Trader Joes Corn Bread

So the same day I made the candied yams (see previous post) I sat around with the oven preheating wondering if there was anyhing else I could possibly add to the oven without a lot of effort on my part. A quick scan of my bread and cake recipes was disappointing; I didnt have time for yeast and I was missing quite a few ingredients for quick breads.

So I turned to my pantry and lo and behold, a box of Trader Joes cornbread mix. Simple enough: add 1 egg, 1/2 c oil and some milk to the box. Wow was it delicious. The cornbread has pieces of corn in it and is subtly sweet and soft yet grainy, the way any good corn bread is. I cooked for slightly less time than the box called for, since my yams finished cooking and the a fork in the cornbread came out clean. I highly recommend this box mix! Yay cornbread fans!

Candied Yams

Candied Yams! Delicious! Definately not the most healthy food in the world-- although yams are very good for you-- this traditional rendition involves marshmallows and brown sugar. Still, as an alternative to say cheesecake, or a pint of ben and jerrys, I guess you can call this "healthy"

1 Yam, cubed and boiled

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

enough mini marshmallows to cover surface

Mash the boiled yam pieces and add the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Press mashed mixture into an oven save dish (I used an approx 9 x 5 oval). Press mallows gently into surface, bake at 350F until mallows are golden brown. Let cool and serve!

Great all by itself as a dessert, yams remind me of the holiday season. Except that I can enjoy this dish year round :)

Breakfast Potatoes

2 small red potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper

I spilled the olive oil over these potatoes on accident. Being particularly (and perhaps peculiarly) obsessed with healthy eating, I never use extra oil/butter/ghee/shortening in any recipe. I also have never successfully made good breakfast potatoes. This, however, was a success. I guess for some foods, you just cant cut out the fat.

Peanut Raisin Slaw

This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook:

16 oz shredded cabbage
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup peanuts
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder

Mix together and chill until ready to serve.

I first tried this unique recipe in a cooking class-- it was one of a few great surprises; I would have never made this slaw on my own. I do have to say that it was better in cooking class, but that might be due to the use of real mayo instead of light mayo. Also I shredded a small head of cabbage using my food processor, the recipe calls for shredded cabbage you would find bagged at a store, which is not as finely shredded as my home-shredded cabbage. This probably affects the flavor of the slaw, and may also attribute to my preference for the class-made slaw.

Mixed Berry and Orange Pancake Sauce

1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries
1 can Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup
2 Tbsp Sugar

I made this up out of desperation, having no maple syrup to accompany my weekend brunch pancakes. I actually just dumped everything together in a saucepan and heated through. It was tasty enough, but would have been better had I separated the sauce from the mandarin oranges and thickened it before adding the oranges and mixed berries.

The next morning, I got out my single leftover pancake and the remaining sauce. I attempted to thicken it by simply boiling for a really long time. This did not work, and the fruit disintegrated into a fruit compote like substance. Since I particularly enjoyed the whole pieces of fruit, I think the best solution is to thicken the syrup and then add the fruit.

Fantastic breakfast omlette

Breakfast Omelette

1 egg (free range, organic)
1 small tomato (A Campari tomato is delicious)
1/8 med onion

Mix well, cook on stove in olive oil. Flip when top side starts to bubble slightly. Enjoy!

Note: I buy Campari tomatoes at Costo, they keep a long time and taste wonderful. More information can be found here: http://www.camparitomatoes.com/

Tuna and potato fritters, spicy ginger chile corn, and collared greens

Tuna Fritters:

1 can tuna

Ample spoonfuls of Trader Joe's India Relish

2 small red potatoes

Cut potatoes into small pieces, boil in some water (I use a microwave safe dish and microwave the potatoes). Mash after potatoes become tender. Open can of tuna and combine with mashed potato a generous portion of India relish (2-3 Tbsp). Form patties and fry in olive oil. (This recipe courtesy Sundhari)

Spicy Ginger Chile Corn:

1/2 medium onion

chile garlic sauce

super sweet frozen corn

Mix ingredients together and fry with a small amount of olive oil.

Collared Greens:

3-4 large collared green leaves

mustard seeds

urad dhal

salt and pepper

Cut collared greens into rough 1-2 inch pieces. Fry 1 tsp mustard seed with 1/2 tsp urad dhal in oil, after mustard seed pops, add cut collared greens. Add salt and pepper to taste.