Curried Sweet Potato Soup

from The Essential New York Times Cookbook via joy

serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onions

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

6 cups chicken broth, or slightly more as needed.

salt and pepper to taste

6 to 8 teaspoons goat cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and saute until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring for 30 seconds.  Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and red pepper flakes.  Add the sweet potatoes and broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup, in batches in a blender or food processor.  Season to taste.  The soup can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.  Reheat over a low flame.  If the soup is too thick, add a little more stock.

Chicken Salad

		main meals |  We lightened up this sandwich favorite with reduced-calorie mayonnaise and sour cream. walnuts.*

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound(s) Chicken breast without skin, roasted, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup(s) celery, finely diced
• 1/3 cup(s) dill pickle(s), or sweet gherkins, finely diced
• 1/4 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a large bowl; mix until blended. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Baked Ham with Spiced Pineapple Glaze

By Summer

• 1 Smithfield Spiral Sliced Ham
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup honey
• fresh pineapple slices, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°. In a medium bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Remove packaging from ham and score in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, making shallow cuts about 1 inch apart. Place ham cut-side down in a roasting pan, pour glaze over ham, reserving 1/4 cup to be used when serving. Stud with fresh pineapple slices, if desired. (Secure pineapple to ham with toothpicks.) Cover and roast for 10 to 12 minutes per pound. Allow ham to rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve warm, with reserved glaze.

Black Bean-Pineapple Soup Stew Chil

by SUSANV on APRIL 7, 2011

Black Bean-Pineapple Soup Stew Chili

Add more broth to make this stew more like soup and less to make it more like chili. Or, use even less to make a thick filling for tacos or a dip for tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 2 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon cubes)
• 1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder (or other pure, mild chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• generous grating black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 pound yellow squash or zucchini
• 1 cup crushed pineapple and juice

Instructions

1. Heat a non-stick pot and spray with cooking spray if desired. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden and beginning to brown (a pinch of baking soda will speed up this process). Add the bell pepper  cook until softened, about two minutes. Add the garlic, stir briefly, and then add tomatoes, beans, broth, and seasonings (but not squash or pineapple). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. While the beans are cooking, trim the squash and cut into small cubes.
3. Add the squash and pineapple, increase the heat a little, and cover. Simmer until squash is just tender. Check seasonings, adding more to taste, and serve.

Cooking time (duration): 40

Number of servings (yield): 6

Vegetarian Lentil Soup with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Cumin

(Makes about 6 servings, recipe slightly adapted from The Sugar Solution Cookbook.)

1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (not ground)
1 large onion, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 T minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
4 cans chicken broth or water (about 7 cups, original recipe called for 5 cups water)
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups chopped spinach (tightly packed)
salt to taste 

Put olive oil and cumin seeds in large heavy dutch oven and cook over medium heat until fragrant and starting to pop, about 3 minutes. (Stir a few times so they don't burn.) Stir in onion, minced garlic, ground coriander, and black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook about 1 minute more.

Add lentils and chicken broth, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered about 30-40 minutes, or until lentils are quite tender.

Add diced tomatoes and juice and chopped spinach and simmer uncovered 20-30 more minutes, until soup ingredients are well blended and lentils are starting to break apart. Season to taste with salt and serve hot.

Baked Curry Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

By Joy the Baker

Makes 1 potatoes worth of fries.  This recipe is easily multiplied

1 plump sweet potato/yam/orange-fleshed potato, peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Yogurt Sauce:

1/3 cup Greet yogurt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt to taste

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Peel sweet potato and slice off the top  and bottom points of the potato.  With potato positioned north to south, use a large knife to slice potato into 1/3-inch potato planks.  Stack planks in two piles, and slice, north to south, into 1/3-inch sticks.  Fries!

Place potato sticks onto prepared baking sheet and toss with olive oil.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add oil curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes and whisk to incorporate.  Pour the mixture over the potato sticks and gentle toss to coat the potatoes.

Place in the oven and bake to desired doneness and crispiness, my fries took about 40 minutes.  While the fries bake, stir together yogurt, cumin, olive oil and salt.  Place in a small serving dish.

Curried Lentil Sprout Sala

This dish is a favorite at our annual Block Party. It's a pretty decadent dressing,
but ooooh, it is really, Really Good!

Sprouts to Use

Peasant Mix

Any and All Lentils:

Crimson Lentils

French Blue Lentils

Green Lentils

Red Chief Lentils

etc.

Ingredients

Serves 1 as main course or 2 as a side

1 cup Lentil Sprouts or Peasant Mix
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 smallish red onion - diced
1/2 - 1 Tbs. curry powder
salt + pepper to taste
1 tomato - diced

Preparation

Chop veggies.
Mix all ingredients (except tomato) together by tossing gently.
Sprinkle diced tomato on top.

Serve

With pride.
Be sure to watch some of the folks first reactions when they taste this,
 and prepare yourself to tell them about it. They will be asking.

Notes

If this recipe doesn't prove that you can do ANYthing with sprouts, I don't know what will.

Feel free to substitute yogurt for the mayo and another tomato based product for the
ketchup -it is your kitchen after all!

We triple or quadruple this recipe for our parties. It is extremely popular.