Spiced Potato Wedges

Last week I had a visitor and was in need of a quick light snack, or at least one where I would not be tied down to the kitchen. I made these spiced potato wedges. I used regular white potato so they cooked up really quick. The oven did all the work.

These wedges turn out crispy and tasty. They were all gone very quickly. I had to prep everything for the pictures before they came out of the oven. They taste best right out of the oven and I did not want to let them get cold.

I used cayenne pepper with some coriander/cumin powder for the spice. You could use your favorite blend of spices.

You will need (2 servings)
3 medium white potatoes
salt and black pepper to taste
spices (I used a pinch of cayenne with a 1 tsp coriander/cumin powder)
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges. Sprinkle all the dry ingredients (except oil) and combine to coat the potatoes with them.

Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle oil over the top. Bake for 10 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven and flip the potatoes. Return the sheet to the oven and bake another 10 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Frittata

I have always been very fascinated by dishes that start on the stove top and are finished in the oven. However, until I got my Lodge cast iron pan I was not able to make any of these dishes. The cast iron pan is safe both on the stove top and at high oven temperature making it a perfect pan for Frittata. Today I used spinach and feta cheese to flavor the frittata.

This is a great weekend breakfast or brunch recipe using basic wholesome ingredients. If you are looking for nutritious breakfast/brunch recipes look no further.

You will need (2 servings)
4 eggs
1 tsp. olive oil or 1/4 tbsp. butter
1/4 onion
a handful baby spinach
2 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
6-7 sprigs cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Dice the onion and keep aside. Heat a oven proof skillet, I used cast iron, and add the oil/butter to it. Add the diced onion and saute for a few minutes. In the meantime clean, wash and chop the spinach. Add it to the pan and saute until wilted. Turn off the heat.

In a separate bowl break the eggs and add the feta cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper. Add a 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp. milk. Beat well.

Add the egg mixture to the pan. Combine well with the spinach.

Place in the preheated oven. Let it cook for 15 minutes.

The frittata should look fluffy but should not be dried out.

Take it out of the oven and cut it into wedges.

Enjoy!

Gigantes Plaki

I had some lima beans I wanted to use up, but I wanted to try something different with them. I decided to search for a new recipe to try. My search took me to a site with a lot of Egyptian recipes and gigantes plaki is the recipe I picked. I tweaked the recipe a little based on what I had in the house. The end result was delicious. I knew this would be loved at home as it has beans and tomatoes, both favorites.

This recipes could be made with other white beans as well. It would taste great as a dip with crackers or chips. I will definitely make this again.

You will need
1 cup lima beans, soaked and cooked (alternately used canned beans)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 pods garlic, peeled and minced
3 large tomatoes
4-5 sprigs cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
feta cheese for garnish

If you are using dried beans, soak them overnight, pressure cook until tender but not mushy. To pressure cook add twice the quantity of water and cook for 10 minutes. Dice the onions, mince the garlic, chop the cilantro and shred the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a pan heat the oil and add the onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and then add the tomatoes and half the cilantro. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes so it comes together as a sauce. Mix in the cooked beans and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an oven safe dish and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle the feta cheese and remaining cilantro.

Enjoy!

Sous Vide Sweet Potatoes

Sous Vide is a technique developed to cook tough to cook food. The food is cooked at a constant temperature for an extended period of time. This is not something I would try regularly or even infrequently. It was just something I tried this once as a challenge. The end results were great but I am sure you can achieve the same results with other techniques.

I used sweet potatoes as my 'tough' vegetable. I heated water in a pan on the stove top at a medium low temperature to about 180F and let it sit at that temperature. I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks. I put them in a ziploc freezer bag with a little butter and sugar. I then sealed the bag and placed it in the water. After about 40 F I had perfectly cooked sweet potatoes.



This is for week 2 for the 52 Week Challenge. The theme for this week is sous vide, not something I would willingly do but did it for the challenge.

This is my entry for week one, day three of BM #60 for the theme New Year Challenge. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#60.

Zucchini Soup

We all love soups on cold winter days. It is especially welcome when you return to the cold weather after spending a few days by the beach. It is also very welcome when your blender does all the work for you. I present today a recipe for Zucchini soup make in my blender, something I have wanted to try for a while now.

I have a Vitamix blender that has an option for soups. Add the liquids followed by the solids and blend. Hot soup is ready in 5-6 minutes. For some reason I had never tried soups in the blender. I tried smoothies but when it came to soups I made them on the stove top. After today that will definitely change.



In this recipe addition of other vegetables will make the soup thicker in consistency. If you like it creamy increase the amount of cream. My primary goal was something warm and light, so I kept the soup a runny consistency and added a little cashew paste to make it creamy.

You will need (3 servings)
2 cups vegetable stock
Cashew paste (Soak 10 cashews in 1/2 cup water, blend to a paste separately)
2 zucchini (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 red bell pepper (optional)
1 baked/boiled potato (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Add to the blender in the order given. Run the blender for 5-6 minutes until steam can be seen coming out the vented lid.

Enjoy!