Signed Cookbook – Black Friday and BEYOND…

THIS is happening NOW! I will personally SIGN a COOKBOOK to you. Purchase through my website – www.chefnathanlyon.com – between NOW and Friday, December 12 and I’m all yours! Makes a great holiday gift for the food lovers in your life. (PS. I’m looking at YOU!) Just enter in the recipient’s name in the “Special Instructions to the Seller” on the “Review Your Information” page and I will personally sign it to whomever you choose. Great Food Starts Fresh is a Washington Post “Top Cookbook”. Makes a great holiday gift. 135 recipes for all types of foodies: beginner to experienced, vegan and vegetarian to gluten free and paleo and more!

Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup with Candied Pecans

Here’s another Thanksgiving dish idea using sweet potatoes and carrots. A delicious sweet and spicy (from ginger and cayenne) soup topped with my candied spiced pecans. Great vegetarian recipe that is easy to make and easy when it comes to cleaning up as it is all prepared in one pot. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

7 medium carrots, peeled and chopped roughly (3½ cups)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly (3 cups)

1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped roughly (2 cups)

4 cups vegetable stock

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a Microplane

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to taste

1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon honey, preferably orange blossom

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Candied Spiced Pecans (recipe below), for serving

Fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped roughly, for serving

Combine the carrots, sweet potatoes, apple, and stock in a large saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until both the sweet potatoes fall apart and the carrots are soft and can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the heat.

Blend the mixture to a smooth texture carefully with an immersion blender.

Add the grated ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, honey, lemon juice and olive oil to the saucepan and continue to blend. Season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt and pepper; add more cayenne pepper for heat and more cinnamon for sweetness.

Serve in soup bowls topped with candied spiced pecans and chopped parsley.

Candied Spiced Pecans
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1¼ cups pecan halves

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B

Mix together the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, salt, and a few good grinds of pepper in a small bowl.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute or until hot.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and the nuts, and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds to cook evenly.

Working quickly, add the spice mix to the sauté pan and stir to coat. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring once every five seconds.

Add the maple syrup very carefully, as it will bubble up, stirring to coat. Allow to cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the nuts, and if they begin to smoke, turn down the heat a little and stir more often.

Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Working quickly, using two forks, separate the individual nuts, then allow to cool completely. Seriously. They’re going to be hot.

Sweet Potato Waffle with Honey Butter

You may  want to make an extra sweet potato or two this Thanksgiving.

Watch me make this recipe on my Facebook page.

Sweet Potato Waffles with Honey Butter

Yield: 12 waffles

 

Waffles:

1 sweet potato (about 3/4 pound)

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 large eggs

1¼ cups 2% or whole milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B

1 tablespoon orange zest (zest of 1 large orange), grated on a Microplane

Extra-virgin olive oil, for preparing the sweet potato

Nonstick spray

 

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, then preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rub a thin layer of olive oil on the sweet potato, set on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the skin doesn’t stick.

Peel and mash the baked sweet potato. Measure 1 cup and place in a large bowl. Using a small spoon, eat any extra mashed sweet potato when no one is looking.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, butter, maple syrup, and orange zest into the bowl with the mashed sweet potato.

Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the sweet potato egg mixture until just combined. It will be on the thick side, so don’t worry.

Place two sheet pans in the oven, and preheat the oven to 200ºF; this will keep the waffles warm as you make them.

Heat a waffle iron until hot and spray lightly with nonstick spray.

Pour in just enough batter to nearly fill the iron, but do not overload it.

Cook the waffles until done, about 5 minutes.

As the waffles finish cooking, place them in the oven, uncovered, on the warm sheet pans. To keep the waffles from getting soggy, do not stack them.

Serve with honey butter and maple syrup.

 

Honey Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), softened

¼ cup honey, preferably orange blossom

 

Mix the butter and honey in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.

Roasted Za’atar Potato Wedges with Harissa Sour Cream

These are delicious. Let me state my case. Super Sous made these the other day and then we had to have them 2 days later and again 2 days later because they are addictive! Crispy, salty, earthy and a bit lemony from the sumac in the za’atar. Pair it with the spicy, cool, tangy harissa sour cream and, well, let’s just say – I say serves 4, but we ate the whole batch between the two of us in just minutes. Case closed.

P.S. You can watch me make this on YouTube.

Roasted Za’atar Potato Wedges with Harissa Sour Cream

Yield: 4 servings

 

28-ounces mixed small potatoes (red, gold, purple) or fingerling potatoes, cut into equal-sized wedges

3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon za’atar

 

Place a parchment-lined sheet tray on the middle rack in your oven.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place potatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt in a large bowl. Toss to coat the potatoes with the oil and salt.

When oven is preheated, remove sheet tray and arrange potatoes on the sheet tray in a single layer.

Bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir potatoes and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove sheet tray from the oven and transfer baked potato wedges to a large bowl. Add 1½ tablespoons olive oil and za’atar and toss to combine.

Serve za’atar potatoes on a plate with harissa sour cream on the side.

 

Harissa Sour Cream:

½ cup organic sour cream

½ teaspoon harrisa

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Mix to combine in a small bowl.

Ginger Glazed Carrots

A perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, treat for kids, or a big snack. Take your pick! Oh, and did I also mention very easy to make?

Ginger Glazed Carrots

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

 

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices

1½ tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a Microplane

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

 

Add the carrots, butter, ginger, maple syrup, salt, a few healthy grinds of pepper and the water in a medium-sized sauté pan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened slightly (like a glaze) and almost completely evaporated. The carrots will be just cooked through in 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Clean Eating November 2014

Thrilled to be in this month’s Clean Eating Magazine! Grab a copy today to discover what my “must have” kitchen tools are and get one of  my delicious seasonal recipes.

 

Lentil Stew with Spicy Sausage and Kale

Cold day. Warm Soup. Enough said.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

 

1 bunch curly kale

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large yellow onions, peeled and diced small (3 cups)

5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped roughly (2½ cups)

4 stalks celery, chopped roughly (2 cups)

6 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

½ pound fresh spicy Italian or fennel sausage (pork or turkey), removed from casing, approximately 2 to 3 links

1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained, preferably fire-roasted

3 small dried bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1⅓ cups green (Puy) lentils, rinsed and picked over for small pebbles

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, not pre-grated, for serving

 

Strip the tender leaves from the tough stems of the kale; discard the stems. Rinse the leaves, then chop roughly. You should have approximately 6 packed cups of kale.

Add ¼ cup olive oil, the onions, carrots, and celery to a small pot set over medium-high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the celery begins to soften.

Add the garlic, curry, and sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until the sausage is mostly cooked through, 5 minutes. At this point your kitchen should smell insanely good.

Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, lentils, kale and the stock. The stock should just barely cover the kale. Stir it all together.

Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are just tender. The consistency should be like a thick soup, so add a bit of water to thin it out if the lentils are not quite cooked at this point.

Once the lentils are tender, remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and vinegar. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve in soup bowls, and shave some Parmigiano-Reggiano on top with vegetable peeler. Grab a spoon and go crazy.

Note: If your sausage is on the spicy side, add a dollop of crème fraîche to take the edge off the heat.

Super Mom’s Banana Bread aka the Easiest Banana Bread-Now with Dates

When I first met Super Sous, she raved about her Mom’s banana bread recipe which, on special occasions during her childhood, her Mom would whip up. Super Sous’ mom, admittedly, is not especially fond of cooking, but she will dust off her gloves to make a mean banana bread from time to time. We recently asked her for the family recipe which she sent along (Thank you, Adele!) and when we baked it off, still stands the test of time. However, with a few modifications (enter a food processor) and a little flavor boost (hello pumpkin pie spice, hello dates), we made Super Sous’ Mom’s recipe, dare I say, extra delicious and definitely easier to prepare (who doesn’t love that?!). I think Mom herself would agree and my guess is that next time she feels like banana bread, she’ll give this version a try.

P.S. You can watch me make this recipe on YouTube!

 

Super Mom’s Banana Bread

aka the Easiest Banana Bread-Now with Dates

Yield: 1 9×5 Loaf

 

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pan

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more more dusting

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup pitted deglet noor dates, approximately 10 dates

2 whole eggs

3 very ripe medium bananas, broken into large chunks

 

Set an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and sides a 9×5 bread loaf pan with butter and lightly dust with flour.

Place flour, oats, salt, baking soda, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and dates in a food processor. Process until dates are broken down and mixture is fairly even. (There will still be some very small pieces of dates-which is fine.)

Add butter, eggs and bananas and process until mixture is fully combined.

Transfer to greased loaf pan and shake pan so batter spreads evenly throughout pan.

Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.  Test readiness by poking a toothpick or knife in the middle of the loaf; if it comes out clean, it’s ready. If it needs more time, cover top with foil and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool before removing bread from loaf pan.

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas

Here’s a delicious dish that you can whip up in no time. Great for parties and snacks, this unique twist on chickpeas will have you going back for seconds, thirds, fourths…

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas

Yield: 15-ounces of spiced chickpeas

Spice Mix

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ tablespoon za’atar

½ teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder

Stir to combine spices in a small mixing bowl.

Chickpeas

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained and spread out on a paper towel to dry for 15 minutes (the dryer the chickpeas the better as it will prevent spattering hot oil in the pan)

Pour grapeseed oil in a large sauté pan and turn heat on medium-high.

Heat oil until it is very hot and shimmering, approximately 3 minutes.

Carefully add chickpeas to the sauté pan and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown. To prevent hot oil from spattering, partially cover sauté pan; do not fully cover as the chickpeas will steam and not crisp up.

Remove chickpeas from sauté pan with a slotted spoon and transfer onto a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil.

Transfer chickpeas to the small bowl with spices and stir to combine.

Serve immediately for maximum crispy tastiness!

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Marshmallows with Maldon Sea Salt

And then this happened tonight…

Homemade peppermint marshmallows, dipped in chocolate and topped with Maldon sea salt. The last step? Marshmallow side torched and placed on graham crackers. Fluffy bites of heaven.