Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

I had an idea to make veggie tacos, but wanted sweet potato. I decided to try black bean and sweet potato burritos instead. I looked online, and most of the recipes I found had you make a mush of the beans and sweet potatoes (like refried bean consistency), but I wanted chunky. A lot of recipes had you roasting the sweet potato, but that would take too long. Here's what I did:

1 Sweet Potato, chopped into little chunks (about 1/2 inch cubes)

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

Olive Oil

1 can black beans, drained

Cumin to taste (about 1 teaspoon or more)

Granulated garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Whole wheat tortillas

Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, sour cream for topping

Saute sweet potato in a tablespoon of olive oil. When it starts to soften, add onion and bell pepper. Add more oil if needed.

Once everything is evenly cooked and starting to brown, add can of drained black beans (I didn't rinse, just drained off excess liquid) and seasonings. Stir to combine and cook another 2 minutes or so, until beans are warmed.

Serve in tortilla and top with Feta cheese, spinach, chopped avocado, and sour cream.

I added a little too much cumin (probably over 2 teaspoons), but it was still pretty good. Maybe a little bit of fresh chopped jalapeno would be a nice addition. And I should have added some nutmeg!

Okay, now I know this photo isn't going to make you want to try it - it's not very food stylish, but it was hard to take a picture to get the full effect. Maybe next time I'll revise it a bit, and try to get a pretty shot.

I chopped up the spinach on Brian's, but I got lazy on mine.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

I've been slacking off on my food posting because lately I've become obsessed with myFarm on Facebook and the Eisenberg Holiday Game (sooo addictive!).

I made these Spicy Black Bean Cakes from Everyday Food's Great Food Fast

Spicy Black Bean Cakes
from: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-black-bean-cakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
Lime Sour Cream (see recipe, below)

Heat broiler. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook scallions until softened, 1 minute. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add beans to bowl; mash with a fork or a potato masher, leaving about 1/4 of the beans whole. Season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in sweet potato, egg, and breadcrumbs. Divide into 8 balls of equal size; flatten into patties.
Brush a baking sheet with remaining tablespoon oil; place patties on sheet, 1/2 inch apart. Broil 4 inches from heat until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, carefully turn cakes. Broil until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve with Lime Sour Cream.
For the Lime Sour Cream: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream with 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice and 1 small minced jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired) season with coarse salt.

I followed the recipe. Mine did not turn out like the photo on the website:

Served with Shrimp on a bed of spinach (not very food-stylish, but tasty!).

The cakes were good, but I think next time I'm going to skip the healthy broiling method and pan-fry them.

Big Dish Sweet Potatoes

All teenagers go through their angry teen moments. One of my most vivid memories of me be a whiny, pain-in-the-rump tween/teen was on Thanksgiving. It was the coldest Thanksgiving of my life, and not just because of the wind, freezing rain, and sleet. The real reason: my grandmother didn't make her sweet potatoes. I looked forward to them all year, and no sweet potatoes. I remember walking home early (they only lived just down the street) with the wet sleet stinging my bratty cheeks.

About 8 years later, my grandmother passed away and someone else had to take over sweet potatoes. I thought the only way I could secure that sweet potatoes would be on the table is if I made them. So, for the past 8 or so years, I've been in charge of the sweet potatoes. I did change up my grandmother's recipe slightly. Here's hers:

Big Dish Sweet Potatoes

3 Cans Sweet Potatoes
1 stick butter
1 cup evaporated milk
6 TBSP brown sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. clove
3 cups marshmallows

Combine all ingredients until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Put marshmallows on top, and bake for 5 minutes.

My Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup evaporated milk
5 TBSP brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups marshmallows

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes on rack for 45-60 minutes (I place a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the rack with the potatoes to catch drippings. I know the potatoes are done when they start to bubble out a little bit). Remove potatoes and allow to cool until able to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except marshmallows until blended. Place in a baking dish and cook covered for 25 minutes. Remove lid and add marshmallows. Bake for 5 minutes or until marshmallows poof up and start to brown slightly.

This year I prepared everything the night before and refrigerate it, made it to my mom's house and stuck them in the oven 30 minutes before dinner time. You can't tell the difference at all. I'd really like to try heavy cream with them instead of the evaporated milk.

Sorry no pictures, but if means anything to you, Brian always said he hated sweet potatoes until he had mine.

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.