Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil

A Simple side dish of mashed sweet potatoes with coconut oil.  That's it and it is delicious.

A re-post of the original from 5/24/2013.  Adding pin-able image, tweet-ables, and editing.  225 views and 2 +1s.

I will no longer put butter in my mashed sweet potatoes.  It's not about health or nutrition, or even an aversion to dairy (though those are all good reasons) it is about taste.  Once I added coconut oil to my sweet potatoes I was hooked.  The coconut oil brings out the sweetness of the potato, and adds a creaminess, like butter.   I must stress:  if you like sweet potatoes, get and use some coconut oil with them.  Here is the easy 2 ingredient recipe.

Easy #2ingredient MashedSweetPotatoes w/ #CoconutOil  [Tweet this]

Another recipe in my Thanksgiving sides series.  Everyone knows about sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving but why not try Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  You could make it more like casserole by adding some cream (or keep it dairy free and use coconut milk), cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and top with chopped Candied Pecans.  This will be my "sweet potato casserole" this year.

Trade #Sweetpotatocasserole 4 MashedSweetPotatoes #thanksgivingsides  [Tweet this]

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil

Servings:  2
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 very large sweet potato
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
Cinnamon (optional)

Peel and cut the sweet potato in small even pieces.  Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat and drain.    Remove sweet potatoes to a medium-sized bowl (or just put back in the saucepan) and mash with 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil.  No need to add any other liquid because sweet potatoes absorb more liquid while boiling than regular potatoes (but if you think you need some reserve some of the cooking liquid and use it).

Makes 2 servings.

Enjoy.

Also mentioned in this post:

Candied Pecans

For more vegetable sides check out:

Cinnamon and Cumin Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Maple Glazed Carrots                                          -

Sauteed Kale                                           -

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Sun-dried Tomato Spread

A zesty two-ingredient spread made with pureed sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil.  A great appetizer for a party, a gameday snack, or anytime.

Wow.  Sun-dried tomatoes are so rich in flavor.  They add an extra pop of flavor to anything they are added to.  I often just much them right out of the jar.  I love keeping a jar of these little beauties in the fridge for easy addition to pastas, pizzas, and antipasti.  Sun-dried Tomato Spread is simple (just a puree of sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil), packed with lycopene, versatile, and delicious.

Add rich flavor w/ Sundried Tomato Spread  [Tweet this]

This spread is so easy and quick to prepare and it's so delicious it will impress everyone.  It's perfect for a fancy dinner party or even a simple gameday snack.  I also love that it is healthy (packed with fiber and lycopene) in kind of a sneaky way.  Sundried tomatoes are just so delicious you don't even consider their nutrition, but it's there.

Snack healthy w/o realizing it w/ Sundried Tomato Spread  [Tweet this]

Sun-dried Tomato Spread

Prep time: under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Sundried tomatoes in Italian seasoned oil
Olive oil
Fresh basil (optional)
Parmesan (optional)

This is super simple.

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade,  add about 20-30 sundried tomatoes.

Turn the processor on and let chop/puree until the tomatoes are finely chopped.  Add optional ingredients (if using) and continue to chop.

Add oil 1 tablespoon at a time while processing until spread is to your desired consistency.  You may not need any extra oil if you use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes ...if it looks dry add some oil (remember it's easy to add more oil but you can't really take it away so err on the less oil side).

The spread is ready to serve immediately.  Serve with your favorite bread, meats, and cheese.  It's great on sandwiches or paninis and as a pizza sauce too.

Refrigerate any leftover spread.  I've kept it for up to a week...it would probably last longer (maybe not as long if you add fresh basil), but I always eat it all right away.

Enjoy.

For more dips and spreads check out:

Bacon Jam          -

Quick & Easy Guacamole

Hummus          -

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Quick & Easy Guacamole

A four ingredient guacamole with a wonderful flavor that's ready in no time.  So simple anyone can make it.

There are many uses for avocados but when I have them I always want to make guacamole.  It's creamy, savory, and delicious.  It makes a great snack or addition to meals like tacos, salads, even sandwiches.  I'm a guacamole addict.  Are you?

I'm a guacamole addict. Are you? [Tweet this]

One of the many awesome things about Hawaii is that avocados grow on trees.  Buying avocados can be a little pricey but I have a friend with an avocado tree in her yard.  It's a big old tree that produces lots of avocados and she shares them with me.  At one point, I had about eight avocados on my kitchen counter waiting to become perfectly ripe. I love Hawaii.

Money doesn't grow on trees, but avocados do. [Tweet this]

Now I have to mention this mortar and pestle.  I love it.  My husband brought it home one day (I think from Costco, but I don't remember for sure) because he knew I always wanted a good one.  That's my kind of romance.  I don't want diamonds.  The way to my heart is with cooking paraphernalia.  Anyway, it's eight inches in diameter and heavy (I have to use two hands to lift it).  It doesn't get moved often but has a place of honor on my prep table right beside my Kitchenaid.  It's great for grinding hard spices and for this recipe, pounding garlic.  The way to the best guacamole is with pounded garlic.  You can mince all you like but when you pound/mash it all the oils are released and it becomes very fragrant and delicious.  This is the way to make ready to serve guacamole.  You don't have to wait for the flavors to meld when you pound and mash everything together.  Now I love guacamole with lots of flavors in it like my Great Guacamole but, I love it quick and simple too.

The best guacamole is with pounded garlic. [Tweet this]

Quick & Easy Guacamole

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 avocados
2 limes
Hot sauce (like Habanero Hot Sauce)

Peel and mince (or just chop into small pieces) the garlic.  Then place it in a mortar and pestle and pound/mash it until it's very fragrant and kind of mushy (you can also use the edge of a  knife or even a garlic press for similar results, but nothing beats taking out some aggression by pounding it in a mortar and pestle).

Then add the avocado and juice from 2 limes.  Mash and stir the avocado until it's creamy and mixed well.

Add as much hot sauce as you like and stir to combine.  You can add salt if you like, but I rarely do since I eat it with tortilla chips that are usually salty enough.

It's ready to serve right away.  Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to a week (if it lasts that long).  You can also freeze it in a zipper bag just make sure all of the air is squeezed out (I've had frozen mashed avocado with lime juice in my freezer for up to 1 month--it may stay good for longer but did I mention I'm an addict).

Enjoy.

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Habanero Hot Sauce

Great Guacamole

Don't know what to do with all this guacamole?  Try:

Chicken and Black Bean Salsa Nachos

Guacamole Black Bean Tuna Salad

Tequila Lime Chicken Taco Salad

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Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

A 3 ingredient salad of carrots, cucumbers and lemon juice.  So simple yet so tasty.

I was looking for salad ideas to accompany my Spiced Lamb and Hummus.  Since I wanted to keep to the same Mediterranean theme I searched for ideas in a Greek cookbook that I have.  I knew I could make the usual Greek Salad but I wanted something different and simpler.  When I came across this salad I knew instantly that I had my salad.  What could be easier than only 3 ingredients (I guess only 1 or two, but...)?  I love carrot not to mention they add terrific color to any meal.  I was a little skeptical because the carrots are just tossed in lemon juice and I thought it would be too sour but the sweetness of the carrots blends with the tartness of the lemon juice to make one amazing flavor.  The cucumbers may seem like a random addition but they also taste great with lemon juice and add a different type of crispness to the salad.  I actually used the cucumbers to scoop up hummus and lamb.  Now my new favorite way to eat hummus is on a cucumber.

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 carrots, coarsely shredded
1 cucumber, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
salt to taste

I used my food processor to shred the carrots and I shredded them long ways to have longer strips of carrot (this adds to the texture of the salad).

Place shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add some salt if desired (I think I forgot to add salt and it was still delicious).

Cover salad and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Enjoy.

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