Sweet Potato Samosas

Sweet Potato SamosasI’m always on the lookout for new sweet potato recipes. Besides being tasty and popular with the kids, they have a lot more going for them than regular potatoes (e.g.: this site). So when I ran across this recipe for Sweet Potato Samosas on Culinate.com, I decided to give it a try. I added some ground beef, though you can leave that out for a veggie option. I’ve also thought peas were a required part of samosas, so I added a can. These were quite good and made a lot. In fact, with the peas and beef, I think you would need 2 batches of the dough for all of the filling. We just served some filing on the side and for left-overs. The green sauce was especially good! Sweet Potato Samosas

 

Sweet Potato Samosas

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from Culinate.com
Sweet potato, beef and pea samosas
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

Cream-cheese pastry

  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Butter softened
  • 2 cups Flour--we used White whole-wheat
  • 1/4 tsp. Ssalt

Sweet-potato filling

  • 1 lb Ground Beef or, for a veggie option, omit and add some olive oil
  • 1 Large onion chopped
  • 2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Fresh ginger finely minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced (about ½ teaspoon)
  • 1/4 tsp. Cardamom powder
  • 3 Large sweet potatoes
  • 1 14 oz can Peas

Green dipping sauce

  • 1 cup Low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves
  • 1 jalapeño chile seeded, chopped (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove

Instructions
 

Prepare the pastry:

  • Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the salt
  • Add in the flour half a cup at a time, mixing until it comes together in a ball.
  • Wrap in plastic, flatten, and refrigerate while you make the filling. (You can make this dough up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for up to a month.)

Prepare the filling:

  • Microwave or bake the sweet potatoes until soft.
  • Peal and mash the potatoes in a large bowl.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Brown the ground-beef if using, or add some oil.
  • Add the onion and sauté
  • Add the lemon or lime juice, ginger, garlic and cardamom
  • Transfer the beef and onion mixture to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.
  • Fold everything together.
  • Drain the peas and gently mix them into the mixture.
  • Set aside to cool--the dough gets too soft if the filling is too hot.

Forming the samosas:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
  • Using about a 3-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut circles in the dough--I used a big wide-mouth jar.
  • Place spoonful of the sweet-potato filling in the center of a dough circle and fold in half, sealing the edges.
  • Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Once the sheet is filled up, bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Make the dipping sauce:

  • While the samosas are cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Serve the samosas warm or at room temperature.

     

    Feta Burgers with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

    Feta Burger with Grilled Sweet PotatoesIt’s great to fire up the grill in the summer and when I ran across this recipe for Grilled Sweet Potatoes, I knew I had to try them. Wow, the lime-cilantro dressing on these was awesome! Paired with a burger topped with feta cheese and some lettuce, this was a great, easy meal.

    Feta Burgers with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

    MealsWeLike.com, adapted from SimpleRecipes.com
    Burgers topped with feta cheese, served with grilled sweet potatoes and a lime-cilantro dressing
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    For the potatoes:

    • 2 lbs about 3 large Sweet Potatoes
    • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro finely chopped
    • 1 tsp Lime zest
    • Juice of one lime
    • 1/4 cup Olive oil
    • Pinch of salt

    For the Burgers:

    • 1 Lb of ground beef formed into patties
    • 4 oz Feta cheese sliced into 4 slices
    • Lettuce
    • Hamburger buns

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the grill to medium-high, direct heat.
    • Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
    • Coat the slices with olive oil.
    • Form the beef into patties.
    • Grill the potatoes and burgers, 3-6 minutes each side or until the burgers are cooked as you like and the sweet potatoes are softened and have some nice grill marks.
    • While things are grilling, mix the cilantro, lime zest and juice, oil and salt in a large bowl.
    • Add the sweet potatoes to the dressing and mix.
    • Place the burgers on a bun with a slice of feta and some lettuce.
    • Enjoy!

     

    Chicken Pesto Tart

    Chicken Pesto Tart

    The main downside of this recipe, adapted from TheKitchn, is that the kids devoured it and there were no leftovers for lunch! I was savoring my second piece, thinking that the kids surely would be happy with one and thinking of the yummy lunch I’d be having the next day, when they both asked for seconds. This is a quick and delicious meal, the puff pastry might not qualify it as supper healthy, but yum!

    Chicken Pesto Tart

    MealsWeLike.com, adapted from TheKitchn.com
    A delicious, quick chicken pizza on frozen puff pastry
    Print Recipe
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
    • 1 head garlic peeled
    • 1-2 Tbs olive oil
    • 1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves chopped
    • 3-4 chicken breast 1lb, cooked and diced
    • 1 cup mozzarella shredded
    • 2 Tbs Parmesan grated

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.
    • While the oven is heating, thaw the puff pastry and peel the garlic. Put the garlic on a baking sheet and bake until soften and golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
    • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unfold the puff pastry onto the lined sheets and stretch it out a bit. Prick all over with a fork to prevent the pastry from rising too much.
    • Brush the olive oil onto the pastry, then top with the chopped basil.
    • Top with the diced chicken and then the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes--until the cheese is melted and nicely browned.

     

    Meals for the Week August 25-31

    1. As close as we can get to this Fig-Glazed Grilled Chicken without fig preserves…
    2. Ravioli with Apples, Bacon and Spinach
    3. Samosas with sweet potatoes and ground beef
    4. A modified, coconut free version of Creamy Plantain and coconut chicken with a corn on the cob
    5. Mojo marinate pork with black beans and rice and fried plantains
    6. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with canned chicken
    7. Burgers and grilled veggies

    Meals for the Week August 18-24

    We’re back from vacation and ready to get back to home cooked meals instead of eating out all the time!

    1. Chicken with soy-lime sauce
    2. Ricotta Gnocchi, with spinach
    3. Chickpea, Barley and Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Mint and Feta
    4. Turkey, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil paninis, with salad
    5. Pizza
    6. Something along the lines of these Chicken tacos with mango jicama salad

    Portobello mushroom wraps

    Portobello mushroom wrapsThese wraps from FoodandStyle.com were easy to make and delicious. This is a great weeknight recipe as everything comes together quite quickly. We used spinach tortillas which, surprisingly enough, were a hit with the kids.

    Portobello mushroom wraps

    MealsWeLike.com, adapted from FoodandStyle.com
    Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Mozzarella, Peppers and Spiced Mayonnaise
    Print Recipe
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    For the mushrooms:

    • 3 Tbs olive oil
    • 4 large Portobello mushrooms – stems trimmed caps brushed clean
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste

    For the wraps:

    • 4 to rtillas we used spinach tortillas
    • 3 Tbs Mayonnaise
    • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 tsp paprika
    • 1 8 oz jar roasted bell peppers sliced
    • 12 oz mozzarella sliced kind of thick
    • 1-2 handfuls baby spinach

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 500°F.
    • Cut the mushrooms in 1/4” slices.
    • Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
    • Spread the mushroom slices onto the sheet in a single layer.
    • Brush with the rest of the olive oil and grind some pepper over them. Bake for 6 minutes.
    • Turn the mushroom slices over and continue baking for another 6 to 8 minutes until the slices are golden-brown at the edges.
    • While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice and paprika.
    • Arrange the mushrooms in a row across the bottom third of the tortillas.
    • Spread the mayonnaise on top of the mushrooms (about 2 tsp of mayonnaise for each tortilla).
    • Top with the mozzarella slices and sprinkle pepper to taste.
    • Top with peppers and the baby spinach leaves.
    • Roll each tortilla, cut in half and serve.