Category Archives: On the Table

On the Table: Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Taste.com.au

It’s a vicious cycle, I’ll admit it. We eat healthy most of the year. But then summer arrives, and our food choices aren’t quite what they should be.

So as we often do after the summer, we are getting back on track with our more typical eating habits and exercise routine.

Zack and I have also decided to take a break from meat, as we do once or twice a year. NOTE: I am not a vegetarian! And I know myself well enough to know this is not a permanent change. But I have found that reducing my meat intake works really well for me and my health.

The thing I’ve experienced in the past when cutting out meat is that I get bored with the same old recipes over and over. And that’s typically what ends it for me.

So this time around, I’m really trying to branch out and try some new things. Ten days in, and I’m feeling pretty positive! So far I’ve made lasagna, spaghetti, sweet potato & chickpea curry, tacos, spinach paneer, greek pizza, and kung pao cauliflower.

Last night, I tried a new soup. I used a few different recipes as inspiration and came up with this curried sweet potato & lentil soup. Everyone liked it, so we’ll definitely be adding it to the vegetarian rotation.

If you have meatless meal ideas you’d like to share, I’m all ears!

Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup
1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, baked & skins removed, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 small carrots, diced
1 apple, peeled, cored & diced
Ginger (dried, or finely sliced, to taste)
1/2 cup dried lentils, cooked well and drained
1 can light coconut milk
3 cups water or broth
Curry powder (1 tbsp or more, to taste)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Place onion, carrots, apple and ginger in a pot with a bit of water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Drain. Place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender/stick mixer, blend the soup until smooth. Serve hot. If desired, you could top it with coconut milk, sour cream, or quark/kesam.

Here are some other recipes you might want to check out:
The Gracious Pantry’s Curried Sweet Potato Soup
BBC Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
She Likes Food Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup
Taste.com’s Curried Sweet Potato Soup

On the Table: Hearty Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Apples

Healthy food can taste good. Really good. Case in point: this one-skillet dish that has become a family favorite for us.

Zack found it on Twitter, from the Beach Body website (here). He challenged, I accepted.
Of course, as is usually the case with recreating an American recipe in Norway, I made some modifications.
It all starts with the sweet potatoes. A food that made me gag as a child has now become a favorite in my quest for mixing it up when trying to cook healthy.
Two potatoes, ready for baking

And the rest of the ingredients, sitting and waiting while the potatoes bake. I used ground chicken instead of chicken breasts, and I was very pleased with the results.

I also have quite an assortment when it comes to spices. Sage brought from the states. Pepper from Norway. Paprika purchased in Germany. And Hawaiaan sea salt that was a gift from some Norwegian friends. Also included: apples, raisins, red onion, and olive oil.

Apples and onions. With a little OO. Yum.

Chicken, raisins, and spices.

Toss that all together.

Throw it all back in the skillet with the diced sweet potatoes, and let it brown a bit. Then get ready to devour it.

Yeah, you can thank me later.

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Hearty Chicken, Sweet Potato & Apples
Ingredients
3 teaspoons Olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2-3 apples – recipe called for cooking apples, I used what was on hand: Gala – cored, diced (the menu said peeled – I did not peel them)
2 cups cubed baked sweet potato (I baked two medium sweet potatoes)
¼ cup raisins
400 grams (@1 lb) ground chicken
1 tsp. dried sage
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼  tsp. paprika
Preparation:
  1. Bake the sweet potatoes. (Oven is always best, but use the microwave if you must)
  2. Remove from oven. Cool slightly, remove skin, and cut into cubes
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Cook chicken, using a little bit of the seasonings listed above (I ended up using more paprika & sage than the recipe suggested). Place in a large bowl.
  5. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the skillet.
  6. Add onion and apples; cook, stirring frequently, for 6 to 7 minutes, or until mixture begins to brown. Place in bowl with chicken.
  7. Add all other ingredients in the bowl; mix well.
  8. Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in skillet over medium heat.
  9. Add mixture, pat into an even layer in pan; cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes.
  10. Stir gently; cook an additional 2 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Serve immediately.
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