Sweet Potato Nachos May 22, 2016 13:32

It's been awhile since I shared anything here on the Road to Happy blog. Finally found a little time on this beautiful sunny Sunday:) I've been eating way too much crap lately and my body was begging for some veggies. A lovely vendor at the farmers market gave me some fresh yellow tomatoes that inspired this dish. I LOVE nachos but made the traditional way they are not only loaded with fat but they are expensive to make! So...after trying sweet potato in a burrito I thought why not nachos?

First thing you want to do is wash a sweet potato, pierce it and throw it in the microwave until its nice and soft. Mine was pretty large and took maybe 6 or 7 minutes but I stopped every few minutes to check just so I didn't overcook it. 

Next, I chopped up tomatoes, green pepper, green onion and fresh cilantro. I added chili flakes (because I had no fresh jalapenos), some lemon juice (because I had no fresh limes) and some sea salt. I mixed it up and put it in the fridge for a bit to let the flavors mix together.

I took my cooked sweet potato and scooped it out of the skin and into a dish. I mashed it up with a spoon and sprinkled a little salt on top and allowed it to cool. Then I added the veggie mix on top and ate it with some nacho chips.

Simple. Delicious. So quick to make! There is no actual recipe for this dish. You just use what you have on hand and what you like to eat. If you don't like spicy or cilantro, don't add it. If you love black olives or sour cream, add them. Anything goes! Use your intuition and your taste buds as your recipe. I would have loved guacamole or avocados with this dish but I didn't have any...next time!

After writing this I think I am now in the mood for seconds lol It was really THAT good. 

Happy Sunday everyone!

Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes - Can Be Made Vegan March 6, 2016 15:47

Just wanted to share another super simple recipe with you all. The awesome thing about this dish is that you can make it using whatever ingredients you have on hand and can flavor it using any of your fave spices and seasonings. 

When it comes to cooking...as a rule, I don't follow any rules! I find that too many recipes have unnecessary steps or require you to spend a fortune on ingredients you don't need. I call it Intuitive Cooking :)

This recipe was an experiment since I had never made it before. To start:

Ingredients:

* Cooked mashed orange flesh sweet potato,

* Some cooked veggies chopped small

* Can of skinless, boneless salmon (or any other meat). Skip this ingredient to make the dish vegan.

* Your fave spices

1) Pierce an orange fleshed sweet potato with a fork several times and throw it in the microwave for approx 8-10 minutes. I started with 6 minutes and then checked periodically until the flesh was soft. Mash it up with a fork. Substitution: You could use mashed squash or turnip instead and you can boil or bake it rather than using the microwave.

2) After mashing the sweet potato, add a couple of your fave veggies. I used chopped onion and frozen peas that had thawed. Substitution: You could add cooked corn, small pieces of broccoli or cauliflower or really any other veggie you like that has been cooked and chopped small. I didn't find it necessary to cook the onion though I would cook any other veggies before adding.

3) Add a can of boneless, skinless salmon. Substitution: You could use any other cooked fish or even any cooked ground meat. To keep this recipe VEGAN don't add any meat or fish :)

4) Add your fave spices. I kept it simple this time because I wanted to know what the dish tasted like on its own. I used salt, pepper, a little cayenne and chili pepper flakes. Substitution: Add you fave seasonings like curry, cumin, garlic or anything else you like. Fresh herbs would also be delish!

5) Shape into cake patties or into balls - your choice. Roll in seasoned bread crumbs...OR NOT. I tried it both ways and honestly I couldn't really taste a huge difference. Substitution: If you decide to roll into crumbs, you could use crushed crackers, chips or panko crumbs. 

6) Pan fry in your fave oil (I used extra virgin olive oil) over medium heat until a light crispy crust forms. OR bake in a pre-heated oven at approx 400 for about 15 minutes (until the outside feels a little crispy) and turn once after about 8 minutes. NOTE: If you bake, there is no need to add oil but I do suggest cooking on parchment paper or a lightly greased piece of foil. Also the crumbs won't brown like they do when pan fried but they will still taste great!

7) Serve as a side or main dish! I like spicy foods so I added a little Sriracha sauce mmmmm Substitution: You could also put the mixture into a baking dish or muffin tin, add some crumbs on top (or cheese) and bake as a casserole until the crust becomes a little crispy. All the ingredients are already cooked so it won't take very long. You could also put the cooked sweet potato balls or patties in a wrap with any of your fave toppings and eat it that way for a quick & easy meal to go!

So there you have it. Lots of options to make this quick, delicious and healthy meal your way! As I mentioned, I tried doing this dish both with and without bread crumbs and I tried both pan frying and baking. In the end, the taste was very similar so make it any way that appeals to you :)

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Watermelon Salad September 10, 2015 00:00

I love to cook but I hate following complicated recipes, so this refreshing 3 ingredient Summer salad is right up my alley. No cooking or measuring required!

All you have to do is cut chilled watermelon (preferably seedless) into cubes. Toss with a bit of crumbled or cubed feta cheese and fresh mint chopped into small pieces. Use as much or as little mint and feta as you like - whatever tastes good to you! Optionally you can add blueberries for a little extra flavor and fun!

Takes just minutes to prepare but your guests are sure to ask you for the recipe :)

Do you have a fave easy peasy salad recipe you would like to share? Feel free to leave it in the comments.

Article by Judi Hartlin - Owner of Road to Happy