Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pancakes

I have never tasted sweet potato pie 😧 but if sweet potato pie was put into a pancake, I imagine this is what it would taste like. 

The batter for these pancakes is made of primarily mashed cooked sweet potato and egg. If you've ever made grain-free banana pancakes, you know what I'm talking about! The batter needs to be thinned out a little to make pancakes, so a bit of melted coconut oil and milk (whatever type you like) get stirred in. But then, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and a dash of salt are added -- this is where that pie flavor comes to life! These pancakes are grain-free, so expect the finish pancakes to be denser than traditional pancakes made with flour. 

Cook the pancakes on a well-greased non-stick griddle, and serve them warm. We topped them with butter, maple syrup and a dollop of whipped cream. (Yes, whipped cream is allowed at breakfast, and it really completes the sweet potato pie effect!) 😋

Perfect for the holiday season! 

Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pancakes

Published December 13, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 6 four-inch pancakes   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon melted coconut oil, plus more for cooking

1-2 teaspoon milk of choice

Optional: pinch of ground cloves

To serve: whipped cream, maple syrup, butter or coconut oil

Directions:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potato, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, melted oil, milk, and cloves if using. Stir with a spatula or electric mixer until smooth.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil. When the oil glistens, spoon batter into the pan by the 1/4 cup. This batter is thicker than traditional pancake batter, so use a spatula to spread it out to be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, and then flip pancake and cook for 3-5 more minutes on the other side.
3. Move cooked pancake to a plate and repeat step two until all of the batter is used.
4. Serve warm topped with a pat of butter, dollop of whipped cream, and drizzle of maple syrup.

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Tacos

It started with a business trip to Texas in 2016. It was my first real business trip. My co-worker (Libby, who is somewhat of an aviation food connoisseur) asked if I wanted to stop by Root Down, a restaurant in the terminal. We got sweet potato fries with curry sauce and I realized that whatever I had previously thought about airport food was wrong. (Fruit cups, low fat yogurt, and granola bars? Move aside!)

Fast forward to 2017: I’m traveling to Ecuador for a client. I had been on a few business trips since that one to Texas, but none as cool as this one — Ecuador! South America! Hadn’t I graduated with a Spanish Degree just for this?! Going into Marketing I had pretty much thought those international opportunities were behind me. Anyhow, I was on my own, so the world was my oyster and the schedule was whatever I said it was. Which means there was time to stop at Root Down, and breakfast was in order. I sat at a table for one with a view of the tarmac and ordered tacos. In that moment I felt awkward by myself, and took solace in those tacos, taking my sweet time. Each taco was small — made on a 4-inch tortilla - and stuffed with greasy chorizo and fluffy scrambled eggs.

My next encounter with those tacos was this August. It was 6am as we rode the bus to the airport, and by the time we made it to security our stomachs rumbled for breakfast. It was Oliver’s idea, that day, to stop at Root Down but of course I didn’t protest. We both ordered the tacos and coffee and finally, digging into our breakfast, we were on vacation.

This taco recipe is my home rendition: chorizo crumbles, scrambled eggs, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and queso fresco. I replaced the pickled red onions with minced fresh red onions that star on Root Down’s menu, because at home it’s easier (and I like the fresh flavor). And added avocado, because we weren’t going to make tacos without avocado.

When you make these, it might be easier to just cook up an entire pound of chorizo versus the exact amount you need. It will store well in your fridge, and can go into future meals (great in soups!) or make it easier for you to get breakfast going tomorrow. You could also plan to serve a crowd: make a breakfast taco bar!

Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but these tacos for breakfast feel a bit like a vacation. Enjoy!

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Tacos

Published November 8, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 3   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

6 six-inch corn tortillas

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1/2 cup chorizo crumbles, cooked and heated

1 Roma tomato, diced

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1/4 cup queso fresco crumbles

1 tablespoon minced red onion

2 tablespoon minced cilantro

Optional: hot sauce of choice, to taste

Optional, for serving: lime wedges

Directions:

1. Prep your ingredients first in this recipe, as once the eggs are cooked, you’ll want to immediately start assembling your tacos. So, dice that tomato, slice the avocado, and mince the cilantro and red onion now. Reheat or cook the chorizo.
2. Warm the tortillas. There are plenty of ways you can get this done: place them in a preheated oven for a few minutes, warm them in a toaster oven, or heat them in a dry skillet. Whatever you do, watch them closely so as to avoid burning them or drying them out too much. Just a few minutes will do.
3. Now, crack eggs into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and whisk until they are a creamy yellow color and slightly frothy.
4. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. When oil sizzles, pour in eggs. As eggs begin to set (it will take a minute or two), use a wooden spatula, to pull the eggs across the pan, stirring them. Continue until no visible liquid egg white remains, and then move the pan off the heat. (Tip: If there are other things to do or prepare, I sometimes will pull the pan from the heat a little bit early, say 30 seconds, to avoid over cooked eggs. They will continue to cook in the pan until you serve them.)
5. Assemble tacos: take tortillas out of the toaster, and top each with a heaping tablespoonful of chorizo. Divide egg mixture evenly amongst tortillas, and then top each with diced tomato, a slice of avocado, queso fresco, minced red onion, and cilantro.
6. Serve hot with hot sauce on the side, and lime wedges if using.

Baked Oatmeal Apples

Mornings are the best. (Who’s with me?) They are the best for a pretty specific reason (IMO), and that’s the peace and quiet they bring (morning lovers will understand). That peace and quiet is largely possible due to routine for me. And it’s really hard to change something about your morning routine. I’ve tried adding in meditation (lasted about 14 days), journalling, and stretching, but none of them stick. What I usually find that adding more in just brings unnecessary stress during those early hours. When it comes to mornings, I’m all for simplifying.

Which is why lately, I’ve been doing my best to make breakfast in batches one or two times a week (things like casseroles, baked oatmeal, and frittatas) so that when I wake up there is one less thing to do as part of my routine. I usually do this on weekends, when there’s no rush to get out of the house.

This breakfast (almost dessert…) is one of my favorites in the fall. Baked apples are filled to the brim with baked oatmeal and warm spices, like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. With a little whipped cream, they even make a sweet dessert later in the day.

Baked Oatmeal Apples

Published October 25, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

6 crisp apples

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped pecans

To serve: plain or vanilla yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Using a paring knife, cut the tops off the apples and save for step 5. Using a spoon with sharper edges, such as a melon baller, scoop out the apple core and some of the flesh. Be sure the leave at least a 1/4-inch thick outer wall of apple all the way around. Reserve the flesh you’ve removed from the apples, discard of the seeds and pith.
3. Chop up the reserved apple flesh and place in a medium mixing bowl, along with the melted butter, maple syrup, milk, yogurt, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl: rolled oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, salt, and chopped pecans. Stir until full combined.
5. Arrange apples in a baking dish and scoop oat mixture into the cavity of each apple. Place the apple tops back on, and place baking dish on center wrack in oven. Bake 35-45 minutes, until apples are baked though.
6. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve on plates with yogurt (for breakfast) or whipped cream (for dessert).