Filed under: Breakfast, Main Dish | Tags: Broccoli, carrot, chard, egg, greens, kale, potato, root vegetables, sweet potato, vegan
Well, its been a week now since my birthday challenge ended. And I have to say – I miss it a little bit! There was something dizzying about unlimited options in what I could eat last week, and I took full advantage. The Burger Bus, chocolate chip cookies, half and half in my coffee…. it was almost overwhelming. I think I’ve realized finally that I’m a person who needs a few rules in my life to help me find balance. I’m not sure exactly what those rules will be, but I’m working on figuring it out.
This last month Santa Barbara has been blessed with gorgeous, amazing, mostly warm weather. It feels like the summer we never had in 2010 (instead we got days and days of fog). I do feel badly for the rest of the country struggling with such cold. But I’m really, really happy in this weather! All of my seed starts are coming along nicely, and I should be able to plant in the next few weeks. Wildflowers are blooming in the mountains behind Santa Barbara, and the birds are notching up their songs (and providing lots of amusement in my yard. Scrub jay burying a peanut = case in point).
One of my favorite recent dinners (or breakfasts) is this sweet potato hash. I roast up an assortment of root vegetables, then saute greens and garlic. I top the whole mess with a fried egg or two. I find it to be completely satisfying at any time of day, and it again has those elements of flexibility I love so much! Bell peppers are a great addition, or mushrooms. Just make sure to add them in at the right time so they get their proper cooking time. This is particularly satisfying after a long run, or an afternoon spent climbing and scrambling at The Playground.
Sweet Potato Hash with Greens and Eggs
Assortment of root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, etc), chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1-2 big handfuls of greens – fresh broccoli, kale, chard, asparagus, etc, chopped into 1/2-1″ ribbons
1-3 cloves garlic, chopped small
1-4 eggs (depends on how many people you’re serving and how many everyone wants)
Coat the root vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in a 375 oven for 35-50 minutes (depends on how many vegetables you have)
Once they finish, saute your greens and garlic til bright green. Remove from pan, and fry your eggs (or poach if you like them that way).
Serve with root vegetables on the bottom, then a layer of greens, with eggs on top. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh pepper on top to taste.
Filed under: Main Dish | Tags: chard, cilantro, goat cheese, sweet potato, tortilla
Last week, my friend Patty and I were brainstorming meal ideas for her camping trip. She found a recipe for butternut squash quesadillas with leeks that looked and sounded amazing! I was reminded of a scene several years ago, when I made a lunch of a wrap with sweet potatoes, avocado, feta cheese and black beans. A few friends from work would trade off making each other lunch once a week, and I think I had found that recipe in a fitness magazine. Anyhow, tonight I was inspired by Patty’s find (and my memory), and I managed to do my own version with sweet potatoes, chard, cilantro, and goat cheese.
The cilantro has been doing great in the garden – growing at a (mostly) manageable pace, and the same can be said for the chard. I hadn’t harvested chard for awhile, so not only did I pick the good leaves for me, I picked the scrappy leaves for the chicks (they seemed happy with it). Chard has become one of my favorite plants – I love the deep green color, and it so easily can be added to recipes. And the stalks are just as edible – particularly when sauteed like onions or celery.
A few other things: the chicken coop is pretty much done, and the chicks have gotten to play in it a few times. I think they like the space to fly and run around! They seem so small when they’re in their coop. But they have really grown soo much since we got them – I can hardly remember them without their feathers!
Even more exciting, I was able to ride my bike to work this morning… and it felt GOOD! My six-week X-ray is tomorrow, so hopefully my collarbone is healed up enough to get official doctor clearance 
It just felt so amazing, and natural, to be on my bike again… no more (or at least less!) car commute!! To quote a co-worker, the ride in is just “dreamy.” And on a completely different note – my favorite flowers in the yard are blooming right now… the Calla lily.
Sweet Potato and Chard Quesadillas
2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1 large bunch chard, leaves torn into small-ish pieces and stems chopped like celery
1 small onion, chopped small
goat cheese to your taste
1/4 tsp each cumin and chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 Whole wheat tortillas
A few sprigs of Cilantro, torn into pieces
Optional: lime wedges
Preheat oven to 400. Toss sweet potato chunks with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for ~30 minutes until soft. Remove from oven, and puree (either in a blender or with an immersion blender). Mix in cumin, chili powder, and salt/pepper to taste.
While sweet potatoes are roasting, saute onion and chard stalks in olive oil. After 3-4 minutes, add the leaves. Cover for a few minutes so leaves wilt, then uncover to allow any moisture to evaporate off.
Assembly: Spread sweet potato mixture on half of a tortilla. Crumble goat cheese over sweet potatoes. Spoon on the chard mixture and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Fold tortilla half over and saute in a bit of olive oil until toasted/brown on each side. Cut into wedges and serve! If desired, squeeze lime juice over top.
