Sweet Potato and Avocado Salad - Nourish

Nourish is a fabulous restaurant in Scottsdale that caters to people with food allergies - and taste buds! Their menu features a variety of different delicious options, and no matter your allergy or intolerance, be it common (gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, corn) or more unusual (garlic, lettuce), the chefs at Nourish can accommodate your needs and give you something that's healthy, satisfying, and tasty. It's also a great place to go if you just want a menu full of healthy options. Most of their food is locally grown or organic, and they even have a store at the restaurant where you can buy the ingredients they commonly use. Nourish is located just north of Fashion Square Mall on Scottsdale Road and Highland in the Optima CamelView complex.

I first had Nourish's Sweet Potato Avocado Salad a few years ago when visiting their restaurant for the first time. I had never thought to combine these two super foods, but with the dressing it's absolutely divine. To my delight, Nourish has recently released a cookbook, Freak at the Table, that features plenty of the restaurant's best recipes, including my beloved salad. I have already made it twice in two weeks and can barely keep it at the house because my husband likes it so much.

Tonight's Oscar-watching menu:
Crockpot Great Northern Bean Soup garnished with shaved raw organic cheddar cheese
Mixed greens topped with Sweet Potato Avocado Salad (see below)
Homemade Gluten-free Bread (using Pamela's bread mix) with Organic Pasture Butter
Healthy Fudge

Sweet Potato and Avocado Salad
Adapted from Freak at the Table

Ingredients:

4 cups roasted sweet potatoes, chilled*
2 avocados, peeled, cored cut into 1/2 inch squares**
6 T Asian Vinaigrette
1 cup spring mix

*Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" dice
3 T EVOO
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. peppercorn blend, ground

**Asian Vinaigrette
(Makes 46 ounces - divide by 4 or 5 to make for this recipe; otherwise use leftovers for salad!)
1 cup coconut aminos acid (buy at Whole Foods - like soy sauce but soy-free!)
1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar
1 cup lime juice
2 T ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 T garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups EVOO

Instructions:

Cut the sweet potatoes and place in a bowl. Cover with oil and spices; toss to coat.




Spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. When done, let cool and store in an airtight container.


To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender (I just mixed them in a bowl). Drizzle the oil in the blender to emulsify the dressing. When done, remove from the blender and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.





Place the potatoes, avocado and Asian vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss gently to coat the veggies. Serve atop spring mix, or just eat directly from the bowl! This is also delicious topped with chicken or beans for added protein or mixed within a kale salad for more nutrient punch.



Note: the dressing is also great with freshly squeezed orange juice to sub some of the lime.

Enjoy!

*M*

Speedy Supper #2 - Arugula Salad with White Beans and Pesto, Grilled Sesame Sweet Potatoes, and Grilled Hoisin Chicken with Scallions

This post, the second in my Speedy Suppers series, utilized three recipes from the Real Simple "Simple 3-ingredient Recipes" article in the July 2011 issue. They're called "recipes," but don't be intimidated - these are simple instructions as to how to put a few things together for a quick and healthy meal, no complicated ingredients required! Thus, making three "recipes" for dinner really is as simple as making sure to have 9 ingredients on hand. I used the following recipes: Arugula Salad with White Beans and Pesto, Grilled Sesame Sweet Potatoes, and Grilled Hoisin Chicken with Scallions.

This is all the stuff you'll need!

You can make the salad a few hours ahead of time or prepare it while you're grilling the chicken and sweet potatoes. These recipes are great, too, because you can prep everything ahead of time and just throw it on the grill when you are ready. Plus, this minimizes clean up of pots and pans!

Arugula Salad with White Beans and Pesto

Ingredients:

4 cups arugula

1 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed

1/3 cup pesto (aim for olive oil-based pesto)

Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, toss together the arugula, beans, pesto, and 1/4 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper.

Grilled Sesame Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

1 tablespoon canola oil (I used sesame oil because I avoid canola)

Sea salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Heat the grill to medium. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Grill the potatoes, covered, until tender and lightly charred, 5-7 minutes per side. Drizzle with the sesame oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

(I toasted the sesame seeds by adding them to a heat-safe bowl in the convection toaster oven for about 5 minutes.)

Grilled Hoisin Chicken with Scallions

Ingredients:

4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken cutlets, which I had on-hand)

3 teaspoons canola oil (I used sesame oil)

Sea salt and black pepper

2 bunches scallions

1/4 cup hoisin sauce (I found mine at Whole Foods; it's gluten-free)

Instructions:

Heat grill to medium. Brush the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, toss the scallions with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Grill the chicken, covered, until cooked through, 4-7 minutes per side. Brush with the hoisin sauce and turn occasionally during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

(Put the hoisin sauce in a bowl to make for easier brushing on the chicken while at the grill.)

After the chicken has cooked for 5 minutes, grill the scallions, turning occasionally, until tender, 2 to 4 minutes.

Serve all recipes together and enjoy your speedy, yet elegant and flavorful, supper! (I threw a few croutons on the salad for the crunch my husband enjoys!)

Enjoy!

*M*

Meatloaf and Sweet Potatoes (Two Ways!)

Meat and potatoes can be delicious, comforting foods, especially during cooler fall month. I did some web searching to find a healthy recipe for meatloaf that includes bulgur and plenty of veggies, plus organic grass-fed ground beef. Since the recipe made so much meatloaf, I froze half of the raw meat mixture to cook a week later. This saves a lot of time and money, and it's great to have leftover meatloaf since even half of the recipe makes so much. Additionally, I made sweet potatoes two different ways (one recipe each of the two weeks), and both of them were delicious!

Healthy Meatloaf

Makes 10 Servings

• 1 cup dried mushrooms, such as shiitake, porcini or chanterelle
• 1 cup bulgur, (see Ingredient Note)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup nonfat evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 pounds 90%-lean ground beef
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Here's the 100% grass-fed organic beef I get at the farmers' market:

• Place mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with warm water; let stand for 30 minutes. Combine bulgur with the boiling water in another small bowl and let soak until the bulgur is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid; trim stems and coarsely chop caps.
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• 
  
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat and add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add Worcestershire and cook for 3 minutes, scraping the pan well as the mixture becomes sticky. Add tomatoes, evaporated milk and ketchup; stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture is very thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• 
  
• Whisk egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Add beef, breadcrumbs, the soaked bulgur, the mushrooms and the tomato mixture.

Here's the mix with the beef, breadcrumbs, and bulgur:

• Stir in parsley, thyme and salt. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
• 
  
• Mound the meatloaf mixture into a free-form loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sweet Potato Recipe #1: Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I make these sweet potatoes using my own recipe. It's great because you can make it to taste using the ingredients you have on hand. Here's what I used:

3-4 pounds organic sweet potatoes (from the North Scottsdale Farmers' Market)

Raw extra virgin coconut oil (2-3 tablespoons)

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Ground ginger

Vanilla extract

Sea salt

Walnut pieces

Look how big this sweet potato is!

I could do some serious lifting with this sucker!

Peel the sweet potatoes (or one very large sweet potato), chop into small pieces, and place in a large pot until soft.

Using an immersion blender, electric mixer, or blender, blend the cooked sweet potatoes pieces until smooth.

Stir in the raw coconut oil and spices to taste.

Add the walnuts. Optional: Spread the sweet potato mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

You can continue to bake the sweet potatoes as the meatloaf finishes, which is great because the potatoes brown really well and stay hot.

Serve with a green salad. Doesn't this look yummy?

Sweet Potato Recipe #2: Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves 12

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Instructions
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
• 
  

• Combine maple syrup, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper in small bowl. I ran out of maple syrup so used what I had left plus some stevia.
• 
  

• Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.
• 
  

• Cover and bake the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45 to 50 minutes more.
• 
  

Straight out of the oven. Don't these look awesome?

And here's the whole meal, plus steamed veggies:

This is healthy, wonderful comfort food! Freezing the second half of the raw meatloaf to cook later helps cut down on time and money and makes for a happy belly!

*M*