Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potatoes were baked with my Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin, but they can also be made separately as a side dish.

Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Newman's Fat-free Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large sweet potatoes

Directions:

1. Microwave the sweet potatoes as they are on HIGH for 3 minutes.
2. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1 1/4 inch cubes.  Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  Line a shallow baking pan with foil.
4. In a small pot, bring the balsamic and sugar to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the butter an salt and stir until the butter melts.  Toss the mixture with the potatoes and spread evenly on the baking pan.  Bake for about 22 minutes.

** For my Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin, I just added the tossed sweet potatoes around the pork, and it came out perfectly.

Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin

Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pork tenderloin
• 4 tablespoons Olde Bay's Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
• 4 tablespoons EVOO
• 6 cloves garlic, cracked
• 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend (or coarse salt and black pepper)
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, stripped and finely chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped (I had to use 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme instead.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Trim fat from the pork tenderloin.
3. Place tenderloin in a medium bowl and massage balsamic into the meat. 
4. Combine the steak seasoning wiht rosemary and thyme.  With tenderloin on the cutting board, use a rub the meat with the blend.  Coat both sides with EVOO and any excess balsamic.
5. Cut small slits into the meat and disperse chunks of cracked garlic cloves into the meat.
6. Roast in the oven for 20-22 minutes.

** I added Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes to this dish by surrounding the pork with tossed sweet potatoes while roasting.  YUM.

Chive Risotto Cakes

These risotto cakes were sparked by S on Christmas...thanks for the delicious inspiration! :)  I will definitely be making these again. 

Chive Risotto Cakes
Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake and Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 1/2 cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon, plus 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• EVOO

Directions:

To prepare the risotto...

1. Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil and add 1/2 tablespoon salt and Arborio rice.  Cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes.  The grains of rice will be very soft.  Drain the rice and run under cold water until cool.  Drain well.
2. While the rice is draining, use a wooden spoon to combine the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the cooled rice and stir together until it is mixed well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

To prepare the cakes...

1. Combine the Panko and Parmesan and spread mixture in a shallow dish.  Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a large spoon.  Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick.
2. Place 3 patties in the Panko, turning once to coat.
3. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned.  Place patties on a platter lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried.  Serve hot (cakes may be kept warm in a 250 degree oven for about 30 minutes).

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded potatoes
• 1/2 lb bacon (cooked and broken into pieces)
• 6 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups shreded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine potatoes and bacon, and put them in the pan.
3. Use a fork to combine eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Pour mixture over potatoes.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares (or it may be too runny). 

Another batch of M&M cookies

Not that I don't love my usual recipe for M&M cookies, but I felt like I needed a change...and I wasn't 100% satisfied with the sugar-factor of the last one--too gritty maybe? or sweet?  Anywho-- I loved this recipe, and I think the key factor was melting the butter and using mostly dark brown sugar...I will be using this again! :)


Chewy Chocolate Chip (or M&M) Cookies
Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• little less than 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 1 3/4 cups M&M candies)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake larger cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller ones until the edges are lightly toasted.