at home with ann

Or maybe Sweet Potato Nachos.  In any case, these were a nice little change of pace.  I know better than to pass off alternate pizza crusts to Colin.  He is neither fooled nor amused.  Zucchini, eggplant and cauliflower pizzas have all been met with disapproval.  So, for the younger set, I made sweet potato, ham, and pineapple tasting plates.  The verdict was that round sweet potatoes don't taste as good as long sweet potatoes.  Live and learn. The grownups layered roasted sweet potato rounds with barbecue sauce or tomato sauce, pineapple, ham, and mozzarella.  Popped under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, and they were delicious. I'd even make them as an appetizer.  They were the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and salty.   Hawaiian Sweet Potato Pizzas sweet potato, cut into rounds and roasted  ham, diced pineapple, chopped barbecue or tomato sauce mozzarella cheese Layer all ingre...

This is not takeout sweet and sour.  No breading, nothing deep fried.  Just a light, sweet sauce that is delicious on vegetables, fruit, and shrimp.  My only advice would be to take the tails off the shrimp before adding them in, otherwise you will be picking them up with your fingers, which is not very elegant, can be messy, and is hard to do when you're holding a little squirming person with one hand. Sweet and Sour Shrimp based on recipe by Emeril Legasse Ingredients: 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons water 3 Tablespoons ketchup 3 Tablespoons sugar 3 Tablespoons pineapple juice 2 Tablespoons vinegar 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  2 teaspoons cornstarch  1/2-1 pound shrimp (I used frozen, precooked) 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, grated Canola oil 1 medium onion, sliced 1 bell pepper, cut into chunks 1 can pineapple chunks 1 bunch green onions, sliced In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup water, ketchup, sug...

This was just a basic stir fry, with a couple of interesting additions.  First, instead of using rice or noodles, I supplemented the vegetables with quinoa.  A slightly different texture, but also very high in fiber and protein.  And gluten free, if you care about that sort of thing.  Second, instead of cooking the quinoa in straight water, I took an idea from Veganomicon and cooked the quinoa in a combination of water, pineapple juice, and soy sauce.  It added another flavor dimension, a little sweetness in the background. The rest of the stir fry was pretty basic, lightly sauteed and steamed onion, bell pepper, broccoli, and swiss chard (I added this in because we had a bunch in our CSA and, try as I might, I don't really like it.  I know it's super healthy, so stir fry is a good way to use it to create some bulk and add nutritious vitamins.) I seasoned the vegetables with a drizzle of sesame oil and ginger rice wine vinegar.  Once the quinoa was ...

This should actually be the smoothie of the week, because I ate it for breakfast five days in a row.  It's refreshing, and the tropical flavors are a delicious combination. It used to seem that unless you had access to Trader Joe's, the frozen fruit selection at the market was primarily strawberries, blueberries, and the occasional raspberry.  While those are all great, it restricts smoothie recipes a bit.  Now, even at the regular grocery store, you can find everything from cherries, peaches, pineapple, even mango in the frozen fruit section.  Frozen fruit makes the best smoothies, because blending it results in a thick and frothy drink without the addition of ice cubes.  Of course, you can freeze fresh fruit yourself, which I often do whenever things are getting a little soft in the fruit bowl. This smoothie was a combination of fresh banana, frozen peach, frozen pineapple, and lowfat milk.  So good I photographed it two days in a row. Cup from Qu...