Sweet Potato Oat Bread

We've been getting sweet potatoes in our CSA box for the past few weeks and I've been trying to come up with inventive new ways to use them. I happen to love homemade breakfast breads, and thought why not use mashed sweet potatoes in place of something like pumpkin puree which you might normally find in one of these recipes. The result was a moist, not too sweet, healthy breakfast bread which is great with a cup of coffee in the morning or for a mid-morning snack. Eat it as it is or with a little bit of butter. This bread kept well for me for a few days wrapped in foil.

Sweet Potato Oat Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes (plus time to roast sweet potato)

1 1/2 c. mashed cooked sweet potato (about 2 medium)
1 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or 3/4 c. white and 1/2 c. normal whole wheat flour)
1/2 c. oat flour (can be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods - or make your own by grinding up oats in a food processor)
1/4 c. ground flaxseed meal
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 c. agave nectar or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Roast the sweet potato for about an hour until a fork goes in easily (this can be done ahead of time). Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flours, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another medium-sized bowl remove the flesh from the sweet potato and mash well with a fork. If you've roasted the sweet potato the day before and it's cold, warm it up then add the butter and stir to combine (the heat will melt it), then add the eggs, agave/maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract and stir. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Let cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before serving.

Fall Moroccan Tagine

This was my first attempt at a Moroccan-style tagine and it was quite successful! Traditionally, a tagine is made in a special dome-shaped pot, but I found that using a dutch oven (or any large saucepan or stockpot with a lid) substituted just fine. This dish incorporates some classic tagine spices - coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, and cayenne, with butternut squash, carrots, sweet potato, chickpeas, dried apricots and olives. Other than prepping the ingredients, it's an easy dish to make, incredibly healthy and wonderfully warming on a fall evening. I served this over whole-wheat couscous, but quinoa or brown rice would also work well.

Fall Moroccan Tagine
Serves 4

Active Time: 20-25 minutes
Total Time: 65-70 minutes

Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut into small (~1/2'') pieces
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small (~1/2'') pieces
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. green olives (such as castelvetrano)
1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped
1 t. coriander
1 t. cumin
1 t. turmeric
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. sweet paprika
1/2 t. ground ginger
Kosher salt

Toast the spices in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant, a few minutes, and set aside.

In a dutch oven or stockpot, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds, then stir in the spices. Add the carrots, sweet potato/yam, butternut squash, and apricots to the pan, along with 1 1/2 c. water and 1 t. salt. Cook for a minute longer until everything reheats, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chickpeas and olives, reduce heat to low, re-cover, and cook another 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt (I added another 1 t.), stir, and serve over whole-wheat couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

I love creating healthy and hearty soups. Sweet potatoes are something that you might not normally find in soup, or in chili for that matter, but it works so well combined with these tomatoes, beans, and spices. We are getting into the season where sweet potatoes and other root vegetables are at their peak, so I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  This chili will please even guys who are used to meat and bean chili - it's hearty, spicy, and satisfying.

I used 2 serrano chiles here - one seeded and one left with the seeds left in - and found that it was the perfect amount of heat for me (if akin to salsa this would be medium spicy). However, if you like less heat, take the seeds out of both chiles, or if you like more heat, leave them all in. I cooked the sweet potatoes in the chili by simmering it for over an hour, but to cut down on the cooking time, you could either a) cook the sweet potatoes in the oven the night before, let cool, peel, cut up and throw in the soup, or b) peel, cut, and roast the sweet potatoes in the oven while the soup is simmering and add them in later - in either case you'd still want to simmer the soup for at least minutes once you add the potatoes to let the flavors come together.

Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, roughly diced
1 large pasilla pepper, diced
2 serrano chiles, 1 seeded and 1 left with the seeds in, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. ancho chile powder
2 t. ground cumin
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2'' pieces
1 28 oz. (or two 15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 c. vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can pinto beans
1 15 oz. can black beans

Heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven or stockpot. Add the onion, pepper, chiles, and garlic and saute until softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes into approximately 1/2'' pieces (not too big or they will take a long time to cook). Add the potatoes, chile powder, and cumin to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the diced and crushed tomatoes, vegetable browth and beans and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, and let cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
If you'd like, serve with a dollop of sour cream, cheese, or some cilantro to top it off.