Wednesday, November 30, 2022

December 1, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Daikon Radishes

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Purple or Red Daikon Radish: 

Italian Garlic:  

Red & Yellow Onions:  

Japanese Sweet Potatoes and/or Covington Sweet Potatoes:  

Red Beets:  

Orange Carrots:  

Sunchokes: 


Adirondack Red Potatoes:  

Heart of Gold Squash:  

Butternut Squash:  
Apple & Turnip Quiche

Green Savoy Cabbage:  

OR 

Sweet Scarlet Turnips:  

We’re rolling into the home stretch with just one more box remaining after this week.  Winter has definitely set in, and this week’s box is a heavy one, packed with hearty root vegetables and an assortment of other goodies we tucked away for the last month of deliveries.  As you unpack this week’s box and the final box of the season, pay attention to how you are storing each item. While these final two boxes are packed full, don’t feel like you have to eat everything over the course of two weeks.  With proper storage, you can store most vegetables well into January, and thus delay your return to the grocery store produce department.

This week’s featured vegetable is the humble daikon radish. One of the reasons I like this vegetable is for its flash factor. During the winter it’s nice to include vibrant colors to liven up mealtime and this week’s purple or red daikon can do just that!  Check out this week’s vegetable feature article which includes a short list of additional recipe ideas in addition to the two featured recipes.  The first feature recipe is for Daikon Radish Pancakes (see below). This is a simple recipe with just a few ingredients that yields a pancake that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Use this as an accompaniment to a hearty meal of roasted meats or stew or eat these as part of a light dinner or snack. The second feature recipe is actually more of a home remedy than a culinary recipe.  The recipe is for Hachimitsu-Daikon (Honey with Daikon) (see below). I am not very familiar with Japanese culture and cuisine but found it interesting to come across this recipe for daikon infused honey which is something Japanese households use as a cough syrup and to treat the sniffles.  The recipes I reviewed suggest storing this in the refrigerator for no more than a week, so you may want to just make this recipe as needed. This is a great example of how food truly can become our medicine when we take advantage of its innate nutrients and properties to support our bodies!

Garlic and onions are also important foods to incorporate into your diet regularly as they are also packed with antioxidants and immune boosting compounds. This week I selected several simple recipes including Easy Honey Garlic Chicken and Carrot Garlic Mashed Potatoes along with Simple Caramelized Onion White Pizza and Easy, Healthy Baked Blooming Onions. 

This week’s box has not one but two varieties of winter squash that are very different. Butternut squash is the one variety most are familiar with and it can be used widely in many different applications.  This week I included one savory and one sweet suggestion. Starting with savory, check out this recipe for Healthy Butternut Squash Casserole with Sweet Potatoes & Rice. With both butternut squash and sweet potatoes, this dish definitely qualifies as “hearty winter fare.”  Counter the savory with sweet and look to this recipe for Butternut Squash Pie with Graham Cracker Toffee Crust!  Heart of Gold squash may be used in any recipe calling for acorn, carnival, festival, or sweet dumpling squash. In keeping with the balance of one savory and one sweet recipe, consider these selections for Stuffed Squash with Apple, Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing and Chocolate Acorn (Heart of Gold) Squash Baked Custard.  

I hope you enjoy the experience of winter cooking, complete with pots of slow-simmering stews, soups and braises. As we walk through the cold of winter, my hope is that these hearty meals will nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Have a great week and remember that next week we will be delivering meat shares and End of Season special offer orders only.  Mark your calendars so you don’t miss our final delivery of the season on December 15/16/17.  

See you soon!
Chef Andrea  

Vegetable Feature: Daikon Radishes

by Andrea Yoder

Daikon radishes are classified as a winter storage radish and are an important part of many traditional cultures throughout Asian. Daikon radishes, along with beauty heart and black Spanish radishes, are an important winter food both because they are available over an extended period, but also because they are high in nutrients including vitamin C which can help keep us strong and healthy throughout the cold winter. Radishes are actually one of the oldest cultivated food crops and there are literally thousands of different varieties.  In this country, most daikon is the traditional large, white variety. While we do grow that type of daikon, in recent years we have also grown smaller varieties of purple and red daikon. We prefer these brightly colored varieties for several reasons. First, their striking colors help to liven up winter meals and are a gorgeous addition to raw winter vegetable salads, stir-fries, etc. The other main reason we prefer these varieties is their small stature which is a more manageable size for most households to use. 

Daikon radishes can be used in a variety of ways, both raw and cooked. In Chinese and Japanese culture daikon radish is often pickled, another tactic to help preserve this food. Pickled daikon radishes are often served as a condiment with a variety of dishes. Daikon radish may also be used in salads and other fresh condiments, often paired with other vegetables, and dressed with a light sauce or vinaigrette. Daikon radishes are also used in stir-fries and braised dishes and soups. In some areas of China, daikon is used in braised stews and soups, such as what would be equivalent to our beef stew. Whereas we would use potatoes, they often use chunks of daikon radish. Of course, remember daikon has a lot of nutritive value, so adding it to hearty broths and stews is a great way to fortify the soup.  Daikon radishes are also traditionally used in Korean kim chi, which is once again an important food to eat both for nourishment and health throughout the winter.

Store daikon radish in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic to keep it from dehydrating. It will store for at least 4-6 weeks if not longer. 

If you aren’t sure how you’d like to use this week’s daikon radish, here are a few recipe ideas to consider in addition to our two featured recipes.  Enjoy!

Daikon Cakes 
Pan Fried Daikon Radish Bun 
Purple Radish Salad 
Stir-Fried Daikon Radish Cake 
Daikon Chicken Soup 
Ginger and Scallion Noodles with Pork and Pickled Daikon 
Soy Pickled Daikon Radish 


Daikon Radish Pancakes

Yield:  2 servings

1 cup daikon radish, grated and squeezed dry
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup room temperature water
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
 1 pinch white pepper
½ tsp salt, for drawing out moisture
1 scallion, chopped (optional)

Dipping Sauce:
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi
  1. Prepare the Daikon Radish. Start by peeling the radish, then finely grate it with a grater or finely chop it with a knife. Add the salt, mix well to combine, and let stand for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take handfuls of the grated daikon and squeeze out as much liquid as possible; transfer the squeezed daikon into another bowl
  2. Prepare the Batter. Add the all-purpose flour in two batches, stirring in between additions. Follow that with room temperature water and mix well until a batter forms.
  3. Fry the Pancakes. In a non-stick pan, heat up a touch of oil on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, spoon the batter on and shape them into round disks. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the uncooked side of each pancake, and when the bottom becomes golden-brown, carefully flip them and fry until both sides are golden-brown. Remove them from the pan and let drain on a paper towel. 
  4. Prepare the sauce. Make the sauce by simply mixing soy sauce and wasabi.

Note:  The flatter the pancakes, the crispier they will get! Adjust the thickness to your liking.
Recipe sourced from www.chejorge.com.


Hachimitsu-Daikon (Honey with Daikon-aka Japanese Cough Syrup

Photo from benitobrowbar.com
To prepare this at home, simply chop about a handful of daikon and put it into a glass container, then cover the chopped daikon evenly with honey and put the lid on. Leave the honey-daikon mixture at room temperature for approximately three to four hours.  The prepared syrup can be taken 2-3 times a day either straight or by adding a tablespoon to a cup of hot water to make a soothing tea. The mixture will last for about a week when stored in the fridge. 

Recipe sourced from www.benitobrowbar.com.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2022

November 17, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Radicchio

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Radicchio:  
Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad (See Below)
Red Monastrell & Calibra Yellow Onions:  

Italian Garlic:  

Sweet Potatoes:  

Brussels Sprouts:

Peter Wilcox Potatoes:  

Baby Ginger:  

Autumn Frost Squash:  

Celeriac:  

Beauty Heart Radish:
Photo from culinaryhill.com

Orange Carrots:  

Green Curly or Lacinato Kale Tops:  

Broccoli: 

Hello Everyone—

Thanksgiving is coming up next week and we’re sending you a full box of vegetables to create a tasty feast!  Of course I realize this one feasting day is not the only meal you’ll be preparing before the next CSA delivery in two weeks, so this week’s Cooking With the Box suggestions include a variety of recipes ranging from ones that are appropriate for every day cooking to some recipes that may be considerations for the big Thanksgiving day feast.  I’ve also included a few recipes to utilize leftovers as well as some appetizer type ideas for the start of holiday gatherings!

Lets start with this week’s featured vegetable, radicchio.  This is a stunning vegetable and you can create some gorgeous salads using it.  This week’s featured recipe for Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad (See Below) is incredibly easy and delicious. It’s best to dress the salad with the vinaigrette just before serving.  If you like things a bit more sweet, you could use oranges along with or in place of the grapefruit.  I also included links to a few other recipes including this Fig, Pomegranate, Radicchio, Orange & Feta Salad which is so beautiful.  Lastly, if you’re not into raw radicchio ideas, try this Radicchio & Caramelized Onion Quiche.  You can never go wrong with quiche!

We’re happy to still have some green items in the box despite the fact that it’s snowing this week!  Turn this week’s broccoli into Broccoli, Cheddar & Wild Rice Casserole or use it to make this Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Dried Cranberries.

As for the kale, how about a traditional recipe for Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale) or a less traditional Kale Bacon Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts.

If you’re looking for some festive recipes, check out this cocktail recipe for Cranberry & Ginger Bourbon Smash or Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans.  I have also made this No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake for holiday desserts using either sweet potatoes or this week’s Autumn Frost squash.  Lastly,  this 
Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette could make a lovely vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving if you’re not into turkey!

I hope you enjoy some delicious meals over the course of the next two weeks until we meet again. We have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season as we reflect on a bountiful harvest season. I’ll see you back here in a few weeks to finish up the final two CSA boxes of the season before we all hunker down for the winter!  Happy Thanksgiving

—Chef Andrea 

 

Vegetable Feature: Radicchio

by Andrea Yoder

This week’s featured vegetable is a gorgeous farming gamble with a bittersweet story. The brilliant burgundy red and white leafy vegetable in this week’s box is radicchio. Radicchio is a bitter green that does best when grown in cool months, which is why it is one of the last crops we harvest late in the fall. It is a popular winter vegetable in Italy and there are many different varieties and shapes. Many varieties are named for the regions in Italy which they are thought to have originated or where they are grown. When I visited Italy several years ago, I was excited to see many different varieties of radicchio, most of which I’ve only ever seen on the pages of vegetable seed catalogs!  Our winters are more extreme than the mild winters in most parts of Italy, thus not all varieties are conducive to our growing region. The variety we grew this year, Chioggia Radicchio, is one of the most common and is named for the city of Chioggia which is a coastal town located in northeastern Italy along the Adriatic Sea. This variety is similar to Boston lettuce in the way it grows round, compact heads, although a head of Chioggia radicchio is usually more densely packed than Boston lettuce. 

One of the reasons it is best to grow radicchio in cool weather is because the cold treatment helps to balance the bitterness with a touch of sweetness making the overall eating quality much more balanced and enjoyable. The challenge for us though is protecting it from critters and extreme cold temperatures. Deer are particularly fond of this crop, so we put up a tall fence to deter them.  We also have to cover the radicchio with a double layer field cover held up off the crop by wire supports.  In Italy, many people harvest radicchio from their gardens all winter long. We have a shorter window for growth and harvest and while radicchio can take some frost, very low temperatures in the teens and twenties can cause frost damage.  The other challenging part of growing radicchio is that the rate of growth slows significantly with cool temperatures making it difficult to grow a sizeable head before our winter truly sets in. Thus, every year it’s a gamble as to whether or not we’ll be able to harvest this crop.  This year we gambled and won!

I am always curious about the health benefits of different foods, and one has to assume that a vegetable with the intensity of color you see in radicchio has got to have some valuable nutrients!  One article found at lacucinaitaliana.it describes radicchio as “a precious ally for our health because it is a true mine of antioxidants, able to counteract free radicals and cellular aging….”  Radicchio is rich in minerals and vitamins. The compounds which lend to its bitterness also help aid digestion and help support the liver in detoxifying the body.

The key to bitter vegetables is balance. Bitter is balanced by sweetness, acidity, and fat, so while you may not find a big bite of a leaf to be to your liking, you may find you really like this vegetable when it is incorporated in dishes with other ingredients that help to balance and complement the bitterness. I also prefer to thinly slice radicchio instead of eating it in big pieces. Lastly, cooking can help to mellow out the bitterness and techniques such as grilling and roasting help to bring out some of the sweetness in this vegetable as well. So what I’m saying is, please give this beautiful, bittersweet vegetable a try! 

Given radicchio’s  popularity in Italy, many of the classic pairings and ways radicchio is used go back to Italian cuisine.  Radicchio may be eaten both raw and cooked. In its raw form, radicchio is often paired with other greens as well as fruits such as apples, pears, figs, oranges, grapefruit, and persimmons to make delicious fall salads. It is also often incorporated into pasta dishes, risotto, savory pies, omelets, baked au gratin, or used as a topping for focaccia or pizza. Many dishes will pair radicchio with other ingredients such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, chestnuts, fatty cheese such as Parmesan, Gorgonzola (blue cheese) or Taleggio. It is also often paired with seafood as well as bacon or other pork products, eggs, olive oil, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and caramelized onions.

While we encourage you to use the radicchio within a week or two, you’ll find it stores pretty well and you can likely keep it for several weeks.  Store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to keep it from wilting. You can use the entire head, including the core. Carefully peel back the layers, wash well and pat dry before using.


Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad

Yield:  4 servings

¼ cup walnut pieces (or other nut of your choice)
1 large red grapefruit
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp honey 
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups lightly packed, torn radicchio leaves
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces soft goat cheese
  1. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts, tossing or stirring frequently, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a small bowl, and let cool.
  2. Using a sharp paring knife, trim the top and bottom off the grapefruit. Stand it on one end and, cutting downward following the curve of the fruit, remove all the rind and white pith. Hold the fruit over a medium bowl and cut each grapefruit segment from its membrane, letting the segment drop into the bowl. Squeeze any juice from the remaining membrane into a small bowl or jar.
  3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the grapefruit juice. (Reserve the remaining juice for another use, such as drinking it!)  Just before serving, add the radicchio to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.
  4. To serve, arrange about ¾ cup of the radicchio onto each plate then evenly divide the grapefruit segments, onion, goat cheese and the walnuts over each portion. Alternatively, you can also arrange the salad in a large salad bowl and serve it family-style.

Recipe written by Ellie Krieger and published in The Washington Post.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2022

November 3, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Baby Ginger

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Baby Ginger:
Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart
Photo from Food52.com
Ginger-Coconut Sweet Potatoes (See Below)
Instant Pot Dynamite Cold Tonic (See Below)

Red & Yellow Onions:

Orange Carrots:

Broccoli:

Missouri Garlic:

Sweet Potatoes:
Sesame Brussels Sprouts 
Soba Bowl
Photo from naturallyella.com
Spiced Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Egg Skillet

Brussels Sprouts:

Tat Soi:  

Asterix Potatoes:

Black Futsu Pumpkins:
Pasta with Smoky Pumpkin
Cream Sauce
photo from epicurious.com
Maple Sage Roasted Black Futsu Pumpkins 

Red Daikon Radish:

Green Savoy Cabbage:

Baby White Turnips:

Hello! 

Even as we approach the end of the season, we still have exciting new crops to share with you. Year after year, I still get excited when we harvest baby ginger in November. I was telling Richard how much I love baby ginger and his response was “Do you think our members like it as much as you do?”  Well, I don’t know, but I certainly hope so!  If you are not familiar with baby ginger, please take a moment to read this week’s vegetable feature article. At the end of the article I included a few more recipe ideas including links to some of the recipes we’ve featured in past newsletters.  For this week’s featured recipes, I turned to my longtime blogger friend, Heidi Swanson. The first recipe this week is for Ginger-Coconut Sweet Potatoes (See Below). This has been one of my favorite recipes from her blog, 101cookbooks.com, for many years. It’s super easy to make and is usually well-received by all, unless of course someone doesn’t like coconut.  I’ve made it for dinner on just any old regular day, but I’ve also included it in holiday feasts.  The second recipe, Instant Pot Dynamite Cold Tonic (See Below) is also from Heidi’s blog. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry.  You can do the same thing in a regular crock pot or just on the stove. I would recommend covering the pan if you are doing it on the stove and just bring the mixture to a simmer, don’t let it boil.  You can cook it to your liking. The longer you cook it, the more flavor you’ll extract.  This makes a nice, warm beverage to enjoy on a cold day. You may choose to make it if you feel like you’re starting to come down with something, or just to prevent a cold from developing!  If you’re doing some traveling with the upcoming holidays, you may want to make some of this tonic to build up your immunity before and during your travels.

Cabbage Ginger Noodles
Photo from naturallyella.com
Throughout the rest of the recipe suggestions for this week I’ve included other recipes that include ginger, such as Chopped Thai Satay Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing and Cabbage Ginger Noodles which make good use of the green savoy cabbage in this week’s box!

We are happy to be able to deliver tat soi as a fresh green this late in the season. Remember, tat soi may be used interchangeably with spinach and bok choi such as in this recipe for Red Lentil Masala with Spinach.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, which for most households means mashed potatoes! This week’s Asterix potatoes are a great option for making mashed potatoes. If you still have some of last week’s Purple Viking potatoes, the two make very delicious, light and fluffy mashed potatoes when combined.  I also like using Asterix potatoes when I make root mash, which may include sweet potatoes, carrots, or whatever root you may have. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, this is a great time of year to collect vegetable recipes!  Food52.com always has some good recipe collections in honor of this holiday, so check them out as you plan your meals over the next few weeks!

I will plan to see you back in this space in two weeks as next week is a meat delivery only. We will have one more vegetable box before Thanksgiving and then we’ll come back after the holiday to wrap up the season!  I hope you are able to find some inspiration with this week’s recipe selections and as always, be sure to share what you’re cooking in our Facebook Group!  

Chef Andrea 
 

Vegetable Feature: Baby Ginger

by Andrea Yoder

This week we’re featuring Fresh Baby Ginger, a tropical plant we have been growing for about a decade!  Our growing season is much different than Hawaii and other ginger-producing regions, however it is possible to grow ginger in this climate! Ginger is actually a rhizome, which is a stem that grows horizontally underground.   It produces roots to anchor it and sends up shoots to grow into foliage above ground as it grows and expands. The ginger we produce is actually referred to as baby ginger as we don’t have enough warm days, even when grown in the greenhouse, to produce fully mature ginger.  

Baby ginger is different than fully mature ginger, which is what you have likely purchased if you’ve bought ginger from the store.  Baby ginger has a very thin skin with some pink coloring, especially at the points where the stems have grown from the main rhizome. This is very different from the thick, brown skin you are likely most accustomed to seeing in the store.  Due to its thin skin, baby ginger is more perishable and should be used within about a week for optimal quality. It is best to store it at room temperature as it can get rubbery in the refrigerator. When you cut into a piece of baby ginger, you will notice it is more tender, juicy and has a bright and perhaps a bit milder flavor than some fully mature ginger that can be quite spicy.  In many ways, young ginger versus fully mature ginger is very similar to the differences you experience with using fresh garlic harvested in late June versus mature garlic that has been cured.

Ginger is used as both medicine and food. As a medicine, it has anti-inflammatory properties, can sooth a whole host of gastrointestinal maladies, and helps to boost the immune system. When used in cooking, you will find it is a common, if not staple, ingredient in many Asian cultures. It is often paired with garlic and scallions in Chinese stir-fry or combine it with chiles, lemongrass and a variety of other ingredients to make Thai curry pastes. Ginger has a spicy, warm flavor which also makes it an excellent ingredient to pair with other warming spices and rich, comforting foods such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. It can be used extensively to make beverages, teas, baked goods, stir-fry, salad dressings, vegetable dishes, curries, and much much more!

To use baby ginger, simply cut a piece from the main chunk and peel if necessary. As I mentioned above, it’s best to use baby ginger within about a week.  If you do not think you’ll be able to use all your ginger within a week, consider preserving it for later use.  There are several options for ways to preserve ginger. First, consider making a ginger syrup that you can keep in the refrigerator to use as a base to add to beverages or just eat a spoonful each day for an immune boost. You can also turn fresh ginger into pickled ginger. Traditional Japanese Pickled Ginger that is commonly served with ginger is made with baby ginger. The pink hue of pickled ginger comes from that pink color you see on the skin of baby ginger. This is also the preferred form of ginger to use as it’s more tender and delicate compared to fully mature ginger.  Pickled ginger is very easy to make and will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator.  Lastly, you can freeze fresh ginger. Just wash it well and cut it into smaller pieces, about the amount you may want to use at a time. Place the clean ginger pieces in a freezer bag and freeze it raw. When you have a recipe that calls for fresh ginger, pull a piece of the frozen ginger out and let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes. The ginger may be a little soft once fully thawed, but that doesn’t really matter.  Just chop it up and use it wherever you need “fresh” ginger!

We’ve come to appreciate this crop over the years and hope you enjoy this little taste of the tropics!  I couldn’t stop myself as I was looking at different ginger-centric recipes, so I just decided to compile a list of recipes you may choose to make with your fresh baby ginger.  

Triple Ginger Cookies
Photo from 101cookbooks.com

Heidi Swanson’s Ginger Recipes Collection 

Homemade Pickled Ginger 

Ginger Syrup 

Crystallized Ginger 

Golden Milk 

Triple Ginger Cookies 

Chocolate Ginger Cookies 

Carrot Oatmeal Cookie 

Ginger Coconut Sweet Potatoes 

Lemon Ginger Coconut Date Balls 

Homemade Chai Tea
Photo from marthastewart.com

Ginger Sesame Soba Noodles with Cedar Plank Salmon 

Cashew Carrot Ginger Noodles 

Carrot Ginger Rice 

Cranberry & Ginger Bourbon Smash 

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea 

Honey Candied Ginger and Ginger Syrup 

Homemade Chai Tea 

Fresh Ginger Paste 

Ginger Lemon Immune Boosting Shots 

Ginger Bath 


Ginger-Coconut Sweet Potatoes 

Photo from 101cookbooks.com
Yield:  6 servings

2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
⅓  cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp sea salt
⅓  cup raw, unsweetened grated coconut
2 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
⅓  cup toasted macadamia nuts or hazelnuts, chopped

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Butter or oil medium-sized casserole dish.  Set aside
  2. Place sweet potatoes in a baking pan with about ½ inch of water in the bottom.  Place in the oven for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, or until each is baked through.  Times vary greatly depending on the size of your sweet potatoes—in the end you should be able to cut through the center flesh as if it were soft butter.
  3. Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and cut each sweet potato in half.  Scrape out the flesh.  You should have about three cups of sweet potatoes.  In a food processor, puree the sweet potatoes with the coconut milk until well-combined and smooth.  Stir in the ginger, maple syrup and salt.  Let it set for a few minutes, stir again and taste-adjust the seasoning if you need to—this is your chance to get the right amount of salt and ginger in the sweet potatoes before they go in the oven.
  4. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the baking dish, sprinkle with coconut, drizzle with olive oil or butter and bake uncovered until warmed through and the coconut has turned golden.  This will take approximately 30-40 minutes.  Remove and sprinkle with the toasted nuts just before serving.
Note from Chef Andrea:  This has been one of my longtime favorite Heidi Swanson recipes that I found on Heidi’s blog, 101cookbooks.com almost 10 years ago!  We originally published it in our newsletter back in 2013, but it’s good enough to bring back to the forefront for those who may not have been with us in 2013!  It is easy to make for every day meals, but is also a great addition to a Thanksgiving feast.  Sometimes I also add a little bit of orange zest and juice for a bit of a fruity variation.


Instant Pot Dynamite Cold Tonic

Yield:  6 cups

6 cups water
3 Tbsp honey, plus more to taste
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp dried turmeric
3 dried chiles de arbol
3-inch knob of fresh ginger, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot.  
  2. Secure the lid and select Manual to pressure cook on High for 5 minutes.  Allow to natural release for up to 25 minutes or quick release after 15 minutes for a slightly weaker tonic.  Strain and transfer to glass jars.  Serve warm, sweetened with a bit more honey if you like.
Recipe borrowed from Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101cookbooks.com.  Here’s what Heidi has to say about this recipe:  “This head-clearing, sniffle-blasting cold tonic is the color of Tang, with flavor like a stick of ginger dynamite.  If you need to jolt a cold out of your body with brute force, consider starting here!”
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