Sweet Potato Apple Bisque
Posted: December 4, 2013 Filed under: Recipes | Tags: apples, soup, sweet potato 2 Comments
Yesterday I made the trek over to the farmer’s market in Raleigh to buy my boxwood wreaths. While I was there I perused the fruits and vegetables being sold by local farmers. I am known to love a deal or two so I could not resist buying a forty-pound box of sweet potatoes for $20. Carter of course thought I was nuts, but they will keep through the winter in the garage and are the most nutritious starch I can think of. I also bought a half-peck of local apples. I was able to sample the different varieties so I got some pink ladies, honey crisp, crimson crisp and Fuji.
So with my larder full I of course needed to make something for dinner with my haul. Tonight’s dinner is soup that is gluten, dairy and meat free yet still yummy. Now I eat dairy so I garnished mine with a dollop of fat free sour cream. I am very happy.
1 large onion chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 T. thyme
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 T. ground cumin
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. allspice
Salt and pepper
3 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 cup of apple cider
1 cup of water
3 large sweet potatoes – peeled and chopped
3 apples – peeled and chopped
Spray Pam in a large stockpot and add the onions, celery and thyme. Cook on medium high heat for five minutes. Add garlic and spices and cook another two minutes, stirring often. Add the liquids, potatoes and apples, cover and simmer until tender about 25 minutes. Using and immersion blender puree the soup and taste for salt and pepper.
Sirloin Pork Roast with Apples and Mustard Gravy
Posted: November 3, 2013 Filed under: Recipes | Tags: apples, mustard, pork, sage Leave a comment
In the back to basics move I decided to make a roast for dinner. I realized while I was cooking that I needed a lot more steps to reach my 10,000 step goal today so I ran around the kitchen never stopping while I chopped, stirred and seasoned. I don’t recommend this strategy for most because you might lose a finger.
While the roast was resting I took Shay Shay out side to run off a few more steps. My neighbors the Andersons were driving away from home and stopped to ask how the tracking my steps was going. I kept dancing around their car as I answered them. Mary Eileen said she wished she had a blog so she could write what a nut I looked like. The things I will do to reach my goal.
Russ declared this dinner a big winner so give it a try.
1 four pound Sirloin Pork Roast
1 big onion – chopped
2 apples – peeled and chopped
1 can of chicken broth
10 big fresh sage leaves minced or 1 T. of ground sage
Salt and pepper
1 ½ T. butter
2 T. flour
3 T. Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a Dutch oven with Pam and put it on the stove on high heat. Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle lots of salt and pepper all over it. Brown the meat in the Dutch oven, turning it on all sides. This will take about ten minutes.
When you have turned the meat onto the last side to be browned add the sage, and onions. After the meat is browned on all sides add the apples and the chicken broth and keep the pan on the stove until the liquid just starts to bubble. Then put a lid on the pan and place it in the oven.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the meat reaches 160 degrees using a meat thermometer. Take the meat out of the pan and spoon the apples and onions over it, leaving the liquid in the pan to use for gravy. Tent with foil to keep it warm.
To make the gravy melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat, add the flour and stir it into the melted butter cooking it for a minute. Add the pan juices from the roast to the butter and flour roux stirring with a whisk. Add the mustard and continue cooking until the gravy is the desired thickness, it should only take a few minutes.
I served mine with roast Brussels Spouts and sweet Potato Oven Fries.
Apple Sauce for Dummies
Posted: December 8, 2012 Filed under: Recipes | Tags: apples 2 Comments
In the craziness of prepping for giving multiple parties this week I forgot I had to write a blog. You would think that after doing this for 215 days without missing a day I would remember. Here is the fastest recipe I can give you.
Crockpot Apple Sauce
Apples
Cinnamon
Peel, core and quarter a dozen apples – I like Fuji, Stayman and Honey Crisp
Put them in a crockpot on high for 5 hours and after they have cooked down stir them well to break up ay large lumps. Sprinkle with cinnamon if you like.
Apple sauce is not just for babies. It will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks.
Less Dana, More Good 