Category: Vegetables

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Stuffed Jalapeños and Roasted Honeynut Squash

Appetizer, Food, Vegetables

Today, I was feeling a little creative.  I could not allow for my jalapeños to go bad.  So I thought to myself, why not stuff the jalapeños with sweet potatoes and saute diced onions and apples, see how that goes? I figured it is also Monday, so let’s create a new recipe for Meatless Monday and the results, I can see I’m proud of.  The spicy jalapeño stuffed with the sweet potato and topped with the saute onions and apples goes hand in hand.  Now, if you cannot handle the heat, please feel free to use the small sweet peppers instead.  I also bought from the grocery store this tiny squash that looks like a butternut squash but it is called honeynut squash.  I decided to stuff it as well with the leftover onions and apples.  So please enjoy.  If you try out this recipe, let me know how you liked it.

honeynut-squash-stuffed-jalapeno-w-sweet-potato-and-apples-4399

Ingredients:

2 small sweet potatoes

6 jalapeños

1 med sweet onion

1 med apple of choice

1 honeynut squash

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp Coconut oil

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.  Once preheated, slice the honeynut squash in half and remove the seeds.  Save the seeds if you want to toast it and eat it as a snack.  Rub coconut oil on the cut side of the squash.  Place in a baking sheet cut side down and bake for 30 minutes or until ready.

Slice the jalapeños in half length wise and remove the vein and seeds.  Peel the sweet potatoes, dice and place in a pot with water.  Once the water begins to boil, give it about 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked and tender.  Once ready, remove from the heat and strain the potatoes and with a fork mash the potatoes.  Dice the medium onions and place in a pan with coconut oil.  Cook the onions until translucent, then add the diced medium apple.  Continue to cook until the apples are tender.  Stuff the jalapeños with the sweet potatoes, place on a baking pan and place it in the oven until the jalapeños are roasted.

Remove both the honeynut squash and the jalapeños, add the saute onions and apples.  Serve and enjoy! The stuffed jalapeños or peppers are perfect for a quick snack, appetizer or take to a party and share with friends.

Never be afraid to try something new in the kitchen.  This is how you find out what pairs well together.  Bon appetite! Happy Monday! -Lily

 

 

 

 

Baked Chicken & Roasted Potatoes

Chicken, Food, Vegetables

Today, I did not wake up in a cooking mood.  However, I have to cook in order to fuel my body, have lunch for tomorrow, as well as dinner.  So I opted to go the easy and “lazy” route…let the oven do the cooking.

It’s a simple recipe, but the star of this dish is the baked chicken and how I let it marinate at least for an hour in order to get the flavor I was looking for.  Garlic and sage goes hand in hand when it comes to poultry.

Baked chicken and potatoes_1488

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken:

1 to 2 lbs of Chicken drumsticks or thighs

Dried sage

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Dried Italian herbs or oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

For the roasted potatoes:

10 butter potatoes chopped about 2 inches in size

Sweet paprika

Oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lg red onion chopped in quarters

Green onions

Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a mortar mash the garlic until it is into a paste.  Pour about 3 tbsp of Olive oil.  Add the salt, pepper, dried oregano or Italian herbs, and dried sage and mix together.  In a bowl place the rinsed chicken drumsticks or thighs and pour the marinade.  Make sure the marinate is mixed well with the chicken.  Cover it for an hour.

Preheat the oven at 300 degrees.  Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and let it cook.  Once it looks ready, raise the heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook until the skin is crispy.

One a cast iron skillet, place it on medium heat on the stove.  Once it is hot, add olive oil and the potatoes.  Season it with salt and pepper, sweet paprika, and Italian herbs.  Mix it and allow it to get somewhat pan roasted.  Add the chopped onions and mix well.  Place it in the oven while the chicken continues to cook in the oven until the potatoes are crispy and roasted on the outside but soft on the inside.

Once both the chicken and the potatoes are cook, serve it and add some sliced green onions to the potatoes to add the fresh onion flavor.

Thanks to my oven, I was able to bum around the house and still be able to cook a delicious easy recipe.  Cooking doesn’t have to be stressful but it can still be easy, simple, healthy and flavorful.