Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

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Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My favorite part about Thanksgiving and the holidays is spending precious moments with family and friends, but my second favorite?  The leftovers!

Leftovers are kind of my thing!  For years, I have prided myself on transforming last night's dinner into tonight's masterpiece, a skill that most likely developed from having picky eaters at the dinner table and not wanting to waste food.

For this recipe, I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and sweet potatoes, our NEW Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa, cheese, a sprinkle of this and a dollop of that and voila, a fabulous stuffed sweet potato emerged, bursting with sweet and tangy Southwestern goodness. 

This recipe is the "bomb" (Sorry, dating myself), it's healthy, it's full of flavor, it's the perfect quick and easy meal, and It's a recipe you need to add to your favorites now!  Serve these potatoes with our Homemade Applesauce and a salad for a complete meal!  

What's your favorite use of Thanksgiving leftovers?  We would love to hear from you!

Ingredients  

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend
• 1 cup Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa
• 2 cups leftover cooked turkey or chicken, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup of Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend (Cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• Sour cream (optional)

Preparation  

Chop the cooked turkey or chicken and set aside.  Rinse, wash, and pat dry the sweet potatoes.  Keeping the skin on, prick each potato several times with a fork.  Wrap each potato in a paper towel and Microwave until potatoes are soft to the touch.  You may certainly bake the potatoes in a 350 degree oven until the potatoes are soft to the touch (usually about a half hour), but I cheated and used the microwave:)

Once the potatoes are soft, it's time to assemble.   With a sharp knife, cut a slit into each potato and gently pry open.  Use a fork to loosen some of the sweet potato.   Sprinkle each potato with about 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) of Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend.

Turn the oven onto Broil.   Place 1/2 cup of the turkey or chicken in each potato and mix slightly.  Next add 1/4 cup of Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa to the potato, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over the potato.  Sprinkle an additional Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend over each potato.  

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and broil on high until the cheese has melted (about 10 minutes).   And here you go, easy, cheesy, healthy, robust, Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!  Enjoy!

Champagne Beet and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

Champane Beet and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

Cook Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

If you had told me years ago I'd be eating beets, I would have looked at you like you were crazy...seriously crazy!  It's true, tastes do change and I absolutely love roasted beets now.  I especially love them in a salad with tangy goat cheese, candied pecans, and drizzled with a Champagne Tarragon Vinaigrette.  Oh my!

My curiosity was peaked a few years ago when my hubby and I were out to dinner.  There had been a lot of talk about beets and the health benefits, so I put on my big girl pants and decided to try this garnet vegetable everyone was raving about.  Both my hubby and I were hooked!  

This salad has some serious flavor!  With savory beets, creamy goat cheese, sweet candied pecans, and a tangy vinaigrette, this recipe is a must for your salad recipe cache!   

Ingredients  

• 1 bunch of red beets, washed and peeled
• 1 bunch of yellow beets, washed and peeled
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) ground pepper
• 1 small log of goat cheese
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Tarragon

Candied Pecans Ingredients (optional)

• 1 lb. pecans (I used chopped pecans for this recipe)
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) salt 
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  

Wash and peel the beets and cut off the ends of the beets.  Cut beets into fourths and place on a baking sheet.  For presentation sake, I prefer to keep the gold beets separate from the red beets during cooking. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sprinkle with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and pepper.  

With your hands, mix the beets so that they are coated in oil and the seasoning. You may want to use gloves if you don't want your fingers to turn pink.  Place beets in the oven and roast them until they are fork tender, about an hour.

In a small bowl, mix the Champagne Mustard, vinegar, and Tarragon.  Set aside.  

I like to cook the candied pecans at the same time as the beets, since they take about the same time.   In a small bowl, beat the egg white and water with a fork until frothy but not stiff.  

Add the pecans to a medium bowl. Pour the beaten egg white over the pecans and stir to make sure nuts are completely covered.  Sift the dry ingredients over the nuts and stir to coat evenly.  

Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Bake at 300 degrees for an hour, stirring the pecans every 15 minutes.  Allow the pecans to cool.

Once the beets and pecans are cooked, it's time to assemble the salad.  Coarsely chop the beets and arrange on a plate.  Sprinkle the goat cheese and the candied pecans over the beets.  Drizzle the Champagne Tarragon Vinaigrette over the salad.  Voila!  Champagne Beet and Goat Cheese Salad! Enjoy!

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Aunt Esther's Potato Salad Recipe

This flavorful potato salad is perfect for picnics, barbecue's, and outdoor parties. 

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. potatoes 

• 1 cucumber, diced 

• 1 medium onion, diced 

• 1/2 cup vinegar 

• 1/2 cup oil 

• 1 tsp. salt 

• 1/2 tsp. pepper 

• 1 cup mayonnaise 

• 1 cup sour cream 

• 2 tsp. Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning

Preparation

Peel and boil potatoes and drain well. Chop into large pieces. Mix 1/4 cup vinegar, oil salt and pepper and pour over potatoes.

Blend mayonnaise, sour cream, the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar and Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning. Pour over cucumber and onion. Add this mixture to potato mixture and toss well to serve.

Serves 20 to 25.

Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic Champagne Vegetables Recipe

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Grilled Champagne Balsamic Vegetables Recipe

Cook Time: 20 minutes  Marinade Time: 2 hours Difficulty:  Easy  

It's summer and my garden is exploding with fresh vegetables!  With summer grilling season well under way, I wanted take advantage of summer's bounty and share our favorite grilled vegetable recipe, Grilled Champagne Balsamic Vegetables. These vegetables are delicious!!

I made this easy recipe for our July 4th picnic, and the vegetables were devoured!  In fact, they was so well received, I was asked to bring my "grilled veggies" to our next potluck.  Imagine that? Vegetables getting a "call back" (sorry, theater terms...another blog).

For this recipe, we used red and green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, Portabella mushrooms, and vidalia onions, but feel free to substitute your favorite veggies (eggplant, yams, asparagus, etc.)

The secret to this recipe is marinating the vegetables in a tangy Champagne Mustard vinaigrette and grilling the vegetables to a perfect "tender crisp" consistency.   This recipe can also be used to roast the veggies in the oven, but if you prefer grill marks and flavor of grilled anything then you must grill these vegetables.  And, If you have any leftover veggies, chop them up and use them in omelets, quesadillas, or fried rice the next day!  Easy peasy!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning (could substitute Cherchies® Garlic and Herb No-Salt Seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) pepper
• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard
• 2 red peppers, seeds removed, sliced into 1 inch strips
• 2 green peppers, seeds removed, sliced into 1 inch strips
• 2 large zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 large yellow squash, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 package Baby Portabella Mushrooms 
• 1 vidalia onion, sliced in half

Preparation

Place cut vegetables on two baking sheets.  Season the vegetables with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning (or Cherchies® Garlic & Herbs Seasoning) and pepper.  Mix the veggies by hand to ensure the veggies are evenly coated with the seasoning.  Set aside.

Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil, the Balsamic Vinegar, and the Champagne Mustard in a small bowl.  Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and once again use your hands to coat the vegetables evenly.    Cover with plastic wrap and marinate the vegetables for at least two hours in the refrigerator (I usually marinate overnight).  

When vegetables have marinated, turn the grill onto high to heat up, then to medium low once grill is warmed.  Place the vegetables on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes until vegetables have grill marks, then carefully turn over to cook the other side and cook for another 4-5 minutes.   These may need to be grilled in batches depending on the size of the grill.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

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