Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Tomatoes

A good friend makes you laugh. A good friend is someone you can trust. A good friend has a shoulder for you to always lean on.

And a great friend brings you unexpected bowls of frozen yogurt just because there’s a new flavor at your favorite spot.

Hey, Danielle – that’s you! Yesterday evening, I got a text from Danielle telling me that Tutti Frutti had pumpkin frozen yogurt and asking if I wanted some. Obviously my response was prefaced with an “Omg” and finished off with a “Yessssss.” Seriously, how would you have responded?

Her delivery came on the perfect day; I was making an all veggie meal that should only be balanced out with something sweet, right? Just say yes. I was determined to use a bunch of items from my 5th CSA box.

In this week’s box:

• watermelon
• red potatoes
• apples
• collard greens
• squash
• green peppers
• onions
• tomatoes
• green beans

As much as I talk about eating candy, cookies, and dessert, I really do have great self control. I eat it often, but never eat a lot at a time. I took a huge bite of the pumpkin froyo, declared it  amazing, and put the rest in the freezer for after dinner. I swear this motivated me to a)cook a healthy dinner and b)grocery shop at the speed of light for the other items I needed.

Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch collard greens (about 6-8) leaves
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash the collard greens and pat try.  Cut down the center of each leaf to remove the rib.  Chop leaves into 1/4" strips and set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.  Cook until they are browned and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Place the cooked potatoes in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the onion and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until tender. 
4. Add the chard and sauté until it starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes and tomatoes into the skillet with the greens. Add the garam masala and stir. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.  Continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring often, to let the flavors meld. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Hello, colors! You’re going to love this dish, I promise. And boys, if you need meat in your meal, serve this as a side next to your steak or something. It’ll make anyone happy. And when you’ve finished gobbling it all up, you can comfortably reach for that cup of frozen yogurt.

Did someone just shout “Balance!”?

Amen.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic / Gruber Farm CSA Week 4

Do you want to know one of the best feelings in the world?

Okay, maybe not in the world, but at least in the kitchen.

Looking at a recipe and realizing you have all of the ingredients. Every single one. Thanks to being subscribed to a CSA, I have this feeling more often than I used to. While I’d skip over recipes if they called for an ingredient I didn’t typically buy, my CSA has encouraged me to try new fruit and vegetables that aren’t part of my regular diet. Green tomatoes are just one of the examples.

I’m 1/3 of the way through the Fall CSA with Gruber Farm and still getting Summery produce. Can anyone explain this to me? I guess I’m just disappointed because it’s October. But hey, the weather was pretty warm until yesterday, right?

In the box:

• watermelon
• eggplant
• spaghetti squash
• green peppers
• yellow squash
• green beans
• sweet potatoes
• heirloom tomatoes

Goodness grief, those tomatoes were not attractive. But let me tell you, with a dash of salt and pepper, they were divine. Moments after being disappointed in getting a box half full of Summer veggies, I was slapping myself. I ate a whole tomato in about 2 minutes and started daydreaming about warmer weather. Can we rewind to May please? And not just because I was still 27.

Back to the green tomatoes. My immediate reaction was to make fried green tomatoes, or, considering this is Hungry Meets Healthy, baked green tomatoes. I just wasn’t excited about the idea. And then came the Serious Eats recipe for Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic.

I had everything it called for. I was working at home that day. It was a no brainer.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic, adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 lbs. green tomatoes, cores removed, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tsp. garam masala
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

1. Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is reddish brown, about a minute or so. Stir often, making sure it doesn’t burn.
2. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric. Turn heat down to medium. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour in a cup of water. Scrap the pan with a wooden spoon, dislodging any browned bits. When the mixture comes to a boil, cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and tomatoes are tender. Stir every few minutes or so.

4. You want the final sauce to be kind of thick, so mash up a few of the potatoes and tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and serve.

The only change I made to this recipe was omitting the cilantro. I like cilantro, but it just didn’t seem right for this dish to me. That’s the beauty of cooking– you can cater recipes to your palate’s desires.

The final result of this dish? Awesomeness. Seriously. Boding and I ate it for lunch and were so pleased with it. It was really hard to put enough away for Tuesday’s lunch. Every time I opened the fridge, it was like “Hey Christina, you know you want me…”

Kind of like that bag of pretzel M&Ms in my pantry. So rude!

Now if you’re unlike me and don’t have the above ingredients in your house, I suggest your get your cute behind to the store and buy them. It’s worth it. I never thought I’d use the garam masala I bought for my Spicy Chickpea & Lentil Stew, but now I want to put it on everything.

Which spice/herb did you shy away from before and now love?

The Weekend.

Since Thursday, Amanda and I were housesitting at her parents’ house. We cooked a ton of good food (lots of recipes coming!), ate a bunch of desserts, went out with friends, and enjoyed the glorious 80-degree weather.

Friday - Dinner at Next Door in Mt. Pleasant, then drinks downtown at The Macintosh and Hall’s.

Saturday - Healthy cookie baking…which ended up being our dinner. Twice.

More upper King bar hopping with friends.

Tree hugging. Kaye and I doing our usual tree pose in which she’s always in disco ball attire and I’m embracing the pastels. NYC fashion vs. CHS fashion. It’s quite different!

Sunday - Breakfast sandwiches: English  muffins, fried egg, pepper jack cheese, avocado, sriracha. Our mouths were on fire!

Tutti Frutti froyo! Cookies & Cream, White Chocolate, and Peanut Butter with M&Ms, Heath bar, and cookie dough bits.

Sunshine and sunset on the water.

Coming up this week:

• a Spicy White Bean & Chicken Chili recipe
• a  healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe (using chickpeas!)
• review of Next Door
• Clif MOJO bar giveaway!  

Cúrate in Asheville, NC

Friday afternoon, in need of  a getaway, my littlest brother and I traveled to North Carolina to visit my grandparents. On Saturday, the four of us drove up to Asheville to walk around the city and have lunch.

Cúrate is a Spanish tapas bar in downtown Asheville. As my degree from College of Charleston is in Hispanic Studies, I was excited to experience some traditional Spanish cuisine. Cúrate, meaning “cure yourself” had just what we needed: delicious food and wine.

To drink, my grandmother and I both had a glass of the 2010 Peitán, Albariño, which is similar to a Pinot Grigio. Grandpa had a Highland Gaelic Ale and Jake had not one, but three Coca Colas. Oh, teenagers.

I was so sad when I realized I forgot the battery for my DSLR at home, so I apologize that these pictures are from my cell phone. :( Here we go!

Out of all the tapas, I was most impressed by the garlic shrimp. The sauce was so good, I kept dipping extra bread in it. I also really loved the Summer salad and would like to recreate that at home while watermelon is still in season. The Spanish tortilla tasted just like ones I’d had with friends from Spain. The eggplant was the most unusual dish, and I mean that in a positive way. I’ve never thought to drizzle eggplant with honey or rosemary.

Before our meal, my grandfather was sweet enough to mention that I had a Charleston-based food blog. Thanks to that, two of the dishes (the Summer salad and eggplant) were sent out on the house. The head chef, Katie Button, came out to introduce herself as well. She was sweet and seemed very glad we were there. I was impressed by her generosity and taking the time to come say hello. It’s the little things that make a restaurant special. We’ll definitely be back!

Do you like tapas-style restaurants?

Which of the above dishes would you enjoy most?

CSA Week 11 / Crunchy Baked Okra

I can’t believe there are only 2 more weeks of the Summer CSA. So sad! With how abundant this season has been, I’ve been able to make some really fabulous recipes. I’m pretty pumped for the Fall CSA too!

In the box:

• green peppers
• corn
• beets (!)
• watermelon
• heirloom tomatoes
• cherry tomatoes
• okra
• red potatoes
• cantaloupe
• and dem boys

A couple of weeks ago, I ate some delicious fried okra at Fat Hen. I knew I wanted to make something similar, but alas, this is a healthy food blog. And we all know how much candy I consume, so I had to find the balance somewhere.

Crunchy Baked Okra

Ingredients:

• fresh okra, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• egg whites
• whole wheat breadcrumbs
• seasoning of your choice (I used Penzey’s Mural of Flavor blend – thanks Grandparents!!)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375*. In a bowl, mix together breadcrumbs and seasoning. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg whites.

Dip the okra in the egg white…

and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture until evenly coated.

Place okra on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat (or coated with cooking spray).

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!

CSA Week 10 / Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Stacks

Yesterday was the first official day of Summer! It was also Summer solstice – the longest day of the year. Despite these facts, I’m nearing the end of my Summer CSA. Only 2 more weeks left. Thank goodness for the Fall subscription!

Week 10:

• butternut squash (I could have sworn this was a Fall veggie)
• eggplant
• watermelon (the cutest!)
• cantaloupe
• turnips
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• jalapenos

Remember the mini watermelon from last week’s box? I chopped that up and soaked it in vodka for a boat ride. It made for a deliciously good time. I may or may not be using this week’s melon for the same thing.

I also made the Sweet & Spicy Salsa again. I’ve been putting it on my grilled chicken and even my eggs for breakfast. It’s quite versatile.

So, confession time. I’ve never actually cooked with eggplant…until tonight. Eggplant is surprisingly easy to work with. Here’s a little snack/appetizer I made before dinner.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• olive oil, for drizzling
• goat cheese, for topping
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Place eggplant and tomato slices on a plan lined with a Silpat or foil. Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once.
3. Place sliced vegetables on a plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve warm.

Voila! It’s too easy not to make. If you crumble the goat cheese atop the stacks right away, it melts just a little and becomes so creamy. Enjoy!

While you’re cooking, listen to this song:

Favorite roasted vegetable?

Did you love the song?

CSA Week 9 / Fun With Melons…and Salsa!

You know the drill. Gruber Farm CSA time!! As each week goes by, I become more and more obsessed with having a weekly box of produce. The convenience. The variety. The freshness. Need I say more?

Week 9 contents:

• jalapeno peppers
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• green beans
• corn
• mini watermelons!!

How cute are the watermelons? Boding and I couldn’t get over them.

We kissed them.

We loved on them.

We cradled them like babies.

Then we tossed them up in the air with joy. (I’m not ready for children.)

And then we put them away so we could use the other goodies to make SALSA!

Xtina’s Sweet & Spicy Salsa

Ingredients:

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 small jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp. honey (secret ingredient!)
• 1 tsp. salt
• juice of 1 lime

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

When I finished making the salsa, I had my roommate do a blind test with my salsa versus Publix’s salsa. She preferred mine! I was so excited. I felt like a younger, prettier, less pretentious Martha Stewart.

After our silliness with the watermelon and salsa, we made a seriously simple dinner:

Cumin-roasted chicken topped with salsa and sliced avocado, corn on the cob, and Trader Joe's spicy soy & flaxseed tortilla chips.

These chips have 6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 500 mg of omega 3’s per serving. They’re definitely a better alternative – no perservatives either!

How do you like your salsa?

Chunky? Pureed well? Spicy? Fruity?

Cilantro: love it or leave it?