Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

This easy (but not quick) recipe is simply one thinly sliced sweet potato--unless you have mad ninja knife skills, use a mandoline--deep fried in batches in a cast iron skillet in about 3/4 inch of oil or fat.  Sprinkle with sea salt or pink salt and the South of Beale spice mix.  Yes, there is a good deal of salt in the spice mix but I found that the sweetness of the sweet potato needed a little extra punch.  But then, I like (okay, crave--hey, I've got health issues) a lot more salt than most people.

I served these chips with an easy (and yes, this one is quick) sour cream and chive dip but found the dip overpowered the harmony of chip flavors.  Here's how to make the dip, but serve it with something else: a cup of sour cream (I use strained Strauss Whole milk yogurt, more flavor and doesn't upset my tummy like regular "sour" cream) and a handful of finely chopped fresh chives, a grind or two of pink salt, a pinch of fresh ground black pepper, and a tiny sprinkle or powdered roasted garlic. Mix and chill for at least thirty minutes to let the flavors marry comfortably.

Grain-free Mock Rye Crackers and Tuna Salad

The tuna salad is just a basic mercury-free canned tuna with some minced carrot, celery, pickle, chive, and mayonnaise, served on a bed of heirloom mini lettuce.

The mock rye crackers are the interesting part of this lunch.  I make almond milk two or three times a week and am always looking for something tasty to do with the resulting pulp.  I've been working on recipes riffing off this post from Elana's Pantry.  I highly recommend Elana's recipes--they almost always work well the first time and, even more importantly, taste great.

I've made several variations on Elana's crackers because I get tired of the same old thing all the time.  I still have trouble with the crackers having a kinda cardboard-y "health-food" texture but that is not too noticeable unless the crackers are eaten on their own.  And, sadly, my crackers always curl a bit, unlike Elana's lovely flat and perfectly edged crackers, because I can't get my oven as low-temp as her recipe calls for and my pizza cutter makes is wobbly and creates rather whimsical score lines.

Nonetheless, these added a nice crunch and rye-bread flavor while conveying the tuna salad into my mouth.

Grain-free Mock-Rye Crackers

 1 cup firmly packed almond pulp (I get this from one or two batches of almond milk)

2 tablespoons dark flax seed, ground, 

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon lightly crushed caraway seeds 

1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

additional salt and caraway seed for topping (I ran out and didn't finish the pictured crackers)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Roll dough into a tight ball and press between two layers of parchment paper.  Roll out between the paper to no more than 1/8 inch thick (Elana says up to 1/4 inch but that doesn't work in my higher heat oven).  Remove the top paper and transfer the bottom paper with the rolled dough onto a flat baking sheet.  Score the dough into 2 inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter.  (I find that the pizza cutter is much easier to work with but mine is so wobbly that I end up with crackers anything from 1 inch to 3 inch crackers.  Obviously, I need to work on my fine motor skills.  Or buy a better pizza cutter.)

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.  Without opening the oven, turn the heat down as low as it will go--my oven's bottom temperature is 170F--and continue baking until crackers are thoroughly dried and crispy. This batch took a surprisingly quick 45 minutes at the lower temp.

Refried Beans and Tortilla Chips

The beans from earlier in the week were such a hit with the family that I made a big pot of them yesterday (doubling the recipe).  Everyone had a bowlful, or two, after we all got home from our busy day but I was just too fatigued to think about eating--summer heat and my hysterical illness do not mix well, especially with being out and about most of the day.  After the sun went down and I had rested, however, I thought maybe some food would be good before going to bed.

So about 9:30 last night, I reheated the bacon grease left in the cast iron skillet from breakfast and tossed in a couple big scoops of beans from the bean pot.  As it sizzled and thickened and smelled just all bacony, beany scrumptious, I grated a wodge of cheddar cheese (because it was what we had, a Mexican cheese would have been much preferred).  I layered the cheese on top of the beans just as they were about a thick and delicious as I wanted.

When the cheese was all melty and bubbly, I put the beans in my favorite turquoise bowls that remind me of my Grandma, topped it with a bit more cheese and a big dollop of strained plain yogurt (like Greek yogurt, it's what passes for sour cream in our house).  I sat down with the bag of tortilla chips and dug in.

One of my daughters came by, saw the chips in bean dip happening, and joined in, polishing off half the bowl.  It was good to have a late night chat with a teenager.  Food is a powerful magic.

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

After some intensive healing work, I was grieving and spent a week eating nothing but popcorn and Coke.  Then I realized it wasn't really making me feel very good and that I might want to think about something a little healthier-for-me.  So I baked up a few batches of these cookie bars and ate only them for several days.

(recipe adapted from Making the World Cuter)

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips.  Mix the wet ingredients separately and then add to the dry.  Mix well and the fold in the chocolate chips.

Turn onto parchment paper and cover with another sheet of paper.  Roll to a roughly 8 inch square.  Peel off the top layer of paper.  Cut into 2 inch bars with a sharp knife or pizza cutter (the baked cookies will only be scored from this step but it helps to prevent crumbling when cutting again after baking).  Transfer the parchment paper and cookie bars to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes.

Alternatively, press the dough into a 8x8inch baking dish.  Or, scoop spoonfuls onto parchment for cookies--press a bit flat because these cookies won't spread out like grain-based cookies.  I'm just lazy and prefer the bars.

Even my "health-food" hating teens gobbled these down.  I blame them for my needing to make so many batches.  I easily doubled this recipe to produce a whole lot of cookies--at least three dozen, maybe four, I forgot to do the math as I was breaking up the bars.

South of Beale Popcorn

It might only be early June, but the thermometers here are already in the triple digits.  My car told me it was 107F/43C today.  Which means that I don't want to eat much in the way of actual food, certainly I don't feel like spending any time in the kitchen preparing it, and I'm craving something salty.  So I pulled out my bottle of homemade South of Beale spice mix.

This spicy-salty-sweet popcorn is my version of this Memphis restaurant's treat. I saw the chef assemble the spice mix on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. In fact, I backed it up and watched about six times, estimating the measurements, and what follows is my best guess. Well, and my own tweak.


SOB Popcorn Spice

1/4 cup coconut sugar (original: brown sugar dehydrated and ground)
1/4 cup sea salt (original: kosher salt)
1/4 cup paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic

Place all ingredients in a small coffee grinder (I keep one just for non-coffee purposes) and grind into powder.

The restaurant showed the popcorn air popped, though I wondered whether they really popped enough with that dorm-room popper to supply the whole restaurant! I popped mine in a large aluminum pot with a blend of coconut oil and grapeseed oil.

Time to kick back with my kid and catch some of the James Bond marathon on REELZ.  Thunderball  just started.

Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice and Tequila Pan Sauce

Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice

For the beans:

2 Cups dried pintos, washed and sorted for rocks, etc.

Cover the beans with water by at least a couple inches.  Bring to boil, covered, let simmer rapidly for five minutes.  Without uncovering the pot, turn off the heat and let sit for one hour.  Drain, rinse, thoroughly and return to the pot (This step eliminates the overnight soaking, reduces future digestive bloating and gassiness, and shortens the cooking time).

Add to the beans, 1 tablespoon of bacon fat or olive oil, 1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, diced; 1 jalapeño or 1/2 serrano, seeded if preferred, minced; 3 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 large bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano; a few grinds of black pepper.  DO NOT ADD SALT! Wait until the last half hour of cooking to add any salt because the beans will be tougher.

Cover the hydrated beans and aromatics with water or chicken stock by at least an inch. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour (but could vary 15-20 minutes depending on a variety of factors).

When the beans are soft, remove the bay leaves and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, to taste.  Remove a cup or two of the beans, especially the liquor, to a blender and whiz at high speed until thoroughly mashed and creamy.  Alternatively, mash in the pot with a big spoon or potato masher.  The blender method produces a thicker result, more consistent with the beans you get in Mexican restaurants.  Return the mashed beans to the pot, stir to incorporate, and simmer on low until needed. Squeeze a quarter of a fresh lime into the beans just before serving.

For the rice:

1 1/2 Cups dried white rice
3 Cups water

Put together in a small pot, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft and a bit sticky, about 12 minutes.  For exceedingly white and fluffy rice, rinse the dry rice in cold water until the water runs clear.  This will shorten the cooking time.

For the chicken:

Rince and pat dry, 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon dried chipotles, salt and fresh ground pepper. 

Melt enough bacon fat in a hot cast iron skillet to create a heavy glisten but not so much that the chicken will fry.  When sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces, top side down.  Add 1 tablespoon salsa of choice to the top of each piece.  When the chicken has seared and moves easily from the pain, turn pieces over, allowing the salsa to fall into the pan.  Add another 1 tablespoon of salsa to the cooked side of the chicken, cover with a lid and braise for about five minutes until chicken is just cooked through (a hint of pink in the center, still soft throughout).  Remove the chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside in a warm place.  It will continue to cook in the center as it sits. When ready to plate, slice the chicken against the grain.

For serving, finely slice a quarter head of green cabbage.  Toss with the juice from half a lime.

For the pan sauce:

Deglaze the hot pan from the chicken with 1 shot tequila and 1 shot water or stock, scraping up all the crunchy bits of chicken and caramelized salsa.  Add 2 tablespoons more salsa.  Stir and reduce the sauce by half or until it begins to thicken, whichever comes first. Add in the collected juices from the warming plate.  Stir.

To plate:

Divide the plate into thirds, one-third rice, one-third beans, and one-third shredded cabbage.  Lay the sliced chicken on the cabbage.  Spoon the tequila pan sauce over the chicken and the beans and rice.  Squeeze a final lime wedge over the whole plate.

Amazingly, this recipe served 6 last night.  I expected to get four servings with some leftover beans, but we had unexpected teens around at dinner.  Everyone seemed satisfied.

Five-Minute Grain-free Chocolate Cake for One (or Two)

Five Minute Grain-free Chocolate Cake

1 tablespoon coconut flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder 

4 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sweeten to taste with preferred sweetener)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Mix dry ingredients well in a microwave bowl or mug. Then add:

1 tablespoon oil (can use melted butter but it makes the cake tougher. Can also sub applesauce but makes it rubbery)

3 tablespoons full-fat milk (if using dairy substitute, may need more oil. Coconut milk gives best results)

1 egg

Splash of vanilla

Mix well and microwave for 3 minutes. 

While baking, put in a small saucepan:

1/4 cup chocolate chips (can use gluten-free or low carb but may not melt as smoothly)

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut milk

If needed add up to 1 tablespoon oil to create smoother texture. 

Melt over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and glossy. May add flavorings now if desired. 

Tip (and scoop) cake onto plate, pour hot fudge chocolate sauce over the cake, garnish as desired.