YamBrowns, Shakshuka, and Strawberry-Banana Smoothies

YamBrowns

I'm always looking for something different to do with yams/sweet potatoes. We've been getting a lot lately, in our SWFL Produce Co-p Weekly box.  This recipe makes 6-8 cakes depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. Simple, easy and nearly fool-proof, the cakes stick together rather than falling apart.

4 medium Sweet Potatoes/Yams

2 Eggs, beaten

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 cup Almond Flour

1/4 cup Oil for frying

Optionally: diced green onion folded into the 'batter'

Peel the yams. Wrap one in a soggy paper towel and place in a bowl with 1/2” of water. Microwave for 7-9 minutes and let it set while you finish grating the other three potatoes on the large teeth of a box grater.

Mash the cooked sweet potato with a fork and add it to a mixing bowl with the grated potatoes, almond flour, spices and beaten eggs.  Stir with a spatula to combine.

Heat a heavy skillet to medium or electric skillet to 350F, add the oil, and add 1/3 cup measures of the potato mixture, flattened to about 1/2” thick. Fry 5 minutes per side, and remove to paper towels while the next batch fries.

I served them as a dinner side dish:

If you serve them for breakfast, a bit of maple or cane syrup goes well, and you should put some nutmeg or cinnamon in the batter too.

Simple Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a dish which is popular in the culinary circuit for whatever reason, so I decide to see what the fuss was all about. It's an ancient dish from North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Basically you poach eggs on top of crushed/diced tomatoes that have been simmered together with onions, chili peppers and spices.

I looked at a bunch of recipes for the dish, and thought to myself – why bother?? Why bother dicing and chopping and slicing and simmering... Ro*Teltm has been making cans of diced tomatoes, onion, chilies and spices since 1943. So I hauled a can of their Mild version down off the pantry shelf, opened it up and dumped it in my 9” skillet.

You know I can't leave things alone, so I added a bit of cumin and a dash of nutmeg for that Middle Eastern flair, and when the mixture was simmering, I carefully cracked two eggs into the mixture.

Only problem was that I had it simmering too hot, and the tomatoes sort of drowned the eggs. Pretty tasty breakfast or lunch though, I must admit!!!

Next time I'll make this a dish for two by crushing some of the tomatoes, adding some diced onion and cracking four eggs onto the (much slower) simmering tomato base. This may become a breakfast offering at the Poolside Cabana!

Co-op Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I needed a fruity dessert for Sunday brunch with Mum – the main offering was Toad in A Hole (which I wrote about back on March 20th 2017), sauteed Rainbow Carrots and Mashed Potatoes & Bisto tm Gravy. Potatoes & carrots compliments of our Combo box from the SWFLProduce Co-op.

The combo-box from last week also contained the last of the Florida strawberries, and some beautiful bananas that were just coming ripe. Strawberries (minus the hulls) + Bananas (minus the skins) + a scoop of Greek yogurt, and WHIRRRRRRR! Smoothies for dessert.