Cabbage, Ham and Potato Soup

Yum

The scene couldn't have been more fitting when I first made this soup. It was a lazy Sunday and the rain had be coming down for hours on end. There was a chill in the air, making it the perfect day to stay indoors wearing my favorite comfy clothes - and to create the ultimate St. Patrick's Day soup!

I imagine it is like this in Ireland quite often, which would be incredibly detrimental to my productivity. But seeing as how we've been in a drought for so long in California, it was a very welcomed rainy day.

Now, let's talk about this soup. 

I, for one, am a huge lover of cabbage. Raw, slaw, stewed or pickled - you name it, I'll eat it. Not everyone goes ga-ga for the vegetable like I do, but I'm hoping to change your tune after trying this soup.  Loaded with cabbage, cubes of ham, sweet potatoes and seasoned with caraway seeds and fresh thyme, this soup will warm you from the inside even on the coldest and rainiest of days. (OK, so I know sweet potatoes aren't really keeping with the Irish theme BUT they are the white sweet potatoes and I think they are more fitting that the traditional tuber)

This recipe makes a VERY large batch of soup, which is great as this rewarms wonderfully. I'm beginning to realize all of my Soup Recipes make large batches...

This will feed a family for a meal or two, or you can easily freeze a portion of this soup if you are only cooking for one or two. It doesn't need to be St. Patrick's Day to enjoy this soup, but a lazy, rainy Sunday to enjoy a warm bowl doesn't hurt.

Cabbage, Ham and Potato Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: about 10 cups of soup

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ham steak, cubed
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups white sweet potatoes, cubed

For garnish:

• Irish Soda Bread

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add onions and olive oil. Cook while stirring often until onions are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. Add cubed ham, garlic, thyme, caraway seeds, bay leaves,salt and pepper. Stir and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add cabbage and chicken broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil, about 10 minutes.
4. Add sweet potatoes and return to a boil, 5 minutes. 
5. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Allow any remaining soup to cool and store in the refrigerator or freeze.

Nutritional Information (1 cup soup):

138 calories - 13 g Protein, 15 g Carbohydrates, 2.8 g Fat

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Yum

I absolutely love sweet potatoes - the firm, light-skinned, pale flesh variety. Not to be confused with the soft, copper-skinned and orange flesh variety which stores often label as 'yams'.

Confusing, right? I've shared this article before, but if you want to nerd out on sweet potato varieties, read this article from The Kitchn.

Now that we are both on the same page about which glorious tuberous root I'm referring to, let's continue..

I recently discovered that these pale fleshed sweet potatoes boil and mash BEAUTIFULLY...and quickly, I might add. One of my gripes I've always had with sweet potatoes is that they take for-ev-errr to bake or roast. And let's be real here, I'm usually starving when I actually start preparing my meals and the thought of waiting 45 minutes to an hour for them is unbearable and I'm not motivated enough to wait.  

All it takes is some boiling water and chopped sweet potatoes, and in just 10 MINUTES you've got yourself some wonderful mashed sweet potatoes. 

Now, you could stop right after boiling and mashing the sweet potatoes and be well on your merry way eating as I've shown on through my Instagram HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. However, these mashed potatoes can be oh-so-much better when transformed into this Twice Baked Casserole. 

This casserole is a breeze to make and it reheats wonderfully - perfect for those weeknight dinners when you are in need of something quick! This warm and creamy casserole is made of soft mashed sweet potatoes, low-fat or nonfat cheddar cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt garlic and green onions. It's like a loaded baked potato...but in casserole form.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs sweet potatoes (light-skinned, pale flesh), peeled and chopped **this is the weight after they've been peeled so account for a little more when purchasing
• 2 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 5 green onions, thinly sliced whites and greens
• 4 oz nonfat or low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tsp garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and bring a pot of water to a boil. Once water as come to a rolling boil, add chopped potatoes. Boil for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
2. While potatoes are boiling, prepare other ingredients.  Once the potatoes have softened, drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. With a large wooden spoon, simply mash the sweet potatoes. Add the butter, Greek yogurt, green onions, cheese, garlic and salt and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Casserole is also great reheated!

Nutritional Information (1 serving, 6 total each roughly 1 cup each):

245 calories - 11g Protein, 41g Carbohydrates, 4g Fat

Sweet Potato Stacks

Yum

So a few weeks back I saw this video that Tasty posted for Sweet Potato Marshmallow Stacks. I thought the technique of making these was genius, but I was in the mood for a savory sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving, rather than sweet.

On Thanksgiving last week, the sweet potatoes were my last dish to prepare. I had no recipe and just went with what felt right. I grabbed my mandoline and sliced up a few yams. NOTE: technically these super orange taters are yams, the whiter ones are actually sweet potatoes, but I digress...

I threw the sweet potatoes into a mixing bowl then added some fresh rosemary, thyme, grated Parmesan, melted butter, salt and pepper.

I gave that all a good mix, making sure no sweet potato was left behind when it comes to melted butter and cheese! I stacked those little guys into a muffin tin and baked them in the oven. 

The result? These awesome little stacks of crispy cheesy goodness. 

These sweet potato stacks are so simple and take no time to prepare. Looking for an appetizer to take to your next holiday party? These are the perfect finger food!  Not in the mood for sharing? These are awesome re-warmed so they could easily be made ahead of time and eaten throughout the week. 

Whatever the occasion, don't miss out on these stacks.

Sweet Potato Stacks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12 stacks

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large sweet potatoes (21 oz total weight)
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Kitchen Tools:

• Mandoline slicer
• Muffin tin

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Slice sweet potatoes into disks with a mandoline slicer.If you do not have a mandoline, you can thinly slice with a knife but try to be as uniform as possible. 
3. In a large mixing bowl combine sliced sweet potatoes, melted butter, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and only half of the parmesan cheese. Toss potatoes until they are even covered with the butter and cheese. Layer potato slices in a muffin tin. As a tip, the smaller slices from the ends of the sweet potatoes fit best in the bottom of the tins and as you layer up the larger slices fit better! 
4. Top each stack with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Remove from tin and serve. 

Nutritional Information (1 stack): 

60 calories - 1.8 g Protein, 10.5 g Carbohydrates, 1.7 g Fat

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Yum

Another healthy snack alternative comin' atcha! Ditch the store bought chips that are high in fat and artificial flavorings. Opt for these homemade sweet potato chips that are perfectly crispy, simple and delicious. 

I must stress that baked sweet potato chips work best with SWEET POTATOES, not YAMS. Sweet potatoes have a white interior and a pale brown skin. Very different from a yam, which has a bright orange interior. If you want to learn more about the difference in potatoes I suggest reading this article! What's the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?

If you ask me, the key to great chips is starting with thinly sliced sweet potatoes, all of which are uniformly cut. This ensures even baking. I can't stress how much easier a mandoline slicer makes your life with this step!

Next, you need patience. You need to allow the chips ample baking time and you need to be diligent and watchful so that they do not burn! It is important to space the chips out on multiple baking sheets. If they are too close together they won't bake properly. Additionally, you will need to flip the chips one by one, halfway through their baking. 

Tedious? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Prep Time: 10-015 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 small/medium WHITE sweet potatoes, peels and sliced (14 oz)
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line multiple baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare your potato chips by peeling your potatoes and then thinly slicing (about 1/8" thick) with a mandoline slicer or parring knife. Once both potatoes have been sliced, toss with olive oil and salt. 
2. Evenly space chips out on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until bottom sides of chips begin to brown. Carefully flip each chip over and return to oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes. During this step it is important to keep a watchful eye on the chips. I remove individual chips if they have baked fully, allowing the remaining to continue baking. 
3. Remove from oven and allow chips to cool - this also allows them to crisp up! Once cooled, enjoy!

Nutritional Information (1 serving)

110 calories - 2 g Protein, 21 g Carbohydrates, 2 g Fat