Sweet Potato Crepes with Apple Pork

I recently went to Nashville and Franklin with my mom and my sister.  We went to Puckett's for breakfast one morning.  I got the Southern Stack: sweet potato pancake, sauteed cinnamon apples, sweet potato pancake, pulled pork, sweet potato pancake, and a fried egg.  It was delicious! My fiance prefers savory to sweet breakfasts, so I figured he would like this dish.  Once home I decided to remake this dish with my own twist: sweet potato crepes stuffed with pulled pork sauteed in apple butter.

Making crepes can be very difficult.  I usually mess up my first one with a tear or too much batter or not enough twist to spread the batter.  The method I have described below is the slightly harder method, yet better for getting a thin layer of batter on the pan.  The other way is easier to do and may give you a more perfect circle shape, but may give you much thicker crepes (not necessarily a bad thing).  The easier way is to pour a ladle of batter into the center of the hot pan.  Then hold onto the handle tightly and start shaking the pan while tilting and making a circular rotation.

For the pork, I used 3/4 pound pork tenderloin.  In a slow cooker, I combined the pork with 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion.  I left it in the slow cooker for 6 1/2 hours.    This made a little extra, which I plan to use for pulled pork sandwiches.

Sweet Potato Crepes with Apple Pork

Recipe makes 8 crepes

What you'll need:
For the Crepes
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg

- 1 egg white
- 1 small sweet potato (mine made about 3/4 cup puree)

Filling
- 2 cups pulled pork (see above for marinade if desired)
- 1/4 cup apple butter

for pancakes: 1/3 cup half and half, 2/3 cup water, plus 3 tsp baking powder


1.  Heat pan to medium heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Lift pan off burner and tilt sideways, almost vertically.  Using a ladle, pour mixture onto the center of the pan.  At the same time, twist the pan so the mixture spreads outward from the center.

2.  Cook for one minute without touching.  After 1 minute, gently lift the outside edges with a small rubber scraper.  Slowly move towards the inside of the crepe. Crepes should easily move when pan is shaken.  You can shake the pan occasionally to prevent air bubbles from forming.  Cook 2 more minutes (total of 3 - 3 1/2 minutes).   The side touching the pan should start turning golden brown, and may be wrinkly-looking.  Flip carefully using the spatula and/or your hands.  Do not pull to hard as the crepe is likely to break.  Cook 2 - 3 minutes on medium heat.

Center is NOT cooked yet

Center is cooked

3.  Let pan cool slightly before making next crepe.  Spray pan right before adding batter for the first 3 or 4 crepes.  After that, only use it if you see the crepes starting to stick to the pan.

4.  Saute pulled pork and apple butter in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Alternatives:
More Savory: use half the apple butter, add 1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese
More Appley: cut up one small honey crisp apple into small dices, then saute with pork and apple butter
More Sweet Potatoey: bake and puree 2 sweet potatoes.  Add 1/2 cup puree to pork and apple butter and saute

Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

This week temperatures have reached 80 degrees.  I have really been missing the warm weather.  I am so ready for spring time.  I am also so ready for spring and summer fruits and veggies.  It's a little early in the season, but I decided to make a blueberry vinaigrette on top of a simple chicken and goat cheese salad.

Many dressings use a 1:4 ratio for vinegar:oil. Taste-wise I like a little more vinegar.  Calorie-wise, I like to spare a few calories and change that ratio to about 1:1 or sometimes 2:1.  You can vary the ratio depending on your taste preferences.  Dijon mustard may seem out of place, but it adds extra flavor and helps to emulsify the dressing.

What you'll need:
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil

For the salad:
- 1 chicken breast, grilled then cut into cubes
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tbsp

What to do:
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor.  Pour over salad.  Recipe makes two servings.

Veggie-Stuffed Shells with Homemade Meat Sauce

This tomato sauce is similar to my standard recipe, but I made a few changes so I figured I would type it out again.  This sauce recipe does make a large quantity.  I made this is my 5 quart dutch oven.  It was full before I added the meat.  So I had to remove some tomato sauce (about 2 cups) , which I just put in the freezer for another day.  After adding the meat, the pot was full again.  So I will definitely be freezing some of the meat sauce as well (about 2 cups).  I do love having sauces in the freezer for a rainy day (or most likely a stayed-late-at-work day).

Tomato sauce can be really easy to make, but it can also be high maintenance.  You want to make sure the sauce isn't boiling tos much, so you might have to stir every one once in a while.  But its really easy and much less maintenance to put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn it on before you head to work in the morning.

The stuffing for the shells is pretty healthy, especially for a cheese mixture.  I use part-skim ricotta instead of full-fat.  I add a little pecorino-romano for added flavor.  If you don't like pecorino, you could add parmesan.  The added veggies help boost the fiber content, and work as a low-calorie filler.  Without the veggies in the mix, you would end up with more ricotta cheese in each shell and therefore more calories per shell.  The filling made enough to stuff 26 jumbo shells.

What you'll need:
Sauce:
- 2 can (28oz each) crushed tomato
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 oz semi dry white wine
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 4 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lean ground beef

Stuffed Shells:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 cup shredded pecorino-romano cheese
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
- 1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350.F.

1.  For the sauce: use a slow cooker.  OR Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for  4 minutes; add wine and simmer 3 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 30 minutes to an hour.

2.  For the shells: cook shells 3 minutes less than suggestion on the box.  Drain but do NOT rinse.  Saute onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat 4 minutes.  Let cool.  Mix together cooked veggies with the rest of the ingredients.  Stuff par-cooked shells.

3.  Cover the bottom of a large rectangle or square baking dish with meat sauce.  Lay stuffed shells tightly together in rows.  Cover shells with 1 1/2 - 2 cups meat sauce.  Bake at 350*F 25 - 30 minutes.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Warm Goat Cheese Steak Salad

I love using steak in salads.  It is really easy to use leftover chopped steak for a lunch salad.  I just pack the steak and goat cheese in one container, the veggies in another, and i put oil and vinegar in a small dressing container. Steak goes well with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, so this meal is quite yummy!  You can use sun-dried tomatoes canned in olive oil, or dried ones in a bag.  I used dry tomatoes, then soaked them in olive oil, garlic, and basil.

What you'll need:
- 2 petite sirloin steaks, grilled
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, divided
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp garlic, divided
- 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced white button mushroom (raw)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch freshly ground pepper to taste

What to do:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tbsp fresh basil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp minced garlic.  Let marinate 15 - 30 minutes.

2.  In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese, 1 tbsp fresh basil, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper.  Using your hands mold goat cheese mixture into 4 small discs.

3.  Pour bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.  Coat goat cheese discs with bread crumbs. Lay on parchment paper-cover baking sheet.  Set oven to a LOW broil and cook 3 to 4 minutes each side.  Breadcrumbs should start to brown, but cheese should not lose shape.

4.  Toss lettuce and spinach with onion, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (with oil), and balsamic vinegar.  Top with goat cheese and freshly ground pepper.  Recipes makes 2 entree salads.


ina's vinaigrette:
2 tbsp champagne vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper
sugar
raw egg yolk or mustard or mayo
1 cup olive oil- added to food processor slowly

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling.  It is usually made with mashed potato, flour, and some egg.  There are many different way to make gnocchi.  One healthier version is to use butternut squash.  Butternut squash has a lot more vitamins and minerals, and a lower glycemic load (has a better effect on blood sugars compared to potatoes).

Gnocchi is pretty easy to make.  Homemade gnocchi is so much better than store bought because it is so light and fluffy!  First cook the butternut squash.  You can roast it in the oven at 375*F for 25 minutes, until squash is soft all the way through.  Once cooled, add this to a food processor to puree it.  Add in the rest of the liquid ingredients.  Then mix this with the flour in a bowl.  You roll out the dough into rope, and cut 1 inch pieces of rope.


What you'll need:
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
1 cup plus 2 tbsp butternut squash puree puree
1 tsp water
2 tsp egg mixture, divided
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt

8oz baby bella
4oz white button
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
leaves from one sprig of Thyme
1/2 small garlic clove, minced

What to do:
 In a food processor, blend butternut squash puree, 1 tsp egg mixture, 1 tsp water.

 In a bowl, combine, squash mixture, 1 tsp egg, both flours, and salt. Mix with an electric mixture until combined. Mixture should be smooth, but not too wet.

With mixture, roll out on a floured surface to form a rope.  

Cut 1-inch long pieces of rope.  Press each gnocchi with flat side of

 surface to create lines.

 In a large pot, bring water to boil.  Add a batch of 10-15 gnocchi at a time.  When gnocchi floats, wait 1 minute, then remove from eat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms.  Cook 6 minutes.  Add parsley, thyme, and garlic.  cook 2 minutes.  Add gnocchi to mushrooms.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Recipes makes 3 servings.


To add in more protein- add pieces of cooked chicken