Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 cups of white whole wheat flour (or substitute 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 large sweet potato - baked, peeled and pureed
2 cups milk
¼ cup melted butter
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine first five (dry) ingredients together and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, milk, butter, eggs and sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl; mix until just combined. (A few lumps are OK; over mixing will make the pancakes tough.)

Pour ¼ cup portions of batter onto greased skillet. Cook on medium heat and flip pancakes when bubbles form on the surface. Pancakes should be a golden brown color.

Serve immediately, or freeze for later consumption. If freezing, place sheet of parchment paper between each pancake and store in zip-tight freezer bag. Store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Cold Soba with Chicken and Cucumbers

Cold Soba-Noodle Salad with Chicken, Peppers, and Cucumber

Prep: 25 minutes Total: 25 minutes

Can't stand the heat? Let someone else roast the chicken, then combine it with quick-cooking noodles, raw veggies, and a stir-together sauce.

Ingredients
Serves 4.
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges, for serving
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

Directions
*In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente; drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
*In a large bowl, whisk together oils, lime juice, and vinegar; season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
*Add bell peppers, basil, cucumber, chicken, and noodles to bowl; toss with dressing. Serve noodle salad with lime wedges.

Lentil and Bulgur Soup

Lentil and Bulgur Soup

Prep: 5 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Simple yet substantial, this warming soup combines vegetables with whole-grain bulgur and fiber-rich lentils for a hearty main course.

Ingredients
Serves 4.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
6 cups water
1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
2 to 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1.Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook carrot, celery, and shallot until tender, about 6 minutes. Add water and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
2.Stir in bulgur, and cook, partially covered, until bulgur is tender but still slightly chewy, about five minutes.
3.Drizzle with vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil, and season with pepper.

Tomatillo sauce

The full recipe comes from Mario Batali (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/09/unclogged-mario-batali-recipe-chicken-with-green-sauce.html), but I was just trying to do something with some old tomatillos.

Here's what I did:
2 handfuls of tomatillos
2 garlic cloves
handful of cilantro
red pepper flakes
a few squirts of lime juice
salt

I was making pasta at the time, so I dropped the tomatillos and garlic in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then threw everything in a blender.

Not bad on pasta. The next night I used the leftover sauce for skinless chicken thighs. Simmered for 25 minutes. Flipped once at 15 mins. Awesome and easy!

You gotta start somewhere

Tasha and I have been talking about putting a recipe book together for a few months now. It would consolidate all the recipes we enjoy so we would have a GOTO resource instead of digging through cookbooks or searching the web.

This is not it. In fact, this is a response to our lack of action in putting together a recipe book. I think this should be more than a recipe book. It can include restaurant reviews listing favorite and not so favorite dishes. Or even an ode to some prepared food at Trader Joes.

One thing it will definitely be about is food.