Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes (2½ pounds), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
5 sprigs thyme (I just threw in some dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I just threw in some dried bay leaves
One 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling
Pepper
1 cup sour cream, for passing around the table

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

2. While the potatoes are working, in a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and cook until the onions are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon; drizzle with honey and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf (because I used dried I left mine in)

3. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (alternatively, puree in batches in a blender or food processor). Serve the soup with the sour cream and bacon on top.

Note: The soup had a good kick to it. I think if you put in half a chipolte pepper it would be less spicy if you don't like the heat

Unstuffed Pepper and Beef Soup

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 green, red or yellow peppers, cut into matchstick-thin strips
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 box (90 ml) Beef broth
1 cup canned, diced, drained tomatoes
1/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
3 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

cook beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned, stirring often. Remove beef, pour off fat and set beef aside. Reduce heat to medium.

Add peppers, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Return the beef to the pot.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, for 20 minutes.

Shrimp Skewers with Fiery Fruit Salsa

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp each lime juice and brown sugar

1 Tbsp each olive oil and ketchup

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

24 fresh or frozen uncooked jumbo shrimp (thaw first if using frozen)

Fruit Salsa

3/4 cup orange segments

3/4 cup peeled, cored, and diced Granny Smith apples

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 green onions, white part only, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

wooden or metal skewers (soak the wooden ones in water before grilling so they don't burn)

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, olive oil, ketchup, garlic, coriander and cumin. remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails intact. Pour marinade over shrimp in a shallow, glass baking dish or in a heavy duty, resealable plastic bag. Make sure each piece of shrimp is coated with marinade. Refrigerate for one hour.

Meanwhile, prepare salsa. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse on and off until mixture is pureed. Pour into a small glass serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove shrimp from marinade and thread pieces onto skewers. Grill over medium-hot heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, basting with extra marinade. Serve immediately with salsa.

Chicken Strips

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 egg whites
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 pound chicken (or turkey) breast, cut into 1/2 inch-wide strips
non-stick cooking spray (Pam)

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup plum sauce
1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/2 tsp mustard and cornstarch

Directions:

Place coconut and sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook until golden brown, stirring frequently. Transfer toasted coconut and sesame seeds to a pie place. Add bread crumbs and mix well.

Place chicken (or turkey) strips in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites and sesame oil. Pour over chicken (or turkey) and mix until all pieces are coated. Working one at a time, roll turkey trips in coconut mixture. Place on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat with remaining strips and coconut mixture. Spray tops of strips with a light coating of non-stick spray.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn pieces oer. Spray other side with a light coating of non-stick spray. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.

While strips are cooking, prepare sauce. Combine plum sauce, pineapple juice, mustard and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Oreo Truffels

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions:

3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

(Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.)

Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator

Crab Quiche

1 (9 inch) deep dish frozen pie crust
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 dashes hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8oz) package crab meat
1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir in both cheeses, onion and crab meat. Pour into the pie shell.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes then turn off the oven, but leave the door closed. Leave the quiche in the over for an additional 30 minutes until firm.

Cool Corn and Spicy Red Pepper Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

one 16oz package frozen corn kernels, thawed

one 16 oz jar roasted red peppers, undrained

1/2 cup salad croutons, plus more for garnish

1 tsp ground cumin

two 14 oz cans chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and freshly ground pepper

hot sauce to taste

Directions:

In each of 2 medium sauce pans heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium low heat. Add half of the onion and garlic to each pain and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the corn to one pan, and add the roasted red peppers with their brine along with the croutons and cumin to the other. Add 1 can of broth to each pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer both soups, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir the sour cream into the corn soup.

Using a hand blender (unless you are me, then use you food processor) puree each soup in its pan; season to taste with salt and pepper. Season the red pepper soup with hot sauce to taste.

To serve, using two measuring cups, pour the soups simultaneously into opposite sides of each bow; top with croutons.