It was a casserole type of night

I was searching for something quick to make one evening recently. There wasn't much fresh produce on hand, but I did have one large sweet potato and an onion, plus some ginger root. After checking my cupboards and verifying we had a can of garbanzo beans, I realized I could make this casserole, from Dreena Burton's cookbook Vive Le Vegan!

It was quick to put together (gotta love the recipes that say "mix everything together and cook it), smelled wonderful, and satisfied the whole family (savory enough for the mama, sweet enough for the daddy, beans for the three year old, and sweet potatoes for the nine month old). An absolute win.

Sweet Curry Chickpea Casserole

• 2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 13.5-oz can light coconut milk*
• 3/4 cup red onion [I used yellow]
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped*
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbls freshly grated ginger
• 1 - 1 1/2 Tbls mild curry paste [I used curry powder]
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large, deep casserole dish, combine all ingredients. Stir through until well combined. Cover and bake for 30 mins. Stir through, cover, and bake for another 30-40 mins, until the vegetables are tender (stir through again once or twice throughout).
Makes 4-5 servings, depending upon accompaniments.

*I had neither coconut milk nor celery,  but I did have a can of cream-of-celery soup and substituted that with grand results. I would like to try the coconut milk version at some point, though. I love coconut curries.

Sweet Potato Sadness

So, overall Thanksgiving was happy and tasty. But... there was one hiccup. Perhaps the worst thing (culinarily) is when you present a recipe made of quality ingredients in the highest of hopes and it doesn't thrill anyone, not even yourself. And it's not because of a mistake the cook made, it's just... the food. That's what happened with my sweet potatoes this year.

Rather than go the typical SAD route of dousing them with sugar and animal hoof goo (i.e. marshmallows) or after baking them in their own skins and splitting them to be served with butter and salt (my favorite!) I tried out a recipe that, well, just didn't work out as I'd wished.

From Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions:

Sweet Potato Puree 

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• grated rind of two lemons
• juice of two lemons
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Boil potatoes in water until tender and then peel while still hot. Place them in a bowl, mash and mix with butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg yolks and sea salt. Transfer mixture to a buttered ovenproof casserole and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 1/2 hour.

Frankly, this dish tasted really "healthy," which, as healthy as sweet potatoes actually are, wasn't was I was looking for in a Thanksgiving dish. Left alone to bake, sweet potatoes are divine, sweet, earthy (can something be earthy and divine? If so, it's this root!). This dish was too bright (because of the lemon) and too rich (because of the egg yolk). I forced myself to finish the dollop on my plate and will brave through the leftovers, but I'm not gonna enjoy them. Sadness.

Next time I'll just roast 'em up and let 'em shine on their own---sweet potatoes really don't need anyone to fuss over them. I've learned my lesson.

Bring us some figgy pudding [or, really, any kind of pudding]!

I have no idea what figgy pudding really is, but I like that song. You can chant it very loudly and really sound kind of crazy (we won't leave until we get some, we won't leave until we get some) but still be Christmas-y and cheerful.

So, lacking figs or a recipe for figgy pudding, I made a different kind of pudding today using two leftover sweet potatoes. From the breakfast recipe bonanza that is Sunlight Cafe by Mollie Katzen, here's a delish breakfast treat, perfect for a Sunday brunch (or perhaps even a nutrient-rich weeknight dessert).

Sweet Potato Pudding
yield: six servings

Nonstick spray
1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/2 tsp salt (scant)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

squeezable lime wedges (optional)
blackberries (optional)

1. Half-fill a 9x13" pan with water and place on a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray six 6-oz ramekins with nonstick spray.
2. Place the mashed sweet potato in a medium bowl, sprinkle in the salt, sugar, and spices, and continue to mash until very smooth. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs and mix until they are completely blended in. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and mix everything until uniformly combined.
3. Spoon the pudding into the prepared ramekins, distributing it equally. Gently place the ramekins in the panful of hot water in the oven. 
4. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until a knife inserted halfway between the edge the center of the ramekin comes out clean (the middle might still be soft, but it will continue to cook once pulled out of the oven). Carefully remove the ramekins from the pan of water and place them one by one on a rack to cook. (Tongs are very useful for this awkward process.)
5. Cool to room temperature or chill before serving. This pudding is best at room temperature or cold, with some fresh lime juice squeezed onto each serving and a few choice blackberries on top.

Seems straightforward, though of course I messed up a bit. I had only two ramekins, so after I filled those I also poured the pudding mixture into a small ceramic dish I have as well as a larger shallow piece of pottery that I made a few years ago in my class. I put the ramekins and the small ceramic dish into the water bath just fine, but when it came time to add the larger, shallow dish I realized I'd made a grave error. The level of water inthe 9x13 pan had rising higher and higher as the dishes were added and the larger dish I placed in there was too shallow:  the water overflowed into it and mixed with the pudding. Total ruin. Of that particular dish, anyway, which was about half of the recipe's worth. The other three smaller (taller) dishes were just fine and baked up nicely.

I squeezed some lime juice over the remaining three dishes (which, since there are three of us, really worked out well) and added some powdered sugar to the tops for a touch of sweetness. Really, really good!!!