Roasted Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes with Crisp Sage

It's 92 degrees here in CO, but I felt like cooking something that reminds me of Autumn. I will serve these amazing potatoes with a hearty spinach salad and call it a meal! 

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes with Crisp Sage 

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbs fresh sage, sliced thin  (about 8 leaves)
1 tbs coconut oil (or oil of choice for frying the sage)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 ° F.  Lightly coat a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper
• In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and pepper
• Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat
• Spread potatoes in an even layer onto the baking pan
• Roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned and starting to crisp
• Remove from oven and set aside
• Heat coconut oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add sage and stir for about 10 seconds, until fragrant and crisp. remove and add to the potatoes. 
• Eat and enjoy!  

Agave Pumpkin Pie with Walnut-Brown Sugar Topping

                                   Agave Pumpkin Pie with Walnut-Brown Sugar Topping

Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 can (15oz) pure pumpkin
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup light agave nectar
2 eggs

Pie Crust:
1 unbaked 9" gluten-free pie crust (found at natural food markets)

Topping:
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and spices. Continue beating until smooth. Add agave nectar and eggs one at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. Pour filling into gluten free pie-crust.

Bake for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 350°F and bake 30 more minutes. While pie is baking, combine all topping ingredients and blend into fine crumbs. Use a blender or small food chopper to do this.

After 30 minute time, sprinkle topping evenly over top of pie. Continue to bake pie for 10 to 15 minutes longer (or until knife inserted in center comes out clean). Let cool and then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent with foil and chill.

ready for a feast...

Thanksgiving dinner complete with pear and spinach salad, 

lemon-garlic green beans, braised carrots, maple roasted sweet-potatoes,

 GF cornbread stuffing, cranberries, turkey and of course PIE. 

Thanksgiving Side-Dish! Colorful Roasted Potatoes with Sage

This is probably one of the easiest and healthiest side-dishes you could have at your Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, it tastes delicious!

                                                        Colorful Roasted Potatoes with Sage

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. mixed fingerling potatoes (red, purple, yellow), cleaned and cut into about 1/2" to 3/4"cubes
1 1/2 lbs. red skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbs coarse kosher salt
20 medium fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl;  toss to coat well. Spread mixture in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until potatoes are tender and begin to brown around the edges. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring at the 1/2 way (20 min) mark. Serve roasted potatoes warm or at room temperature.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

There is something about fall that I really love yet also feel very sad about. The warm smells from the kitchen, the abundance of pumpkins and squash at the farmers markets, the warm days and cool nights...yes these are the things about autumn that make me smile. But all too soon, it comes to a screeching halt and I am left with cold bitter days, wind, fallen leaves, loads of snow, and the daylight is far too little. On cold days, I want warm comforting food so I turn to one of my favorite blogs for inspiration: Smitten Kitchen. Of course Deb at the Smitten Kitchen does not have a gluten-intolerance so I must adapt accordingly!

In my younger days, aka when I didn't know I was gluten-intolerant, I would make galettes for my vegetarian hubby. There is something beautifully rustic about them. Maybe it's because they remind me of a quaint french bistro or maybe it is all the savory or sweet goodness that is inside. Whatever the reasoning, today I wanted a Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette (original recipe here).

I haven't mastered my own flakey, buttery, gluten-free pie crust, so I used the recipe from Bella Gluten-Free to make a savory crust (no sugar). I was able to see "Bella" in action at a recent Boulder County Celiac Meeting and her pie crust was a big hit with the attendees. I purchased a bag of All-Purpose Baking mix to test out in my own kitchen. The recipe for sweet and savory pie crusts are on the back of the bag.

                                                                          Gluten-Free 

                                             Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

Filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter (if you have only non-stick, the smaller amount will do)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Pastry:
1 cup +2 tbs Bella Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix
1 tbs ice water
6 tbs cold butter

Instructions:
1. Make pastry crust by following instructions on Bella Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix.

2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

4. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

5. Assemble galette: roll the dough out into a 10-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

6. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.

fontina and sage

pastry flour

galette, before baking

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving is fast approaching which means menus need to be planned! I'm not a huge fan of the "traditional" thanksgiving dinner; the kind with soggy green-bean casserole and overly-sweetened marshmallow sweet potatoes. The taste of a crispy young green-bean and a lightly maple glazed sweet-potato far outweigh vegetables that have been overly cooked and overly flavored. Here are some of my favorite, fresh recipes that will definitely be on the table this year!

1. GF Buttermilk Cornbread Stuffing
2. Lemon Roasted Green Beans with Marcona Almonds
3. Braised Carrots with Shallots, Sage and Thyme
4. Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Cipollini Onions
5. Chocolate Torte drizzled with Fleur de Sel Carmel Sauce (recipe to come!)

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes 
2 cups (8 ounces) cipollini onions 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

5 sweet potatoes (2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick semicircles 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1/2 cup maple syrup 

3 tablespoons thinly sliced sage leaves

Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add onions, and blanch for 30 seconds. Transfer to ice-water bath; drain, and peel onions.

Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat until almost smoking. Add onions, and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook onions until tender, about 5 minutes more. 

Remove onions. Reheat pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add sweet potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until browned, about 20 minutes. Add butter, and cook, stirring, until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and onions, and cook another 4 minutes, until maple syrup has reduced to a glaze. Stir in sage, and season with salt and pepper. Recipe courtesy of  BluePrint Magazine 

Cornbread Stuffing

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
4 cups GF Cornbread, toasted and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried herb blend
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Prepare the stuffing. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease an 8-inch square pan with olive oil. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened, about five minutes; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste. In a large bowl, toss together the onion mixture, cornbread, apple and herb blend. Transfer to the prepared pan. Scatter the pecans on top and cover with foil; bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil; bake until crispy and golden, about 20 minutes more. Recipe found on The NY Times  

Carrots with Shallots, Sage and Thyme

1 cup chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 pound shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 stick unsalted butter 

1/4 cup chopped sage

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Cut carrots into 3-by 1/2-inch sticks. Bring stock to a boil with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet. Add carrots and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove lid and boil until most of liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer carrots to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

Cook shallots in butter with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden- brown, about 6 minutes. Add sage, thyme, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and return carrots to skillet, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Recipe found on Epicurious 

Lemon Roasted Green Beans with Marcona Almonds

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 pounds green beans, trimmed

1 onion, peeled, cut into 8 wedges

6 large fresh marjoram sprigs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

1/2 cup coarsely chopped Marcona almonds or roasted regular almonds

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Combine green beans, onion wedges, and marjoram in large bowl. Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Toss; divide between prepared sheets. Roast vegetables 15 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to roast until beans are tender and beginning to brown in spots, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to bowl. Add lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and half of chopped almonds. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Recipe found on Epicurious