Easy Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry

The bad news first: I was in the middle of photographing some oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookies when my camera took a field trip… off the kitchen counter, to the floor. It took the hit hard. So, without a way to take pictures for a little while, I’ll be posting less for the next few weeks. I have a enough recipes in my backlog that I’ll be posting one recipe a week for the next few weeks instead of my usual two. My new camera is on backorder, so I’m crossing my fingers it gets here ASAP! 

The good news: I have curry to drown my sorrows in.

This sweet potato & chicken curry is one actually an oldie from the blog – something I originally published over two years ago! It needed a bit of a face lift, and I was more than happy to accommodate... This sweet and savory curry is welcome in my house anytime, but especially when we have a foot of snow outside (which we do right now!). It offers a ying and yang of spicy and creamy; of hot and cool; of sweet and savory. Few other dishes are quite so satisfying. 

Easy Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry

Published February 20, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (whole)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional: dash of cayenne pepper, for extra heat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced (or 1 large)
• 2 14-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (diced works too, will just be a chunkier curry)
• 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• For serving: minced cilantro, roasted cashews, and your choice of rice/cauliflower rice/quinoa/etc

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil glisten, add diced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Sauté until onions are transparent.
2. Add the cubed chicken to the pan, browning on each side for about 3 minutes, and then turning to cook the other side. Add the minced serrano chile, spices, and salt, and stir.
3. Add the diced sweet potato, along with the canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir to incorporate everything.
4. Bring to a simmer and place lid on pan, cooking until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Prick potatoes with a fork to ensure they are soft all the way through.
5. Serve curry hot, sprinkled with cilantro and toasted cashews, along with a side of rice/cauliflower rice/quinoa/etc.

Homestyle Sausage, Potato & Spinach Soup

On a cold and misty day, my mom and I meandered down a paved path in the bay area. My mom stopped on the side of the path and held a tree's leaves between her fingers. "Laurel trees," she explained, and when I still didn't quite get it she said, "Bay Leaves."

I've never given bay leaves their dues: they are easy to skip, as a whole pot of soup usually only calls for one or two leaves. They are subtle, so skipping them is never the end of the world. But delicate flavors have always ranked high in my mom's book: florals, herbals, and creams. 

In the winter she'd make soups with leeks and kielbasa, and stir in cream or (and) shredded provolone at the last minute before turning off the heat. She never skipped the bay leaves. 

This soup is an ode to that day, when I discovered how beautiful laurel trees are and remembered why bay leaves are so important. It is nothing fancy: onions, potatoes, sausage, and spinach in a creamy broth. But simplicity is key here, as you can throw it all in the pot (along with two bay leaves), and let it simmer while you change into slippers, pour a glass of wine, or nibble on a cheese plate. 

Winter officially "arrives" this week, which makes it the perfect time to make a simple cozy soup. Bites of spicy sausage and slurps of flavorful broth will warm you to the bone.

Homestyle Sausage, Potato & Spinach Soup

Published December 19, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 4 sausages (about 1/2 pound); I used Teton Waters Ranch Hot Links (available at Costco) but you can experiment here. Try kielbasa or spicy Italian to mix it up!
• 2 cups new potatoes, quartered 
• 2 large carrots, diced small
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• Dash cayenne 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 4 cups baby spinach 

Directions:

Instant Pot Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Slice sausages into bite sized pieces, and add to pot, browning for 3-5 minutes. Then, add potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, broth, pepper, salt and dash of cayenne.
3. Turn Instant Pot to Soup setting, seal lid, and set timer for 10 minutes.
4. When the timer goes off, release pressure and open pot. Stir in spinach and cream. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the soup. Add additional salt & pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Stove Top Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Slice sausages into bite sized pieces, and add to pot, browning for 3-5 minutes. Then, add potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, broth, pepper, salt and dash of cayenne.
3. Bring soup to a simmer, and place lid on pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
4. Turn off heat and, stir in spinach and cream. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the soup. Add additional salt & pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Maple Sweetened Eggnog (No Refined Sugar!)

Eggnog is a surprisingly polarizing drink. Surprising to me, because of how much I love it. It is creamy, sweet, and lightly spiced (which you know I love if you read my recent gingerbread post). 

When drinking eggnog I try--try so hard- to make it last, sipping slowly the way you would with a glass of wine. It never really works, going down far too easy. 

This eggnog is just how I like it: creamy, sweet, with a hint of spice. There are a lot of variations on eggnog so if you would like to customize yours, here are some tips! 

On Spiking Your Eggnog: I prefer not to tamper with my eggnog, and let it stay like it was when I was a kid. Alcohol free. That's just me. There's likely a time and a place that spiked eggnog would fit into my life well, but regular old eggnog drinking isn't it. This recipe works either way: my friends stirred in whiskey, which adds to that sharp spicy flavor. Rum would be good as well! No matter what, top with fresh nutmeg (advice from my grandmother). 

To Cook or Not to Cook: This recipe will ask you to cook your eggnog on the stove-top. It doesn't take long, and it helps you get a thick, creamy eggnog. I've made it in the blender (i.e., skipped cooking), and the flavor is there but the creaminess falls a bit short (Plus, without adding alcohol, this makes drinking the raw eggs a little risky). Lots of recipes will ask you to whip your egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in to get that creamy texture, but that is just too much work (...in my opinion 😉) considering you could also just stir everything on the stove for a few minutes. And while eggnog is usually enjoyed cold, warm eggnog straight from the stove is something else (and an experience worth having).

Maple Syrup > Sugar: This recipe calls for maple syrup rather than sugar. It does have a subtle maple flavor, but it's quite nice, and I'm surprised you don't see more maple sweetened eggnogs around. It might sound odd, but really, has maple syrup ever messed up anything?? Plus, it's an unrefined sugar. Three cheers for maple syrup! 

What's All the Fermentation Talk? Fermenting eggnog is the traditional way, and does several things. First, it mellows out any alcohol you may have put in. Second, whatever alcohol you have added kills off any bacteria (or so I've heard). Third, it gives flavors time to meld together. Have you heard of leaving your cookie dough in the fridge over night? Same idea. Key to fermentation: use booze. The alcohol is what kills off any bacteria. I wanted my eggnog now, so this recipe is a drink-it-right-away recipe. You can try adding booze and fermenting it for a few weeks if you're that sort of daring (use a 1/4 cup cognac and 1/4 cup rum).

Maple-Sweetened Eggnog (No Refined Sugar!)

Published December 7, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 12   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 6 egg yolks 
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine milk, cream, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and pinch of salt in a sauce pan and heat until almost simmering. Stir frequently to avoid scalding. 
2. While the milk heats, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup maple syrup until frothy and golden.
3. Ladle 1 scoop of the hot milk into the egg mixture, while whisking it quickly to avoid curdling. Do this two more times to temper the eggs and then pour the egg mixture into sauce pan with milk, whisking while you pour. Cook for 3-5 minutes while whisking constantly. Do not allow mixture simmer (or boil), as this will cause the eggs to curdle. 
4. Once eggnog begins to thicken, remove from heat. At this point, you may add extra maple syrup if you would like, just taste it and adjust, stirring between each addition. (for me, the 1/2 cup we added in step 2 is enough, but if you are accustomed to store-bought you might want a bit more).
5. Pour the eggnog through a fine mesh sieve to remove the whole cloves and ensure a silky smoothy eggnog.
6. Pour in an air-tight container and chill in the fridge. Serve topped with freshly ground nutmeg. (I'm often impatient and drink it while it's still warm -- yummy that way, too!)