Whipped Coconut Sweet Potatoes

My friend Melanie requested this recipe, so here you go! Sorry I have no picture today. :(

Sweet Potatoes, also known as "Yams" in the United States (though they're not actually yams), are one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. They're packed with all kinds of wonderful vitamins and minerals, are fat-free, and taste delicious. However, you overcook them, or boil them to death, and they get mushy, bland, and brown. yuck. If all you remember from childhood was the brown and sticky mess covered with burnt marshmallows on Thanksgiving, you should really give sweet potatoes another try--I think you'll be surprised that you really do like them. This recipe is fast and plays on the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes.

Whipped Coconut Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1) If you have a steamer, put the potatoes in that. Fill steamer pot bottom with 1" water and bring to a boil. Put sweet potatoes on top and cook for approximately 20 minutes, until tender. If you do NOT have a steamer, cook in a regular saucepan with about 2" of water on the bottom and covered with a lid. You don't have to cover all the potatoes with water. Just bring to a boil and again, cook for about 20 minutes.
2) Once sweet potatoes are soft and fall apart easily with a fork, drain well. Add other ingredients except for pecans. Mash with a potato masher or whip with an electric mixer. They won't get gooey like regular potatoes, so whip away!
3) Check for seasonings, add more if you like more. Sprinkle on pecans at service time. Enjoy! Serves 4 easy.

Lisa's Wonderful Dutch Oven Meld

Another healthy recipe, down home comfort food. Pork chops in the dutch oven, cooked low and slow, make them tender and slightly sweet. All the extra vegetables make this a one-pot meal, sure to be a hit with your kids, your husband, your waistline, and your dishes pile.

Dutch Oven Meld
4 tbsp olive oil
4 pork chops, thick cut
1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, sliced
2 firm flesh sliced apples (Gala, Macintosh, Granny Smith, braeburn, etc)
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, left whole
salt and pepper


BBQ sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flake (just a pinch!)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika will be okay too)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp fresh minced rosemary, or 1 tbsp dry

In a 4 quart dutch oven, pour the olive oil. Layer in the onion, sweet potatoes, meat, apples, and mushrooms, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper as desired. Mix together the BBQ sauce ingredients and pour over the whole thing. Cover and cook for 1 hour at 400 degrees in the oven, or with 15 briquettes on bottom, 13 on top.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

After buckets of regular mashed potatoes, here's something to try to liven up your side-dish arsenal. Not that there's anything wrong with plain old whipped russets--just sometimes you want something new, you know? These are pretty decadent, so try serving it with a simpler main course, like grilled chicken breasts or pork chops. Tonight I made this for dinner with Orange-Mustard Glazed Chicken.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes (about the size of your hand)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup sour cream

Wash, peel, and dice sweet potatoes into approximately 1" cubes. Put in a large pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, approximately 15 mintues. Drain and place in a bowl with the other ingredients. Mash with a potato masher. It should be warm enough to melt the butter and marshmallows, but if it isn't, microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.