Time to Eat

One thing we missed last year during the height of the building project was good food. I'm not talking about five star restaurant food. I'm talking about home cooked goodness. On an average night we wouldn't make it back to our apartment until 9:30 or 10 at night and let's face it, at that point, we weren't going to bust out a quality home cooked meal. Most of the time, we ate leftovers from the local pizza place or grilled cheese and canned tomato soup. Yum.

It's been so great to have time to explore new recipes and cook meals at home again. We're slowing getting used to cooking with our crazy gas stove. It's like a super machine! But, I love it. Loooove it. Here's a few super yummy new recipes that we tried out this past weekend. The soup was good and hearty but the sweet potato fritters were SO awesome. They will definitely be making it into our usual rotation. Give them a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Creamy Vegetable Tortilla Soup
(photo and original recipe here. Slight variations below).

Ingredients:
4 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped chiles
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 can black beans
1 can red beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 14 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 14 ounce cans vegetable broth
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen is ok)
1 8 ounce brick of cream cheese
corn tortillas cut into 2 inch slices
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
salt, pepper to taste and other spices (I added cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika)
Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese and avocado

• Saute onions, garlic, pepper and green chilis in olive oil until soft
• Add tomatoes, beans and veggie broth
• Add corn, simmer for 25 minutes
• Add cream cheese, stir to melt
• Add seasonings, simmer 10 more minutes
• Add sliced tortillas and garnish just before serving
  

Sweet Potato Fritters
(photo and original recipe here. No variations below).


Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch slices
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic salt
10 grinds black pepper

• boil sweet potato slices in salted water for 12-15 minutes until soft
• cool potato slices on cooling rack for 10 minutes
• mix spices together in a mixing bowl
• mix butter and olive oil in small bowl
• gently smash sweet potatoes with a fork, cover with butter/oil mixture and sprinkle with spices, place on lightly oiled baking sheet (I also put foil down b/c it gets messy) spiced side down
  
• smash top of sweet potato, cover with butter/oil mixture and sprinkle with spices
• repeat for the rest of the potato slices
• roast at 375 for 20 minutes, carefully flip each potato and roast for 10 minutes more. Serve hot.