Thanksgiving! (Part Three: Roasted Sweet Potatoes)

Did you think I'd forgotten about the sweet potatoes? I almost did. Sweet potatoes are so scrumptious and sweet and full of flavor, I just cannot understand why some people gunk them up with marshmallows and other junk.  Save the marshmallows for s'mores and let the sweet potatoes shine.  All you need is a little oil, a little butter, a little cinnamon and some ginger. Here goes:

About 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks.
Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and very finely minced(or 1 t ground ginger, if you must)
1 t cinnamon
zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
salt to taste (about 1/2 t)
3 T olive oil
about 1/4 c water
2 T butter (optional)

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl or a ziploc bag and toss with the seasoning and oil. When well coated, put into an oiled 9 X 13 baking dish. Add the water and cover with foil. Cook in a 375 degree oven for about an hour.  After an hour, uncover, check for doneness. They should be "forkable".  Raise the heat to 400. Dot with butter, and put back in the oven, uncovered to brown the top for 15 minutes. 

These are also fabulous as leftovers for breakfast, reheated and topped with a touch of cream or yogurt.

Cuban-Inspired Black Bean Soup

Okay folks...I originally said this would have red onion in it. But I didn't have any in my pantry. So regular onions it is. Here's my fave black bean soup so far. I call it "Cuban-inspired", because it sounds Cuban, but probably isn't, since I made it in New Hampshire.

• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 pound dried black beans
•  water
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bell pepper (any color, but red makes it pretty), diced
• 2 small or medium onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (you can use Italian seasoning if you like)
• 2 teaspoons honey
•  1 teaspoon kosher salt
• chili powder or cayenne
• 1 avocado, diced
• juice of 1 lime or more if you've got it
• a little more salt, if you like
• sour cream or Greek yogurt (optional)

If you haven't soaked the beans overnight, go ahead and put them in a pan with enough water to cover them by an inch or so and bring them to a boil. Once it's boiling, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let them sit for an hour. Pour off the water, strain and rinse the beans several times and return them to the pot with more fresh water to cover them by an inch. Throw in the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let simmer for an hour and a half to two hours. Check occasionally to see that there is enough water. You want just enough that the beans are loose and there is some semblance of broth going on. Add more as needed. Generally speaking, the older the beans, the longer they'll take to cook. Now use Anne Burrell's "five bean test".  Take a bit out of five random beans. If they are all tender, the beans are done.

In the meantime, put the oil in a saute pan and cook the onions and peppers over medium high heat until completely cooked (about 10 minutes). Then add the cumin and oregano, stir it in, and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the veggie mixture, honey, salt and juice of half the lime to the cooked beans and broth. Add a little chili powder or cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Dice the avocado and toss it in the rest of the lime juice.

Serve the soup topped with avocado and a dab of sour cream or Greek Yogurt.