Savory Sundays: Sweet Potato Fries

I never liked sweet potatoes growing up. My family ate them solely at Thanksgiving, baked and covered in cinnamon and marshmallows, courtesy of my aunt. In my mind, a potato is a potato, sweet or not. I don't know about you, but I don't normally cover my baked potatoes in marshmallows. Sweet potatoes are funny shaped, have pointy ends, and try too hard to be real potatoes. But mostly I don't like them because they are orange.
I don't eat orange vegetables for fun. I eat them to punish myself after a bad (horrible, awful, delicious, mostly sugar-filled) day of eating. When I get the munchies late at night, I break out the carrot sticks instead of the salty potato chips (or the chocolate). I eat orange foods with a scrunched up, unhappy face. I bite them with bitterness and disdain. I curse in the name of beta-carotene.

But all of this was before I discovered sweet potato fries.

I love french fries. You love french fries. I haven't met a single person who doesn't enjoy eating them (and I bet you haven't either). I think my dilemma with sweet potatoes was that I was eating them sweet when I should have been eating them savory. Ohh, sweet potatoes were meant to be eaten this way, salty and spiced. It makes them everything nice.
These sweet potato fries are about 10 times healthier than the normal french fry. Sweet potatoes are naturally stuffed with antioxidants and are nutrient-rich, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. By baking the fries (instead of frying), you can retain a lot of those nutrients and eliminate a lot of the fat. These sweet potato fries are lightly salted and have a little kick from the cayenne pepper. You might just find yourself making these a regular companion to your hamburgers.

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Savory Sundays: Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I am a reluctant vegetarian. When I moved to Montreal, it became clear that meat was much more expensive than I was used to. Almost $5 more per pound, to be exact. As I am a poor college student with empty pockets, meat was not going to be on the menu. Not when a block of tofu is $2 and will feed me for days. My fate was sealed. Vegetarian, I became. Not necessarily out of desire, but out of necessity.
Coming from cattle country, meat is cheaper than vegetables. The standard dinner table fare is meat and potatoes. I can say, with great certainty, that well over half the population of my home state has never tried tofu and never will. When I tried tofu for the first time, I can't say my attitude was any better. I held the package with two fingers and at arm's length from my body. But once I tasted it, I came around. Tofu and I have since become the greatest of friends.
But here's the twist. I have an unusual and dysfunctional digestive system. As far as my body is concerned, I might as well have been a vegetarian for years. After a couple months of going tofu, I have lost my ability to eat meat without consequence. And so here I am, stuck between two different realms of food. I am the reluctant vegetarian.
This vegetarian roasted butternut squash and apple soup is a nutritiously delicious. It is a thick puree of roasted vegetables, where the squash and apple take center stage. The flavors of the mushrooms and celery are hidden, which makes this soup easily adaptable. You could add cauliflower or any other vegetable with a subtle flavor to pack in more nutrients. This soup smells sweet and is warm and comforting on a cool, fall day.

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Savory Sundays: Pumpkin Alfredo

I have decided to try something exciting and new! Venturing from my deep roots in butter and sugar, I wanted to try a hand or two at savory dishes. I would like to introduce you to a new series aptly named "Savory Sundays" to share my love (and recipes) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Each Sunday I will try to present you with a tried-and-true or original recipe to add some flavor to spice up this lazy day.
I like to cook almost as much as I like to bake. If baking didn't have the sugar-laden advantage, cooking might have stood a fair chance. I prefer to cook primarily with whole foods, meaning I try to stick with fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains as much as possible. I rarely buy processed foods, so you are unlikely to find many cans or boxes in my home (or in any of these recipes).

What I cook is largely dictated by my stomach. Lately, my stomach has been craving the comforting flavors of fall. I have already churned out a few squash desserts (like this pumpkin bread pudding and butternut squash custard), but my squash cravings have yet to be sated. And so I decided it was time to bring those squash flavors to the dinner table.

This pumpkin alfredo is an autumnal twist on a traditional alfredo sauce. The puree adds a subtle hint of pumpkin to the alfredo sauce--faint enough to be noticeable, but not enough to remotely feel as if you are eating a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin and cream are an excellent match (as you well know) and cream-based sauces are no exception. If you are feeling a bit unsure about this combination, just remember that you are adding a secret serving of vegetables to your favorite pasta. And everyone likes secret vegetables.

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