I crave potatoes. Just the smell of french fries in a restaurant makes me swoon. But of course, french fries are about the last thing I could eat, considering my heart problems. Oven-baked fries are always good, but potatoes are high on the glycemic index (which means they raise your blood sugar) so I’m trying to cut back a bit. However, these oven fries made with root vegetables are a surprisingly delicious and healthy alternative.

Here I’ve coated them with olive oil, chili powders and nutritional yeast, giving them a smoky flavor with loads of spiciness (you can tone them down if you’d like!). I used Gold Ball turnips, which I picked up at the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket in Brooklyn. Gold Balls are similar in flavor to rutabagas, but you can use regular purple-top turnips or rutabagas, too – all are low in calories, and high in fiber and Vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are amazing cooked this way, too.

Just so you know what to expect, these won’t get crispy like potatoes – in fact they are a little, um, flaccid. But when you’re jonesing for french fries, they definitely do the trick.

Spicy Root Vegetable Oven Fries

About 2 pounds turnips, rutabagas or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or other chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, or smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, preferably coarsely-ground

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the oil and spices in a large bowl, then toss in the turnips to coat with the mixture. Lightly oil two baking sheets (or line them with parchment paper.) Spread the fries on the sheets and bake for about 35 minutes, turning once halfway through.

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I love root vegetable soups, but sometimes I feel like every soup with butternut squash or sweet potatoes tastes the same, with the sweetness of the vegetables being the dominant flavor. This time I wanted to make a more memorable soup, so I combined sweet potatoes with tart apples, leeks and lentils. I have to say, the result was crazy good.

The combination of sweet potatoes and apples is a natural, and using tart apples helps to ensure that the soup isn’t cloyingly sweet. Lentils add a a subtle yet mysterious heartiness. (None of my dinner guests could guess that there were lentils in the soup!) And of course, this is a super nutritious dish, with the vitamins from the vegetables, protein from the lentils, and fiber from all of them.

Do let me know if you try this. It’s easy to make and a guaranteed winner.

This is my contribution to Souper Sundays, hosted by Kahakai Kitchen

Sweet Potato, Apple and Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large leeks, white and light green parts chopped
2 tart apples, peeled cored and chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup brown lentils
4 cups vegetable stock (recommend Imagine’s No-Chicken Broth)
3 cups water
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Nonfat plain yogurt or soy yogurt for topping, optional

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the leeks, ginger and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the apples, sweet potatoes and spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lentils, vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, partially covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Reheat, if necessary, and serve.

Serves 6

Baked oatmeal has its origins in the Amish country, but it seems to be exploding in popularity right now (in the blogosphere, anyway.) It’s no wonder, since it’s such a homey and satisfying breakfast.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me a bowl of plain oatmeal, but this is breakfast of a higher order.

Some of the older recipes for baked oatmeal are really more like dessert, with loads of butter and nearly a cup of sugar. My version is more heart-healthy, with just a touch of oil, and applesauce & blueberries adding most of the sweetness. Still, it feels like a nice morning treat.

It’s difficult to describe the texture of baked oatmeal. I guess it’s a bit spongy and bread pudding-like. I put a layer of fresh blueberries on the bottom – an idea I picked up from a Seven Spoons recipe. I can’t wait to try variations on this dish, maybe using apples, dried tart cherries, or different nuts and seeds. Peanut butter baked oatmeal? That just might be in my future, too.

This post is my entry into this month’s Breakfast Club event, originated by Helen at Fuss Free Flavors. The theme this time is whole grains – right up my alley.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned oats
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup nonfat milk
½ cup plain, nonfat yogurt (not Greek)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or other sweetener
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Vegan variation: substitute 2 tablespoons ground flax seed whisked with ¼ cup water for the egg; substitute 1 ½ cups almond milk for the yogurt and milk.

Combine all ingredients except blueberries and walnuts in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries on the bottom, and cover with the oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.  Slice and serve, either plain or topped with warm milk.

Serves 4-6

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When I was in San Francisco over the holidays, one of my first stops was at the Rancho Gordo stand at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. I was eyeing the beautiful Christmas lima beans and the woman from RG said, “Those are really great with mushrooms.” Hmmm. I’m not sure why, but I’d never paired beans and mushrooms before, so I just knew I had to try it.

With no recipe to go on, I winged it. Which I’m proud to say, I’m getting pretty damn good at! This impromptu stew features the plump Christmas limas, portobello and shiitake mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It’s hard to believe something so simple could be so incredibly good – my dinner guests were still raving about it the next day. I served it on soft polenta, but it would also be delicious on its own with just some crusty whole wheat bread.

If your only impression of lima beans is those boring little green things your parents forced you to eat as a kid, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Christmas limas are a whole different animal – they’re huge and taste a bit like chestnuts. But if you can’t get your hands on any, don’t fret. This stew would also be good with gigante beans (giant Greek white beans), or even cannellini or cranberry beans.

This is my entry into My Legume Love Affair, a popular recurring event organized by Susan Wolfe from The Well Seasoned Cook, and being hosted this time by Ammalu’s Kitchen. I’ll be hosting the event myself in September, so start working on your bean recipes, everyone!

Heirloom Bean and Mushroom Stew

1 pound large beans (Christmas limas, gigantes, etc.), soaked overnight
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
3 springs fresh thyme
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup red or white wine
1/2 cup reserved bean cooking liquid, or additional wine
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water by about two inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender (mine took nearly two hours; smaller beans will take significantly less time.) Drain, reserving a half-cup of cooking liquid.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in another dutch oven or very deep skillet. Add the onions and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes including the puree, crushing the tomatoes with your hands and discarding the hard stem ends. Add the wine, bean cooking liquid, parsley, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the beans. Simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes.

Please comment, tweet, “Like” and share this post using the buttons below. Plus, check out some other bean stew recipes that you might enjoy:

Cranberry bean and escarole stew
Cannellini bean stew with fresh herbs
Pasta with beans, greens and vegetarian sausage

Now before you Irish people start yelling at me, yes – I know this is not an altogether traditional Irish soda bread. “Real” soda bread does not include honey or any other sweetener, for instance. But I like the hint of sweetness it adds. (Hey, at least I didn’t add orange zest.)

I started out to create a 100% whole grain bread – also not traditional – and quickly decided on white whole wheat flour, which is lighter in taste but has the same nutritional value as regular whole wheat flour. I mixed in some oat flour because, well, it just seemed like the thing to do.

In one other departure, I made this bread with kefir instead of buttermilk. But that was just for the simple reason that my store was out of buttermilk (WTF?). But it turns out, kefir – a cultured milk product that’s fermented with kefir grains – worked perfectly. In fact, maybe next time I’ll make it with goat’s milk kefir.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled with the result. The bread has a slightly darker color than your usual soda bread, but it definitely doesn’t taste whole-wheat-y. The raisins and caraway seeds make it a richly-flavored bread that would be perfect for breakfast. Of course, I just ate some for a midnight snack, too.

Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread

3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour (or finely ground oatmeal)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
¾ cup raisins
2 cups lowfat buttermilk or kefir
2 tablespoons honey

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds.

In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk or kefir and the honey. Stir into the dry mixture, mixing only until the dough just comes together. Transfer to a floured surface and form into a round loaf. Don’t overmix, or the bread will be tough.

Place on a lightly greased cast iron skillet or baking sheet. Score a deep X in the top of the dough. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Cool before slicing.

This recipe was the winner in this week’s Kitchen Challenge over on Salon. It also won a cooking throwdown at my office. Woohoo!

Being an almost-vegan, the idea of vegan cheese should appeal to me, but to be honest, I think it’s silly. I’ve had nut cheeses made from cashews, and they tend to be bland and tasteless. The main flavor tends to come from the nutritional yeast that’s often used. Sorry, but if I want cheese, I’ll break my cardiologist-ordered diet and eat a bite or two of English farmhouse cheddar.

Having said that, I took one cue from the vegan cheeseheads in developing my rich and creamy Italian cashew spread: I soaked the cashews overnight to make them soft. But rather than going for a thick, cheese-like texture, I created a spread that’s more reminiscent of a white bean dip. The hefty dose of roasted garlic, along with lemon and olive oil, put it in a whole different league than faux cheese.

This would be good served on whole grain bread, garlic crostini, or even cucumber slices. If you have it on crackers, be sure they don’t have a strong flavor or the crackers will overwhelm the lovely roasted garlic taste.

Cashew Roasted Garlic Spread

2 cups raw cashews
1 whole head garlic
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soak the cashews in a large bowl of cold water for 6 hours or overnight, then drain.

Preheat the oven to 400. Peel off the outer papery skin of the garlic head. Slice along the top of the bulb to reveal a bit of the cloves. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Place the drained cashews in a food processor. Add the roasted garlic, squeezing out the contents of each clove. Add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth.

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