Rosemary and Olive Oil Mashed Sweet Potatoes

November 18, 2013 by 5 Comments

True story – I used to not like sweet potatoes. Well, I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes. What I discovered in my twenties is that I didn’t like sweet sweet potatoes. You know, the ones that look more like dessert on the Thanksgiving table. Then we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and they were serving sweet potatoes. Not wanting to be rude I took a few and much to my surprise – I loved them. Roasted chunks of sweet potato drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and rosemary. It was like a perfect marriage of flavors.

Nowadays I like all forms of sweet potatoes, even the sweet ones I didn’t like when I was younger, but I still have a special spot in my heart for the flavor combination that changed everything. So when I was brainstorming new ways to feature sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, I knew this would be a winner. I am super happy with the way these mashed sweet potatoes turned out. Soft and fluffy with the yummy flavors that I love. So, if you’re looking for a way to savory up your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, look no further!

Rosemary and Olive Oil Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped*
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Extra olive oil for drizzling

*I use a lot of dry herbs but this is one of those situations when fresh is a must!

Directions
Steam sweet potatoes until fork tender. Add the kosher salt (start with smaller amount and add the rest later if you think it needs it). Using a hand mixer on the lowest speed, start to “mash” the potatoes for about 30-45 seconds. Add the milk and olive oil and mix until it reaches your desired consistency. Alternatively you can use a hand masher for the entire process. Stir in the fresh rosemary and black. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.

*The recipe as written yields 3-4 servings. If you use this recipe for Thanksgiving you will probably want to double it!

**You will notice that I use a lot of ranges in this recipe, that’s because you MUST do taste and texture tests along the way. I can not stress enough how important it is to taste as you go when you are making any kind of mashed potato! What only took 2 tablespoons of milk one time may take 3 tablespoons the next time because of variations in the potatoes. Taste, taste, taste, and taste! Also, please don’t whip and beat your potatoes into a sticky gummy mess just because a recipe says to mix for 45 seconds. Watch the potatoes breakdown and mix just until you get your perfect consistency.

 

Filed Under: Holiday Treats, Potatoes, Side Item, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , , , ,

Citrus and Soy Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pickled Cucumbers

August 14, 2013 by 1 Comment


For my birthday we went out for a nice dinner and I ordered a dish that had the most amazing glaze. It was acidic and salty and just slightly sweet. Then the whole thing was topped off with these unexpectedly delicious, tangy pickled cucumbers. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I recreated it in my own kitchen. And it wasn’t, I think I waited all of 2 days before giving it a try. I was absolutely thrilled with the results!!

At the restaurant the glaze was used on salmon, which I absolutely love! But, the salmon at the store looked sketchy (at best) and I didn’t want to have to wait. I did some brainstorming about what other meat would complement a glaze like this. I finally decided on pork tenderloin. However, I think this glaze could really be universal. Obviously it would be delicious on salmon and pork, but it would also be great with shrimp or even chicken. If you give it a try on other types of meat, let me know how they turn out!

Soy sauce and citrus juice make the base for this glaze. I went for the trifecta and used lemon, lime, and orange juice. To balance out the salt and acid I added brown sugar. Finally I rounded out the flavors with some ginger and garlic. Now, you might be tempted to just skip the pickled cucumbers. I’m telling you, you would be doing your tastebuds a disservice by doing that. The crisp, cool cucumbers are the perfect topping for this glaze. I’m not sure it would even be the same without it! Plus, they are super simple and could even be made the night before or the morning of. So make sure you give them a try!

Citrus and Soy Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pickled Cucumbers

Citrus and Soy Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
1/3 cup citrus juice (juice from one lime, 1 lemon, and about 2 Tbsp orange juice)
Zest from one lime
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger*
fresh cracked pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

1 1 1/2 lb Pork tenderloin
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

*I keep my ginger in the freezer and whenever I need some,  I pull it out of the freezer and  just grate it right off of the frozen chunk!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together all of the ingredients for the glaze (citrus juice through red pepper flakes). Set aside.

Season the pork tenderloin with pepper. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, carefully add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork tenderloin and brown each side for about 2 minutes. Pour all of the glaze over the pork. Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the pork and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook until the meat thermometer reads 145 degrees (this usually takes 15-20 minutes (or less!), but use your thermometer to be sure). Feel free to baste the pork with the glaze once or twice during cooking. Remove from the oven, transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. While the pork is resting, put the pan back on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high again. Bring to a low-boil and let reduce down and thicken, then remove from heat. Slice the pork and return to the pan, stir to coat with glaze.*

Serve with rice, pickled cucumbers, and edamame.

*Remember to be careful as you’re handling the skillet! It will be hot from the oven. Not that I’ve ever accidentally grabbed the handle and burnt my hand before…. Nope, never. I always remember to use an oven mitt.

Sunny Side Up Original

Pickled Cucumbers
Ingredients
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced (the kind with the plastic wrap around it)
2 tsp salt, for sprinkling
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Sprinkle the cucumber slices with salt and let rest for about 15 minutes to draw the moisture out. Thoroughly rinse off the salt with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

In a bowl that has a lid, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add the cucumbers and stir to coat. Put the lid on the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve over top of glazed pork or along side any Asian inspired dinner (especially spicy dishes!)!

Adapted from Food.com

 A few more pork tenderloin ideas!

Island Pork Tenderloin
BBQ Pork Tenderloin Wraps
Zesty Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Strawberry Sauce

Filed Under: Easy Weeknight Dinner, Main Course, Pork, Side Item Tagged With: , , ,

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

July 19, 2013 by 3 Comments

You might recall that years ago I blogged in a different little corner of the internet. As I mentioned in the other post, What’s Cooking in the Orange Kitchen was truly the bug that bit me when it comes to not only blogging, but also exploring the world of the cooking and baking. Looking back it can be easy to criticize myself for the photos, writing, and recipes that I shared, but I try not to be too hard on myself because it is a nice reminder of both where I came from and how far I’ve come. And truth be told, it wasn’t all so bad. I pulled over 31 of my favorite recipes/posts a while ago, but there are still some gems over there that I hope to bring over to the Sunny Side with updated recipes and photos.

This Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf is one of those gems. From the first time I made this recipe we were in love. The rice is infused with garlic flavor and comes out light and fluffy. The squeeze of lemon I added the first time I made this also adds a nice freshness. You can serve it with fish, chicken, pork… Truly a fantastic versatile side dish.

It might seem time consuming, and it does take while to bake, but most of the time is hands off, so you’re free to work on a main dish or even just relax! I promise it will be worth the wait!

 

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crushed garlic and rice and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the rice and garlic start to turn golden brown. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Transfer the rice and broth to a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid (or you can use two sheets of foil to seal the dish). Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove the casserole dish from the oven and stir in the rest of the chicken broth (1 1/2 cups). Re-cover the dish and continue baking for 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before the end of the baking time, remove from the oven and squeeze the juice from half of a lemon over the rice. Re-cover and finish baking.

Rewritten from my post on What’s Cooking in the Orange Kitchen originally from Food.com

 

More side dish ideas
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Grilled Brussels Sprouts
Garlicky Green beans
Summer Vegetable Casserole

 

Filed Under: Rice, Side Item Tagged With: , ,

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

April 10, 2013 by 2 Comments

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been craving tangy dressing a lot lately. I’ve also noticed that I’ve been gravitating towards lighter, springy-er dishes. That could be pregnancy related or could be that I’m just really ready to move on from heavy winter dishes (even if I do live in San Diego). Either way, when a friend on a cooking message board I frequent mentioned a pasta salad including asparagus, I was immediately intrigued. Suddenly vegetable pasta salad combinations were just swirling around in my head and I knew exactly what we were having for dinner.

The plan was for me to make grilled chicken and serve it with a large side of this Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad. The look on Jesse’s face when I told him the plan was kind of comical. He was sure that there should be some other side, or something! Much to his surprise (and my delight!) he loved dinner and he even felt full. It just goes to show that dinner doesn’t have to be heavy to be good. The leftovers also made an awesome lunch!

 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 – 1 1/2 cups asparagus, chopped into 2-inch bites
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow)
1 small zucchini, chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp Italian dressing (You may decide you need more salad dressing, so keep the bottle handy)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
10 oz. dry pasta (I like bowties for pasta salad and this time I used Barilla Plus)
2-3 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
Additional salt and pepper as needed, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss chopped vegetables in 1 Tbsp Italian dressing (let marinate while the oven is preheating). Spread chopped vegetables out on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften and turn golden brown. Allow vegetables to cool to room temperature.

While the vegetables are cooling. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dry pasta and cook to al dente according to the box. Drain, immediately rinse with cold water, and drain some more (you don’t want soggy pasta salad).

Once the pasta has cooled and drained, toss with the vegetables, cubed mozzarella cheese, and Italian dressing. If 1/4 cup of dressing doesn’t seem like enough to lightly coat all of the pasta, add a little more at time. This pasta is best if you let it sit for at least an hour before serving (it can also be made a day ahead of time).

Sunny Side Up

Here are a few more lighter side dish ideas!

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw
Southwest Pasta Salad
Spicy Cold Noodles

Filed Under: Healthier, Pasta, Side Item, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,