and erythritol are sugar alcohols, which the body metabolizes differently than sugar. They are way lower in calories, and metabolized 75% more slowly than cane sugar. They are very useful tools for diabetics or other sugar intolerant folks. I like those numbers! Plus, it is actually good for your teeth. However, erythritol is only abut 60% as sweet as sugar, and xylitol is extracted from birch wood.... So, ta-da! Mix them together!