ORANGE SWEET POTATOES

MUFFINS & SLICES

HOLIDAY SPECIALS

ORANGE SWEET POTATOES

Boil potatoes with skin until soft and then slice. Place in bowl that has been lined with melted butter. Mix corn starch, sugar and butter using a wooden spoon. Add orange juice and cook. Boil until smooth and shiny. Add the liqueur, orange peel, and salt. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

CARDAMON WHIPPED SWEET POTATOES

Preheat oven to 325-F degrees and line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and place unpeeled potatoes on the baking sheets. Bake until very tender, usually about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool slightly.
Peel warm potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Beat or mash the cooked sweet potatoes until soft. Add the room-temperature butter, whipping cream, cardamom, and nutmeg. Whip until smooth and creamy. Season lightly with salt.
Transfer potatoes to a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. You may prepare the dish 1 day ahead of your meal. Cover and refrigerate. Bring the dish to room temperature before warming for the meal. Bake until the potatoes are heated through and beginning to brown on top, usually about 45 minutes in a 325-F degree oven. Serve warm.

VEGETARIAN CHILI

In a large cooking pot warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and dried peppers. Cook for about a minute more. Add tomatoes, broth, hominy, and kidney and black beans and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
Scoop the solids out of the soup pot and mash in a flat bowl with a fork. Return the mixture to the pot and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
To serve, ladle the chili into bowls and garnish with a dab of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for garnish.

CARROT CASSEROLE

To save time on the big day, you can prepare this recipe up to two days ahead of your feast; just omit the topping until just before baking.

(Serves 10 to 12)

2 lb. Carrots, cooked and mashed
1 large Onion, finely chopped
1 large Green Pepper, finely chopped
1 cup Milk
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
2 cups Saltine Cracker crumbs, half for mixing in and half for topping
1 cup Butter, softened (or less)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel, thick-slice, and cook the carrots in lightly salted boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool a bit.
Mix together the onion, green pepper, milk, sugar, and one cup of the cracker crumbs. Add the cooked carrots, and mash all the ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Top with salt and pepper and the remaining one cup of cracker crumbs, and dot with the room-temperature butter. Bake in a 325-F degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is brown. Serve warm.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Take some time to select the freshest large mushrooms you can find at your local grocery store. The larger the bowl-shape, the better.

(Serves 4)

8 large Mushrooms
3 Scallion or Green Onions, sliced lengthwise
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
10-oz. package marinated Tofu, diced
7-oz. can Corn, drained
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
2 tsp. Sesame Oil

Pre-heat the oven to 400-F degrees. Gently wipe the mushrooms to clean after removing and chopping the stalks.
Add the scallions and garlic to the chopped mushroom stalks. Pour the soy sauce over the ingredients and stir to mix.
Dry the marinated tofu on paper towels. Add the corn and the diced tofu to the mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper and stir again to combine all ingredients.
Place the mushroom cups, open sides facing up, in a baking dish. Divide the stuffing mixture evenly among the eight mushroom caps. Gently brush the rim of each mushroom with the sesame oil.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the mushrooms are just tender; then serve warm, garnished with scallion strips, if so desired.

QUICK POTATO PANCAKES

1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups potatoes
peeled and diced into medium cubes
1/2 medium onion quartered
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pulsate at chop for 5-6 times until mixture is blended, do not over mix. Pour onto a hot griddle that has been greased with butter or margarine. Pour about a large tablespoonful for each pancake. Turn when brown edges form. Serve with applesauce or syrup or sour cream.

RATATOUILLE VEGETARIAN

1 medium eggplant, washed and diced 
2 medium zucchini, washed, quartered lengthwise and sliced 
1 large onion, large dice 
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 large (28oz.) can sliced stewed tomatoes, divided 
2T Italian herbs 
Crushed red pepper, optional 

Chop and place the veggies in order in a LARGE microwaveable casserole dish with a cover. Separate out the tomatoes from the juice in the can and add them to the casserole. (The veggies give up their juices while cooking and can make a mess.) Save the juice to add back in later. Cover the dish and nuke on HIGH for 25-30 minutes. When done, stir in the herbs and as much of the reserved tomato juice as you like, and re-cover for 5-10 minutes. Serve with rice, pasta, small white beans, baked potatoes, ww pitas, bagels, tortillas and refried beans, or just by itself!! It really is that good.

CHILI MASHED POTATOES

1 1/3 pounds (4 medium) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup 1% milk (approximate)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)

In medium saucepan, cook potatoes in 2 inches boiling water, covered, about 12 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes thoroughly. Mash potatoes with electric mixer or potato masher. Mix in sour cream, green onions and chili powder. Gradually mix in milk until potatoes reach desired consistency. (Do not overbeat.) Season with salt and pepper. Stir gently over low heat just until heated through, adding a small amount of additional milk, if needed. Serve topped with cheese and cilantro.

POTATO & ONION FRITTATA

This recipe is for an Italian dinner omelet that goes well with a spinach salad to make a complete meal. Once again, the more-fattening ingredients have been replaced. Each serving now contains about 220 calories, with 9 grams of fat.

(Serves 4)

3 Tbs. Olive Oil (divided)
2 medium Red Potatoes, halved, then thinly sliced
2 large Red Onions, halved, then thinly sliced
3/4 tsp. Salt (divided)
Black Pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
4 whole Eggs
4 Egg Whites
3 Tbs. fresh Parsley or Basil, chopped

Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a 9- or 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced potatoes, onions, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt to the warmed oil, and cook the vegetables, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl and stir in the minced garlic. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes; wipe the skillet clean.
Whisk the eggs, egg whites, parsley or basil, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium- sized mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the cooled vegetables and stir to blend.
Pre-heat the oven broiler. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and warm the oil over a medium-low heat setting. Pour in the egg and vegetable mixture, shaking the skillet a bit to evenly distribute the contents. Cook until the edges are set and the frittata is browned on the bottom, usually about 8 minutes.
Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the top of the frittata is just set, about two or 3 minutes. Loosen the edges of the frittata and slide onto a serving plate. Cut into 4 equal wedges and serve warm.

FRENCH FRIES

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds (6 medium) potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Coat 2 baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray; set aside. In large bowl mix olive oil, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes and thyme. Add potatoes and toss to coat; arrange in single layers on pans. Bake about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until golden brown. Season with salt. Serve immediately.