Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts

Purple Potatoes

Ok, here’s a new one. Purple potatoes. Of course when I seen these in the produce department at my local grocery store, I had to get a couple to try. I love trying new foods. Especially if they are healthy. 


Purple potatoes not only add color to your plate but they have lots nutritional value.
They offer vitamins B6 and C.
They are less than 100 calories each and less than 1 gram of fat. That would register as zero fat on the label. 
These potatoes have more potassium than a banana and better for blood sugar than a white potato. 
Purple potatoes are packed with antioxidants and also helps with inflammation.


I loved the color. The skin is purple or blackish and vibrant purple on the inside even after cooking it. 
I can imagine purple mashed potatoes, purple fries or better yet, purple potato salad. I think kids would love it.

What do purple potatoes taste like?
They are sweeter than the white or yellow potato but not quite as sweet at the orange sweet potato. They have a nuttier, earthier flavor than other potatoes. I thought they were good. 

We cooked them in the microwave until soft then put them on the grill to make the skin tasty. I added lots of butter just like any other potato. We also had steak and veggies. 


It was fun to eat and nice knowing I was putting something healthy in my body. 

Have you ever heard of a Purple Potato? 

Cauliflower Cheesy Bread Sticks

Are you trying to stay away from bread or foods that include white flour? Probably not unless you are on some kind of low carb diet. But if you are, I have a solution for a substitute by using riced cauliflower.

I have never been a believer in all the smack about making pizza crust, mashed potatoes or anything else using Cauliflower. No matter what I have made with cauliflower, It taste like cauliflower. Period. You can not substitute a veggie for bread. Sorry, it just can not be done.
However, I came pretty close when I decided to give cauliflower bread sticks a try. I do believe you can make anything good if you add enough cheese to it. 


It was a Sunday afternoon and I had nothing else to do so I experimented with a recipe and made Cauliflower Cheesy Bread Sticks. 


We used them as a side dish to our dinner that night. Nick gave them a shoulder shrug but not a full thumbs up. However, after eating a couple of them dipped in marinara sauce, they were a hit. We had enough leftover to use the next day and heated up well in the toaster oven.

Here is the recipe:
  • 2 Cups frozen riced cauliflower (one bag).
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese for topping.



  1. -Cook or microwave the cauliflower as directed (you want it to be soft).
  2. -Mix all the ingredients together and add to the cauliflower. 
  3. -Spread onto a cookie sheet and form into a rectangle. (Do not add the topping yet).
  4. -Bake 425 for about 25 minutes or until it turns brown. 
  5. -Add 1/2 Cup cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes. 


My thoughts:
They were pretty good. I would make them again. I would change the recipe to just one egg because I thought they were a little too eggy. Also, I would have maybe cooked them a little longer to try and get crunchy edges. 

The original recipe can be found HERE


Growing Mushrooms

Do you like to eat mushrooms? I like mushrooms. They are great in spaghetti, on pizza, in salads and even sauteed and eaten as a meat substitute on a sandwich. You can find mushrooms in a lot of Mexican and Chinese dishes.

I think I am the only one on my side of the family that will eat mushrooms. My brother says they are fungi and he ain't eating nothing like that. 

Nature proved his “fungi” remark correct because I am apparently growing eatable mushrooms in my front yard. As I was finishing up my walk the other day, I noticed my butterfly tree had this funny looking stuff growing up the stalk. 


It looked soft like rose petals and shaped like ears. I hope my neighbors don't think I’m some mad scientist growing ears in my front yard. 


I was curious so I had to snap a photo and do a Google photo search. It came back as a “Wood ear Mushroom”. Also known as a Jew’s ear or Jelly ear. Wood Ears can be found in just about all Chinese cuisine and eaten regularly in China. They do not loo appealing but have a great taste. 
I think I remember seeing something like this in my hot and spicy soup before.


I had to snap a few photos but left it alone. I have no intentions of cutting it off the wood to make any meals with it. I will leave that up to Ku fung chu.



Air Fryer Veggies

I'm a little behind on my blogging. I have been pretty busy though. Every afternoon it seems there is something to do. We go for our walk if it’s not raining. I have been filling some crochet orders. This means trips to Hobby Lobby. I love going there so when someone asks me to crochet something for them in a color I do not have, I’m like “yes!” I need to go to Hobby Lobby. Then I'm in there for 30 minutes just to pick up a roll a yarn.
Ha.

Now that I'm finally settled down, I want to share with you some veggie recipes that I've made in my new air fryer. I have used it every day since I got it. Everyone asks me what kind of air fryer I got. It is a 5 qt.“Gourmia digital air fryer”. It was a sweet gift from my daughters boyfriend. Yep he's a charmer.

Since I have been eating healthier, fried foods is something I have stayed away from. But now I can enjoy the taste of fried foods without actually frying them. We usually cook anything we want to be crispy on a baking sheet and place in the oven. The oven takes 10 minutes to preheat, and baking something for 20 minutes can heat a kitchen up therefore keeping the air condition running during the Summer. We usually take it to the grill at that point but sometimes that's a hassle. Now I have this cool little cooking vessel that will cook just about anything an oven or microwave will cook without using oil and in just half the time. 

Here are a few veggie sides that I have made so far. 
Enjoy.

Zucchini Fries (rolled in pork skin).


Wash and cut zucchini. Roll in egg and milk mixture and toss in 
crushed pork skins as you would bread crumbs. 
Spray with olive oil.
Cook 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


Frozen Veggie Tots


Open bag pour into fryer. 
Cook 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Shake to toss half way through.


Chick Peas


Drain can of chick peas. Pat dry and pour into air fryer. 
Season to taste (I just added a little salt and pepper).
Cook 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 
*These turned out like crunchy nuts and made a great healthy snack. 


Frozen Broccoli


Open bag and pour into air fryer. Season to taste.
Cook 400 for 15 minutes.


2 Ingredient Bagels
(I know this is not a veggie, but too cool not to share)


Make a dough using 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup Self rising flour.
Shape into bagels. Brush with egg wash.
Cook 350 for 15 minutes

I prefer fresh or frozen veggies over the breaded veggies but I really wanted to try those tots. We also did okra and sweet potato chips. 

Here are some tips to remember.
If using frozen foods there is no need to spray with oil.
If using fresh or canned you should spray with cooking spray. 

I have yet to cook any meats in the air fryer but you can actually cook a whole turkey breast or chicken in this thing!

Do you own an air fryer? If so, what are some of your favorite things to make in it?