Baked sweet potato fries

Sweet potatoes are said to be very nutritious as they contain some essential vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin C among others. In the last few years, sweet potato fries have become quite trendy and popular as they are a healthy alternative to normal potato fries. I think sweet potato fries are much tastier anyway and even if I hadn't known they were healthier, I would still choose them over normal fries any day (that rhymed! :) ). In restaurants, however, these are mostly fried, making them not so healthy. So at home I bake them and, trust me, they taste better than the greasy ones!

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp smoked paprika or chilli powder (as per taste)

1 tsp dried parsley

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, tossing well so that the sweet potato pieces are well coated with the oil and seasoning.

Spread onto a baking tray in a single layer and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. 

Cooking time may vary from oven to oven so check on the fries after around 15 minutes and keep an eye on them so they don't burn. 

Mushroom stroganoff

Lately we've been planning our weekly meals in advance, which has been very helpful because then I know exactly what prep I need to do on getting home from work and get dinner sorted quickly. But this week we have been a bit lazy and haven't gotten around to planning so it was back to looking in the fridge to figure dinner out again. I had a packet of mushrooms and thought of making a stir-fry but was craving something more comforting. I don't know why but for some reason a mushroom stroganoff fit the bill perfectly.

This is a pretty simple recipe and you would probably already have most of the ingredients in your food cupboard. Most places where I have eaten stroganoff have wine in the sauce, so I too have added some red wine, but you could skip it if you wish (add some lemon juice instead). Also the sour cream could be substituted with some yoghurt for a lighter and healthier version. We had the dish with some brown rice - a nice comforting and healthy dinner :)

Ingredients

500 gms mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, finely chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp of mustard powder (or about a tsp of mustard)

1/2 tsp paprika or chilli powder

200 ml vegetable stock , made from a stock cube

30 ml red wine

3 tbsp sour cream

1/4 tsp pepper

Salt

Dried parsley for garnish

Method

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry until soft, then add the garlic and fry for another minute or 2. Add the mushrooms and the wine and cook for 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

Add the mustard powder, paprika and pepper and mix well. Stir in the vegetable stock. Leave to simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Check for seasoning and then remove from heat. Slowly stir in the cream. Garnish with parsley.

Avocado, courgette and tomato salad

We wanted to have a light dinner last night so we decided on a quick grilled salmon. While Salil got started on the salmon, I decided to make a side salad to go with it. I wasn't really a salad eater growing up but over the last few years I have been experimenting with different flavour combinations and pretty much eating salad with every meal. Not sure if this is because of me blogging about food or the farmers markets which arrange the fresh fruits and veg in the most tempting and alluring ways. Whatever it is, I know my mom must be very pleased. :)

Ingredients

1 Avocado
1 Courgette, peeled (optional) and chopped.
2 small tomatoes, chopped or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small onion, sliced
A handful of coriander, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt and pepper

Method

Preparing the Avocado - halve and stone the avocado. Using a knife, make square incisions and then scoop it out of the shell, using a spoon, to get pieces of avocado.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Squeeze in the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and toss.

This salad shouts summer in every bite! :)