Sweet potato fries

Today I'm reviewing the sweet potato fries I ate for lunch. Now I'm not a big or small sweet potato eater. I pretty much hated them before this last year. It could be that the only way I ever had them was with marshmallows on top. But I grew to be able to stand them in veggie soups. So I thought I'd try the fries. I can't remember the brand, but that doesn't matter. They weren't all that good. The idea was great, but after the first few they started tasting like they were doused in perfume. So, I'm thinking that I might just try making them from scratch.

Sushi!

So tonight I buckled down and made sushi. Ugh! I watched a video or two on youtube to figure out how to roll it. And somehow I still messed up the first few times. So here are my tips for you so you avoid my mistakes.

1. Use cool rice (I used hot and it kept burning my fingers)
2. Use dry seaweed pages, and make sure they are sushi size (mine were half sheets and I wet the first few)
3. Press the rice down really hard and make sure your hands are kept wet while doing this.
4. Definately have a bamboo sushi roller thing and use it.
5. Make sure you have a super sharp knife to cut them. Mine was new, but barely sharp enough. (Walmart special)
Now here's how to make sushi.

You will need:

• Pleanty of cooked sticky white rice
• a package of seaweed squares made for making sushi
• your favorite sushi type vegetables (for this recipe I will use my own, but feel free to substitute your own.)
• Rice vinegar mixed with some sugar (or a pre-made rice vinegar marinade)
• Soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
• A bamboo sushi roller
• A few little bowls
• Matchstick cut fresh carrots
• 1 large Cucumber
• 1/2 avacado sliced thinly
• 1/2 a bell pepper sliced into sticks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO24w6px660

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJY4A229fgQ (I'd mute this one it's just music)

1. Peel cucumber and slice in half across the middle and then in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Then slice the cucumber into thin long strips.
2. Soak cucumber sticks and carrot sticks in rice vinegar possibly overnight or for a few hours.
3. Place 1 seaweed piece on the bamboo roller and cover with rice. Rice should be moist.
4. Press the rice down as shown on the video, so that the whole page is covered with rice and the rice is packed down.
5. Arrange your marinated vegetables in a strip along the middle of the rice.
6. Then roll it up tight. It takes practice so don't get discouraged.
7. Slice roll in half, and half and half until you have eight equal pieces.
8. Repeat and then enjoy, dip in your favorite sauce.
   
   

Well I had to try again after my semi successful dinner yesterday. Much better this time. So I took some pictures.

Yam Sandwitch

A guy at our church thought up this recipe and verbally shared it with us Thursday night. He wasn't specific on the amounts or much. Just what he put in it. And so of course I had to go home and try out the idea and use Jerrod as my guinea pig. I was fearful that it would be terrible and he would come home starving cause he couldn't choke down his lunch... but the opposite happened. According to him it was so good he could eat it for lunch every day for 2 months. So I thought I'd share with you all. I haven't tried it out myself yet. Though I did taste a little of the mix while I was making it. Please feel free to add or subtract anything you want or don't want. It's all just what I had on hand.


You will need:

• A steamed or baked sweet potato or yam
• radishes
• onion (any type)
• hummus (recipe posted later)
• a pickle or pickle relish (sweet or salty)
• lettuce
• tomato
• sliced bread

1. First take the desired amount of yam and put it in a bowl. For reference I'll say 1 cup, but you can make any amount. Mix in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of hummus. Chop up the radishes (probably 1 or 2 small to medium ones) into very small pieces. Use about the same amount of onion chopped in very small pieces or even grated. Add half of a large pickle or 2 small baby pickles also chopped up very small like relish.
2. Stir all of the ingredients together well and then spread desired amount onto the slice of bread. Top with lettuce and sliced tomato.

This sandwich reminds me of a tuna fish sandwich. It smells like tuna too. I think it has to do with the pickles and onion. So you can also make it like you would with tuna and just use yams. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give this recipe a 7. Of course I accidentaly messed up on the ingredients when I was cooking them last night. That's one thing I hate about cooking on Friday night, can't just run out and buy the stuff you forgot. But I substituted 1/4 cup oil for part of the butter and I added the sugar after the chocolate chips... so who knows how good they could have been. My suggestion is that you check all ingredients before starting and pay attention, unlike me. HA!!! Get this! While I'm typing this blog a lady from church called. Why? to ask me about these cookies and how much I would charge to make her 5 or 6 dozen! So the recipe must be better than I thought. So this may be a 8 or 9 then. You decide.

You will need:

• 1 cup butter, softened (or vegan margarine)
  


• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  


• 1/2 cup white sugar (or raw sugar)
  


• 2 eggs (or 1 cup applesauce)
  


• 2 tablespoons milk (or soy/nutmilk)
  


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  


• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or wheat flour)
  


• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  


• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  


• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick or old fashioned)
  


• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or carob chips)
  


• 1 cup chopped walnuts (if you like nuts, I don't)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
   


2. Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well.


3. Add combined flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts; mix well.
   Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes.


4. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

White Bean Chili

I love this Chili. So far I've made it for the last two years for our church's New Years Ever Communion/chili cook off. Unfortunately only the first batch was successful in my eyes. Everyone loved it both times. Sadly the last two times that I made it I didn't check to make sure I had all of the ingredients, and once I chopped up parsley instead of cilantro. Don't ask it was a terrible night! But I give you a warning, it really needs to be made with a special kind of fake chicken to be perfect. I can't guarantee results if you use morning star or smart strips. But that's up to you.

You will need:

• 1lb dried navy beans (prepared according to directions to rehydrate them)
• 5 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken stock meat eaters)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green chilies (fresh or canned)
• 1 lb fake chicken (I prefer Quorn chicken pieces)(or real chicken for the meat version)
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 tbs ground oregano
• 1 to 2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Rinse and drain the beans well after soaking. Place in a large pot with stock and boil.
2. Add garlic, onion and chilies to hot butter and saute in a pan. Add to the beans.
3. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, and all other ingredients to the pot and lower heat to medium.
4. Cook covered 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.