Sweet Potato Fries

I am such a sucker for orange veggies (with the exception of carrots!). I have so much fun in the fall with sweet potatoes and winter squashes. Right now my carbohydrate intake is a little higher than normal because of these yummies, but I want to take advantage of seasonal food and I believe that there is wisdom in eating with the seasons.

I recently learned that what we call "yams" in our grocery stores, are actually sweet potato varieties and real yams are hard to come by unless you get them at an Asian or Caribbean market (you just KNOW I'm going to try to find some, now!)
Mark's Daily Apple recently posted on this difference, and though I was a little bummed to find out I've probably never had a real yam, I'm looking forward to trying to fine one. I like a food challenge.

I've been making a lot of sweet potato fries because they're so easy. I get the pre-cut fries from Trader Joe's, but you could also take a little time and chop up a bunch of fries to make throughout the week. It's way less work that way and you have them in the fridge, waiting to be baked.

There's quite a lot of variety to be had in baking fries and here are some ideas:
Cinnamon
Garlic granules (not garlic powder. Big difference!) Yes, garlic granules are really yummy on sweet potato fries; just use a light hand!
Garam Masala
Chinese Five Spice
For spicy fries, my special blend of garlic granules, paprika, and cayenne and salt. Not TOO much cayenne, now!

PS- they're really nice to eat with breakfast/brunch, too!


Sweet Potato Fries

Heat oven to 400º
Mix fries with melted coconut or palm oil (use only organic palm oil) and salt/spices
Bake for 12-15 minutes

These will not be really crispy, but more soft with crispy bits, just like the picture above. I love this texture.

See how easy it is? You're going to want to make them all the time;)
Eat up!
-Erin

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been on such a pumpkin kick lately. I've made pumpkin custard, pumpkin cookies (don't worry- I'll be providing recipes for those, too!) and, this morning, pumpkin pancakes. I'm surprised I haven't made pumpkin soup yet. Pumpkin is so nutritious; It really ups the nutrient density of whatever you add it to.

When I decided to make the pancakes, I decided to go more Paleo with the ingredients, so no dairy in this recipe. They turned out nicely! Knowing me, I'll probably keep tweaking, but i made myself write down the proportions (for once), so here is my recipe:

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

2 lg eggs
2 TB coconut flour
2-3 TBs pumpkin
1 TB coconut milk
pinch of salt
pinch of something sweet (I used stevia)
spices to taste: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, etc.

If the pancakes fall apart when you cook them, add an extra egg white to help bind them.

I cooked mine in coconut oil and I indulged and drizzled a tiny bit of grade B maple syrup. You could also top with cinnamon-coconut cream, apple butter, sauteed apples or whipped cream if you want to go more Primal;)

Enjoy!
-Erin

Creamy, Chunky, Cauliflower-Bacon Soup!

I have to admit that I'm something of a "soupmeister". I love soup and I make great soup! It's one of my absolute favorite things to make (and eat!) Although I've had to retire some of my old favorite recipes, such as provençal chickpea and fennel stew or white bean and kale soup, it gives me a great excuse to come up with new recipes!

Tonight, I came up with a particularly winning and easy one: Cauliflower-Bacon with Italian Parsley.

As per usual, I didn't do anything in an exacting manner (I like "free-form" measurements) but here is the basic outline so that you can enjoy a nice bowl of creamy, chunky soup on a chilly autumn evening.

-1 large cauliflower, steamed
-1 small onion, minced and sautéed
-2 or more strips of good quality bacon, cooked and chopped
-liquid to thin the soup- cream, chicken stock, water or even coconut milk will do. If you use water or stock, I suggest adding a bit of butter to add more fat.
-chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (as much as you like- I like a lot!)
- salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
-optional but awesome: smoked paprika, to taste

Put half of the cauliflower in the blender with the onions and add enough of your chosen liquids to reach desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. After the base is blended, add bacon, parsley and the other half of the cauliflower (chopped up) and season with the paprika to taste.

This soup is flexible. You could blend all the cauliflower to make it creamier. You could add a bit of sharp cheese like pecorino or parmigiano-reggiano. You could leave out the bacon and paprika and use caraway seeds. You could add broccoli and cheddar. Lots of fun possibilities, so pimp your soup!

Enjoy!
-Erin

U.P. North

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea-Water

I'm in the midst of an end-of-summer vacation to me and Rose's home state of Michigan. Rose and I both live in the South, but our hearts remain firmly planted in Northern Michigan.

My hubby and I try to take a trip up to Traverse City in the "little finger" of the Mitten State every summer to see friends and family and this little-known part of the country is a true paradise! Gorgeous beaches, lakes, woods, wine country, farmer's markets and locavore restaurants. It's also the "Cherry Capital of the World" and a great fruit growing region. Heck yeah.

This year we decided to take a trip up to the Upper Peninsula (or the "U.P." as we Michiganders call it) this time, as I had never really explored that far north. It's a sparsely populated wilderness and water wonderland. I have to say that eating Primally in the land of deep-fried whitefish and pasties was not so easy, so I did my best (and ended up with a much starchier diet than my usual- still strictly gluten-free, though!) but I'm glad to be back in civilization, where I can go to the farmer's market or the co-op and get "normal" food;-) They have great organic farms, meat markets and a local bison herd, so I feel right at home in Traverse City.

Some of the highlights of the U.P. trip were:

Taking a sunset cruise around the stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, on Lake Superior, in Munising. Although I grew up on Lake Michigan, I had never been to Lake Superior, the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes.

finally seeing the upper and lower Tahquemenon Falls, which are the second largest falls east of the Mississippi, and are featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem "The Song of Hiawatha": "by the rushing Tahquamenaw" Hiawatha built his canoe.

visiting the charming, historic town of Marquette and nearby Presque Isle Park. It was ridiculously windy on Lake Superior that day!

and floating on a little self guided platform on the otherworldly Kitch-iti-kipi Big Spring. It was out of our way but very much worth the trip! The water is jade green and super clear (not to mention freezing- only 45º! Brrr.)

It really feels like the end of summer and I can already feel the change of seasons beginning up here in N. MI, but it will still be summer in TN when I get back home.

-Erin