yam

Yam Streusel Boats

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Yam Streusel Boats! Root vegetables are our friends. Yams, also known as sweet potatoes, contain more healthy fiber and Vitamin A than white potatoes. Plus they are lower in calories. Granted today’s recipe has a streusel topping, but think about it. When you eat a baked (white) potato, do you add butter, sour cream, and crumbled bacon? I know, right! Obviously portion-control is part of the equation in making healthy choices. With the holidays on the horizon, think warm, comfort foods containing root vegetables.

YAM STREUSEL BOATS

Ingredients for Yams:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 pinch cinnamon

1 pinch chipotle chili powder

Ingredients for Chipotle Pumpkin Seeds:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon raspberry chipotle rub

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/4 cup chipotle pumpkin seeds, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Rub sweet potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Pierce the top with a knife. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack. Bake one hour. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Place potato shells on a baking sheet. Slightly mash the sweet potato flesh. Add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and chipotle chili powder. Whisk until smooth. Spoon mixture equally into yam shells. For seasoned pumpkin seeds, combine butter, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and raspberry chipotle rub. Whisk well. Put pumpkin seeds in a ziplock bag. Pour butter mixture over all. Seal and shake to coat. Transfer seeds to a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Toss and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool. Chop 1/4 cup of seasoned pumpkin seeds for topping. For streusel topping, use a medium bowl. Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter. Mix well. Topping should be crumbly. Fold in chopped pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle streusel topping over mashed sweet potatoes. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Oregano Hasselback Sweet Potato

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Table Food: Oregano Hasselback Sweet Potato! Have you ever stepped foot in a grocery store and been greeted by a warmer filled with foil-wrapped oven-baked sweet potatoes? The naturally sweet, earthy aromas trigger the tastebuds the same way rotisserie chicken and sizzling bacon do. You want it and gotta have it. Wait until you bite into the creamy texture infused with oregano and cinnamon. Sounds like a sensual adventure, doesn’t it?

OREGANO HASSELBACK SWEET POTATO

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Leaving skin on potatoes, wash thoroughly and pat dry. Put one potato on a cutting board. Beginning at one end, slice in strips, being careful to stop before slicing the bottom skin. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Continue until both potatoes are sliced. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, crushed oregano, seasoned salt, and cinnamon. Brush each potato with olive oil mixture, separating slices to coat both sides. Drizzle remaining oil over all. Bake potatoes one hour until crispy, basting occasionally. Serve immediately.

Yam Sticks

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Yam Sticks! Here is a nice alternative when craving French fries. Substitute the Idaho potatoes for yams and bake them instead of frying. You’ll feel better about making a healthy choice while mixing up the menu a bit. Give your taste buds a real surprise as you go from hum-drum to WOW!

YAM STICKS

Ingredients:

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well until yam sticks are evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the oven so it is already hot before adding the yams. Being careful when removing it from the oven, lightly spray the baking sheet with non-stick oil. Spread yam sticks into single layer. They crisp up better when they’re not touching. Bake about 40 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Turn halfway through baking, using kitchen tongs. Serve immediately.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Y

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Yam Streusel Boats! Root vegetables are our friends. Yams, also known as sweet potatoes, contain more healthy fiber and Vitamin A than white potatoes. Plus they are lower in calories. Granted today’s recipe has a streusel topping, but think about it. When you eat a baked (white) potato, do you add butter, sour cream, and crumbled bacon? I know, right! Obviously portion-control is part of the equation in making healthy choices. With the holidays on the horizon, think warm, comfort foods containing root vegetables. 
YAM STREUSEL BOATS
Ingredients for Yams:

2 medium sweet potatoes 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 teaspoon maple syrup 

1 pinch cinnamon 

1 pinch chipotle chili powder 
Ingredients for Chipotle Pumpkin Seeds:

2 tablespoons butter, melted 

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon raspberry chipotle rub

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon butter, softened 

1/4 cup chipotle pumpkin seeds, chopped 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Rub sweet potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Pierce the top with a knife. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack. Bake one hour. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Place potato shells on a baking sheet. Slightly mash the sweet potato flesh. Add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and chipotle chili powder. Whisk until smooth. Spoon mixture equally into yam shells. For seasoned pumpkin seeds, combine butter, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and raspberry chipotle rub. Whisk well. Put pumpkin seeds in a ziplock bag. Pour butter mixture over all. Seal and shake to coat. Transfer seeds to a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Toss and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool. Chop 1/4 cup of seasoned pumpkin seeds for topping. For streusel topping, use a medium bowl. Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter. Mix well. Topping should be crumbly. Fold in chopped pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle streusel topping over mashed sweet potatoes. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter K

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Sunshine Eats: Kielbasa Sausage Stew! As the outside temperatures continue to rise and fall, there’s comfort in bringing a hearty meal to the dinner table. This is what I call Food for the Soul. Warm up a side of artisan bread from the local bakery, smear on a dab of sweet, creamy butter, and sink your teeth into a heart-warming meal that is sure to please. Rainy days and chilly nights make this an extra-satisfying dish, especially when the sun refuses to shine. 
KIELBASA SAUSAGE STEW
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces smoked Kielbasa sausage, sliced into circles

1/2 onion, diced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon paprika 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

2 cups chicken broth

1 carrot, pealed and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 small potato, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubes

1 cup kale, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Instructions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and sliced Kielbasa sausage rounds. Brown on both sides. Do not burn. Reduce heat and add diced onion. Sauté together 3 minutes until golden. Add Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Set aside. In a 2-quart pan, combine chicken broth, diced carrots, diced celery potato cubes, and sweet potato cubes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add contents of skillet. Allow to simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes longer to enhance flavors. Remove from heat. Add kale and chopped parsley. Stir a couple minutes to wilt. Serve immediately.