Vegan Week - Day 4

Squash soup with ciabatta toasts.

Well, it wasn't the most exciting start to the day's menu, but breakfast was a simple 'n' sweet pb&j (the "j" was raspberry jam) with a side of applesauce. Some protein, some fruit, something substantial to last the morning.

I had a lunch meeting today with my friend Carolyn, whom I've known practically since I arrived in town two years ago, and my new friend Whitney; we were discussing the upcoming Mobile Meals Chili Cook-Off, so I can write a preview story about the event. We'd originally picked a different place, but then I blundered into this little vegan adventure. So we switched to Grumpy's precisely so I could order a very specific menu item: the Homemade Sweet Potato Vegan Burger.

Homemade Sweet Potato Vegan Burger at Grumpy's in Toledo.

The burger was huge, and the avocado made it slippery, but it tasted good! And avocado, of course, contains the so-called "good" fats. This was fun food, rather than the sterile stereotype of vegan fare.

Personally, I'd have served regular ol' potato chips instead of the kale chips, since they'd be vegan if they only had potatoes, oil, and salt. (Or, even better, salt and freshly ground black pepper ... ooh!) Please note that this is not a criticism of Grumpy's, which I love; rather, it is an indictment of kale. I can eat it, though when it's made into chips it reminds me of little wisps of burnt paper floating away from a bonfire. Kale chips ... potato chips. Which would you choose???

Having had such a generous lunch (of course, I ate the garlicky dill pickle, too!), I only needed a light dinner. So I made a squash soup with a splash of hard apple cider, and I served it with a couple of lightly-toasted ciabatta toasts.

Dessert was one I'd anticipated all week, but had to wait for. Craig eats bananas when they've still got some green on them, when they're not even ripe. I eat them when they're just starting to speckle. I cook with them when they've got a few more spots, and I bake with them when they're close to mush.

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Bananas with Toasted Coconut.

So, to get a better caramelization, I couldn't make this dish until the bananas had reached the perfect point of ripeness ... and today was the day! (This dessert was going to be my reward, last night, for filing Tuesday's feature story for the Food page; but it was better to wait 'til today, to make dinner seem less sparse.)

A pat of butter substitute, a splash of bourbon, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and some crispy toasted coconut - such simple ingredients, but such fabulous flavors to pair with the fruit! And don't forget the chocolate syrup which, believe it or not, is vegan. Not a speck of milk or whey or any other dairy product to be found!

So, the lesson for today is this: you don't need to eat anything elaborate, sophisticated, or complicated to enjoy good food. And you can still eat hearty food and sweet treats while eating as a vegan.


Squash Soup with Ciabatta Toasts

1 12-ounce package frozen squash
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup hard apple cider
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 slices ciabatta bread
Earth Balance butter substitute

Place the squash, stock, cider, applesauce, salt, and pepper into a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until squash is defrosted and soup is thoroughly heated.

Toast the bread, then spread with butter substitute.

Yield: 2 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu


Bourbon and Brown Sugar Bananas with Toasted Coconut

2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1/2 tablespoon Earth Balance butter substitute
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large banana
Chocolate syrup

Toast the coconut over low heat in a small skillet until just golden; set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the butter substitute, bourbon, and brown sugar together over medium-low heat. Slice the banana in half cross-wise, then slice each piece in half vertically. Place the banana pieces into the skillet and cook briefly on each side, just until golden.

Place the banana onto a serving plate, being sure to pour the caramelized syrup from the skillet over the fruit. Drizzle with syrup, then top with coconut.

Yield: 1 serving
Source: Mary Bilyeu

Top 13 of '13

The Carrot Cake at Village Kitchen.

Well, it's that time of year again - the end of December. Time to assess the past 12 months and the 1100 or so meals I've eaten, if you consider 365 days x 3 meals/day. (Snacks and whatnot likely take that number much higher!)

As always, I've eaten very well - I've been fed amazing items at friends' houses, in restaurants, at celebrations, by caterers, as gifts, and even at meals I've cooked myself. Some AnnArbor.com readers used to get snotty if I included my own dishes in my end-of-the-year round-up; but I'm not too shabby a cook, even if I'm not a gourmet chef, and I do make some really memorable items sometimes. Why shouldn't I be proud of myself and include them?

So, there's a range of foods and beverages here that showcases some of the most decadent, most delicious, and most special things I've enjoyed in 2013 - things I'd want to have again and again or, in some cases, the best version of something that I've yet made. In honor of the year that's ending, I've decided to give you a baker's dozen (since there seems to be an abundance of baked goods featured!).

And so, in no particular order, I offer my Top 13 of '13!

Photo courtesy of SequinWines.com

Sequin Sparkling Rosé: Its own site describes it as "captur(ing) the life of the party - light on its feet, yet dreamy and fresh. Delicate bubbles and shimmering flavors of lush strawberry, exotic lychee and lively citrus make this enchanting wine always worthy of a toast." My friend Mary said, "I can't think of anyone more perfect to receive a gift box of wines called Sequin wines!" Jeremy told me that this is "SO you!!!" Yes ... yes, it is. A lovely sweet, sparkly wine that's pink - my favorite color! What more did I need, except my handsome boyfriend to share it with?

Carrot Cake at Village Kitchen: "... I walked past the dessert case, and became completely smitten with the carrot cake .... This is so rich, so intense, so wonderful! I couldn't resist." Four layers of moist, sweet cake schmeared with luscious cream cheese frosting ... sigh.

Blue Cheese Crostini: Warm, crisp, gooey, rich, addictive. "Even Craig, who loathed blue cheese before he met me, has apparently become a convert and relished these." They'd make a great treat to serve with champagne or sparkling cider - or Sequin Sparkling Rose! - at your New Year's Eve celebration.

Amanda's Kugel: I should include this every year, and so I decided it was time to give my friend Amanda Fisher some love. Amanda is a caterer who offers simple, sophisticated, stellar food. And when she makes her sweet, cinnamon-scented noodle kugel, it's a good day at work. Amanda will be in the kitchen down the hall from my desk, preparing for an event, and we'll be taunted and teased with the aroma of kugel baking. Often, since she's a sweetheart, she'll make one just for the staff to enjoy. And we start calling our co-workers: "There's 'Amanda kugel' in the Conference Room." I'm serious - Amanda bringing us kugel is an event to announce! I brought some home for Jeremy one time, and he was very blasé. "Why aren't you eating it? I'm saving it for you." "Meh, I don't like kugel as much as you do." "But it's AMANDA kugel!" "Fine ...," he said with significant annoyance and irritation at being interrupted in the midst of whatever he was doing. Taste. Pause. "Wow. Amanda makes a better kugel than you do." I know!!! I make some great kugels, if I may say so myself. Amanda's is still better.

Maple Almond Sweet Potatoes: This dish, "enhanced with maple syrup (is) easy to make ahead and to reheat, so your holiday meal isn't any more chaotic than is necessarily inherent to putting on a feast. It was unanimously agreed at Thanksgiving that this was the best sweet potato dish I've ever made. And since I love sweet potatoes and cook with them all the time, that was exceptional praise, indeed!" There have been a lot of other dishes competing for that honor over the years, but this was the sweet potato winner of all time, apparently. That it was made with the beautiful Grade B maple syrup from Sweet Brook Farm that my friend Kate had brought me from Massachusetts only made things - yup, you know it's coming! - sweeter!

Baba Ghanouj at Ali Baba's Restaurant: I'm not usually a fan of eggplant, particularly of baba ghanouj. But that changed one day when my co-worker, Beth, and I ordered take-out from Ali Baba. I'd been there with Craig just recently, and could definitely vouch for how good the food was. But you know me - I like variety. I didn't want to order what I'd already enjoyed, so I tried a vegetarian combo that included baba ghanouj. I wasn't going to let the eggplant deter me, since it came with tabouli, hummus, and warm pita bread that I love. And when I tasted it, I was amazed - it was the best part of the assortment! It was smoky, almost - dare I say it? (I mean it as a huge compliment!) - bacon-y. When I go back to Ali Baba, I will absolutely make sure I order the baba ghanouj again ... something I've never said about any other version that I've eaten.

The King Burger at The Full House Restaurant: Just a good ol'-fashioned burger with no pretense, beautiful in its simplicity. Build a Better Burger, a famous cooking competition, wants 15-ingredient sauces, 86-ingredient marinades, 23-ingredient salad toppings, and 56-ingredient condiments (I exaggerate ... but not that much), combining far too many competing flavors and masking the purity of the burger itself. Full House lets quality ingredients shine so that you can actually taste the beef, the seasoning, the lettuce, the tomato ....

Syl's Mandelbrot: "Craig's Aunt Syl, his mother Helen's twin sister, seems to have been a particularly noted baker. And her recipe for mandelbrot - Anglicized to 'Mandel Bread' - is excellent. I've prepared a lot of biscotti and mandelbrot in my many years of baking, and this one is absolutely the easiest to mix, to shape, and to slice that I've found. The finished cookies aren't too crisp, either, as some variations on this treat require dunking rather than merely being enhanced by a dip into coffee or wine; these can be eaten 'as is.' And, best of all, the mandelbrot taste really great, too!"

Apple Fritter at Dimo's Deli and Donuts: "I dare you to walk in that door, smell all the sugar perfuming the air and infusing it with happiness — Craig and I actually stopped and stood still, just to savor the fragrance — and then order anything but an apple fritter. It looks up at you from the display case, makes eye contact, flirts shamelessly; it might even be whispering sweet nothings in French. You can't help yourself. You may briefly think about the consequences, but you know in your heart that resistance is futile. The apple fritter ... has chalked up another notch on its bedpost, having seduced you. But don't feel the least bit guilty for your lack of willpower. It was worth it."

Pączki [POONCH-key] from the New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck: My BFF Wendy and I made the not-quite-hour-long trek to Hamtramck [ham-TRAM-ick], a traditionally Polish community which is mostly (but not entirely) surrounded by Detroit, for Pączki Day. "In Polish communities, all the butter, eggs, sugar, cream, lard, and other items that are about to become verboten during Lent - as Christians prepare for Easter through a combination of sacrifice, abstinence, fasting, and penitence - are embedded into sturdy, luscious pączki." Thus, while Brazilians have Carnival and New Orleans has Mardi Gras, in Michigan we have Pączki Day on the day before Ash Wednesday. Pączki are reminiscent of, but go far beyond being, mere jelly doughnuts. And the spirit of conviviality and jubilation among fellow celebrants waiting in line to get into the bakery - huddling together happily in the cold, smelling joy as the sugar perfumes the air, cheering as another customer inches back through the crowd after successfully buying dozens of treats to share with loved ones - is grand fun.  Partly it's about the pączki, but mostly it's about the experience.

The Fat Elvis Cookie from Dino's Lounge at Baconfest Michigan 2013: "... peanut butter and banana cookies with chocolate chips, frosted with strawberry jam and sprinkled with candied bacon." Need I say more??? It had the whole sweet-salty, crispy-chewy contrast party going on, all in one treat! 

Pear Compote with Gingered Shortbread Crumbs: "This dessert - sophisticated comfort food - turned out far, far better than I'd even hoped!  Sweet pears, accented by the (Gnarly Head) Chardonnay, layered with crisp and buttery cookies ... sigh.  I had planned to save some of this to take to work the next day, a treat to look forward to; but it was so exceptionally good that I devoured the entire thing in one sitting!"

Chocolate, Caramel, and Pumpkin Devastation Torte at the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan Cookie Bake-Off Benefit: I had the enormous thrill of being the emcee for this event, which raises money to support troops for low-income girls, those who are at risk, and those whose mothers are in jail, enabling the girls to have all the fun and all the support of the Girl Scouts at a critical time in their lives. The Bake-off is fabulous - there are live and silent auctions, a raffle, and a competition at which area pastry chefs take Girl Scout cookies and transform them into beautiful new desserts ... as though Girl Scout cookies aren't already one of the greatest foods on Earth! Cheryl Hanewich of The Moveable Feast won not only the 1st Place Judge's Choice Award, but also the People's Choice Award, with this unbelievably luscious combination of cake, cream, caramel, spun sugar, cookies, and just utter deliciousness. There was an extraordinary array of beautiful, decadent treats, but this one - pun intended! - took the cake ... :)

I had hoped to have my "Word of the Year" post ready for the 1st, but there's been a delay. Some pending circumstances might influence my choice, but nothing will be resolved until possibly next week ... I know, what a tease! Just stay tuned ....

Maple Almond Sweet Potatoes

A perfect side dish whether you're serving turkey, ham, goose, Turducken, or Tofurkey, these sweet potatoes enhanced with maple syrup (Grade B, which is darker and richer, no less - a tremendously thoughtful gift from my friend Kate!) are easy to make ahead and to reheat, so your holiday meal isn't any more chaotic than is necessarily inherent to putting on a feast. It was unanimously agreed at Thanksgiving that this was the best sweet potato dish I've ever made. And since I love sweet potatoes and cook with them all the time, that was exceptional praise, indeed!

Maple Almond Sweet Potatoes

2 very large white or light orange sweet potatoes
1 very large Red Garnet yam
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup (Grade B preferred)
1/2 cup praline almonds (or candied almonds)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Place the sweet potatoes and yam into a 13"x9" baking dish, and prick them with a fork. Bake for 90 minutes or more, until very soft and starting to caramelize a bit.

Cut the sweet potatoes and yam in half cross-wise, then again lengthwise. Take each portion and scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl, discarding the skins. Mash with a fork.

Stir in the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup; place into a serving dish. Finely chop the almonds and sprinkle on top.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Recipe Ready Turkey Vegetable Curry and a Giveaway Reminder

You may still be staring down some Thanksgiving leftover stragglers. If not, then in a few weeks you'll have a rematch with the leftovers from your Christmas feast. But if any of this involves turkey and sweet potatoes, I've got a quick, easy solution for you!

I had a lot of turkey left after the holiday, 'cause I always roast the biggest one I can find - a 20-pounder, in this case. The oven's on anyway, so why not make a lot of food to feed loved ones, to nibble on for a couple of days, and to freeze? I also made some fabulous mashed sweet potatoes, which I think were my favorite part of the meal.

But as much as I love turkey sandwiches the day after the holiday - some good white bread, a schmear of mayonnaise, some crisp lettuce, and a thick slab of meat - we all know how low my boredom quotient is; it's virtually non-existent. And so, I seek to move beyond the sandwich, no matter how classic it may be.

I took some onion, some Indian spices, a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, and some of the dark meat that's better suited to cooking than to placing between bread slices. Then I stirred in some leftover yams and - for beautiful, bright color and a boost of nutrition - some of the Bird's Eye Recipe Ready vegetables I'd been given a coupon for, so that I could try them. A splash of coconut milk to enrich it all, and I had a dinner that took maybe 20 minutes to cook but which offered enticing aromatherapy and a vibrantly flavorful dish with an underlying note of sweetness. If I may say so myself, it was stellar!

By the way, while we're talkin' 'bout food: have you entered my giveaway to win a $75 gift card from Whole Foods? If yes, then that's excellent - good luck! If not, why not??? This is free shopping money for holiday gifts and feasting - what's not to love? Click here and enter now!


Turkey Vegetable Curry

2 tablespoons oil
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
generous pinch of kosher salt
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups chopped turkey, dark meat preferred
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup Bird's Eye Primavera Blend Recipe Ready vegetables
1/2 cup coconut milk
rice, for serving

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, curry powder, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add turkey and cook 2-3 minutes.

Stir in sweet potatoes and vegetables; stir in coconut milk. Cook 2-3 minutes, until sauce is thickened and mixture is heated through. Serve hot, over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Sweet Potato and Corn Potatonik

My very good friend, and a former restaurant chef, Kate wrote to me recently with this tantalizing tidbit: "Just discovered potatonik while reading a local obituary, and after Googling it realize that this could change everything come Thanksgivikkuh! Might be the perfect dish for blending the flavors of both traditions."

Well, remarkably - given that I work and live in the Jewish community - I had never heard of this. (Who's been holding out on me???) So, of course, I immediately did a search and found a recipe from Mark Bittman for his grandmother's recipe. A potatonik is essentially a giant latke!

But for Thanksgivukkah - the fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime overlapping of Thanksgiving with the first day of Hanukkah - we needed to incorporate some of those Thanksgiving flavors into this potato dish. So I adapted the recipe significantly while following the basic procedure, adding sweet potatoes and corn and just a bit of cornmeal.

I fried it up, watched it sizzle, flipped it (a little less than gracefully, so patching was required), cooked it more on the other side, and then plated an enormous, golden, crispy melding of Jewish and Thanksgiving culinary traditions.

Serve it with both Brandied Cranberry Apple Compote and sour cream, and enjoy every little celebratory bite!

Sweet Potato and Corn Potatonik

1 pound sweet potatoes
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup corn kernels
3 eggs
3 tablespoons cornmeal
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup oil

Peel the sweet potato and trim the ends; grate into a large mixing bowl. Grate the potatoes and add to the sweet potato; stir together with the onion, corn, eggs, cornmeal, salt, and pepper.

Heat the oil in a 13" skillet, then carefully spread the sweet potato batter into it, flattening the mixture. Cook over medium-ish (bit more than medium, but not quite medium-high) heat for 15 minutes. Slide the potatonik onto a large platter, then cover with another platter; flip, then slide the potatonik back into the skillet and cook for another 15 minutes.

Slide potatonik onto a serving platter, then serve by cutting into wedges.

Makes 12-16 servings.


And here are some other dishes for your Thanksgivukkah feast (or for either Thanksgiving or Hanukkah, whatever you're celebrating in the next few days!):

Kugel Latkes

Loaded Baked Potato Latkes

Burek (Spiced Beef Egg Rolls)

Provolone Fritto con Marinara (Fried Provolone)

Curried Potato 'n' Pea Latkes with Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Sweet Potatoes Baked with Rosemary

Pomegranate Molasses-Glazed Carrots

Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Frugal Floozie Friday - NeoPapalis

I had a fabulous Girls' Night Out recently with my BFF Wendy and our new friend (who seemed immediately like an old friend!) Vicki. Both eat a vegan diet, so I wanted to find a restaurant we could all enjoy without having to impose too greatly upon the kitchen or leave my dining companions with only a few meager options.

Fortunately, NeoPapalis - one of Ann Arbor's newest pizza places - offers a little something for everyone ... and at prices which happily meet our Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person.

There are four basic pizzas to choose from, costing either $6 or $7, which easily feed at least two people.  A few toppings - butter crust, oregano, or a four pepper olive oil - are available for free, while others cost $1 each.

The $6 Red Marinara version comes with tomato sauce, sliced Romano tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, roasted garlic, oregano, and sea salt ... and it comes with no cheese. It was perfect!

To the left, you'll see the "as is" version that Wendy chose; to the right, you'll see the one I ordered with caramelized onions and Kalamata olives. At the top of the post is Vicki's pizza, topped with pineapple and green and red peppers. Each of these allowed two slices per person, as we mixed and matched and took home leftovers. You could add more toppings if you're hungry, but the pizza is delicious even with no frills.

You could supplement your pizza with a $5 salad, and still stay within budget by sharing lunch or dinner with loved ones. The base price offers a salad large enough to feed a small family, and the following items are even included at no charge (choose whichever ones you like): sliced mushrooms, cucumbers, red onions, green and red peppers, Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, broccoli, beets, Jalapeno peppers, hot pepper rings, pineapple, and artichokes. Cheeses cost $1 each, meat items cost $1.50 each, and dressing options beyond Ranch, the house vinaigrette, Chipotle Ranch, or Balsamic Vinaigrette cost an extra 75 cents. Pizza and a hearty vegetable-laden salad make an exceptional meal to share with your family or friends at very little cost!

I also ordered the sweet potato fries, for a mere $3, because I adore them.  Most places offer soft, baked versions; NeoPapalis' fries, however, are crisp and served with a Chipotle Ranch dipping sauce that is an ideal, spicy complement. I devoured these, and continue to fight cravings for more. They are a great appetizer to share before pizza or salad, or make an excellent snack all by themselves with a $1.50 soda, lemonade, or iced tea.

I'd had such a lovely meal with Vicki and Wendy that I brought Jeremy and Craig to NeoPapalis soon after for lunch. Craig ordered a $5 pita sandwich which, unfortunately, wasn't particularly photogenic although it was enormous. For the base price, you get a nearly foot-long meal containing one meat, one cheese, one dressing, and any vegetables from a list of sixteen - yes, sixteen potential additions for no extra money. If you want extra cheeses, they cost $1 each; extra meats cost $1.50 each. But trust me, they're superfluous - the basic sandwich is huge.

Jeremy ordered the $7 Bianca pizza: an herb butter base, Asiago and Mozzarella cheeses, extra-virgin olive oil, and honey. He topped it with bacon, because he's my child. This was rich, delicious, and easily splittable by 2-4 to stay well within our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget. Even Jeremy, a 22-year old male - a species notorious for its appetite! - advocates for sharing something this hearty.

I ordered the sweet potato fries again, because I like them so much, and split them with Craig and with Jeremy. I'm not ordinarily a creature of habit (at least with food), but this time I couldn't help it.

For great values, good fresh food, and a menu that is inviting to virtually any diet, NeoPapalis is a welcome addition to town!

NeoPapalis
500 E. William St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-929-2227
Sunday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.



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Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

My good friend Deborah gave me a beautiful gift, recently: preserved lemons. She had written to me awhile ago to say that she had a bounty of riches, with too many lemons to use. What could she do with them?

I suggested pie, of course, because one can never, ever go wrong with pie. I happen to adore lemon pie (not that I was hinting!). But that wouldn't use up very many of the fruits.

So then I dared to offer the notion of preserved lemons, a classic of Moroccan cuisine, that are brined and sometimes spiced. Essentially, they are lemon pickles. Not too many folks would think this was a viable option, but Deborah is an adventurous cook who cares deeply about ingredients. She was the perfect person for this project!

Deborah happily accepted the challenge, and then very generously shared the results with me. So, of course, I delved into cooking something novel and exotic with this novel and exotic item.

I happen to be a huge fan of Moroccan food - stews, lamb, chicken, dried fruits, salads, breads, mint tea, and spices. But I've never made my own preserved lemons before, so I'd never had an opportunity to use them.

So I assembled my collection of ingredients and started cooking. Even though I own an authentic tagine [tah-ZHEEN] - a terra cotta cooking pot, and also the name of the stews cooked within them - I simply used a large skillet, figuring that it would be more readily found in others' kitchens than the more esoteric cookware; then I wouldn't have to worry about accommodating timing differences for cooking in the different utensils, etc. But, of course, I had to serve this in the right vessel!

With many thanks to Deborah for inspiring, and contributing to, this spicy, flavorful dish in honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week which begins today. I have signed a pledge to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet this week, and this is a lovely way to start things off! And also with thanks to my friends Rob and Ellen, for the lovely gift certificate to Spice Merchants, a beautiful store where I was able to buy the fragrant Moroccan spice blend I also used to make this dish.


Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Preserved Lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Spice Merchants Moroccan Blend (contains garlic, onion, chilies, salt)
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 cup chopped sweet potato
1/2 preserved lemon, chopped fine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
couscous, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and Moroccan spices; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potato, and lemon; bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over couscous.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: If you don't have any preserved lemons, or any friends who will share theirs with you, I think a spritz of lemon juice and some finely grated lemon zest would be good substitutes.

Sweet Potatoes Baked with Rosemary and Salt

My BFF Wendy told me recently that she'd eaten a fabulous dish at a party recently: "sliced sweet potatoes with a thin coating of oil, lots of rosemary, a little salt, baked." Several times, she insisted that I had to make it.

And so, I did.

I adore sweet potatoes - baked, fried, whipped, candied, whatever. Rosemary emits an extraordinary aroma. In this dish, the two combine in a beautiful, simple preparation that lets the ingredients shine.

These sweet potatoes are tender, sweet, slightly caramelized at the edges, fragrant, and delicious. They're easy to make for Thanksgiving, and could even be made ahead of time and reheated to make your preparations easier.

May you have a peaceful, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving with all your favorite loved ones and a feast of fabulous food!



In case you still need some ideas, here are some other suggestions for your holiday menu:

Applesauce Pie

Pomegranate Molasses-Glazed Carrots

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding

Buttermilk Biscuits

Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing

Quince-Glazed Baked Yams

Orange-Glazed Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Brown Sugar Tea Cake with Moscato Glaze


Sweet Potatoes Baked with Rosemary and Salt

• 2 very large sweet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the ends off the sweet potatoes, peel them, and cut them in half lengthwise; place into a large mixing bowl.

Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the oil. Add salt and rosemary; stir to coat.

Place the sweet potatoes into a 10" pie pan or casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, then stir carefully. Cover with foil and cook for 30 more minutes, until sweet potatoes are very tender.

Serves 8-10.