Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos

I first started making these breakfast burritos when Meredith and I were working hard to look hot for Alex's NYC event. BTW - we nailed it. This recipe is from My Fitness Pal. It's almost all I ever eat for breakfast. I double the recipe and make 10 burritos from it on a Sunday afternoon and then there's breakfast for two whole weeks. I don't remove the yolk from any of them. And you can be creative and add anything that suits your fancy or is hanging around in your refrigerator - corn, beans, whatever. If you can get someone else to chop the sweet potato (thanks, Mike!) the rest is pretty carefree. I have some really hot chili powder at the moment so I only use a scant teaspoon, even with doubling the recipe. It's also great if you're having people overnight so breakfast preparation doesn't have to be a big deal, but it looks like you care. Probably their best use is to volunteer to bring a whole bunch if there is a large group gathering for breakfast. Like when Chris invited everyone to the cottage they were renting or when my book club goes up north to a cottage for a fall weekend.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3⁄4 cup frozen, sliced tricolor bell peppers, thawed
• 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 large egg whites, beaten
• 4 (9- or 10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
• 1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
In a medium skillet on medium, heat oil. Add potato, onion and bell peppers, and sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and onions are translucent. Add spinach and chile powder; sauté for 2 minutes more.

Increase heat to medium high. Add eggs and egg whites. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggs are cooked through. Turn off heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Tear off 4 16-inch rectangles of foil and lay 1 tortilla on top of each. Divide egg mixture evenly into the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. To wrap, fold edges in, then roll forward tightly. Wrap burrito tightly in foil.Place wrapped burritos in a large zip- top freezer bag and freeze for up  to 3 months.

To serve, preheat oven to 400°F. Place a burrito, still wrapped, on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. (NOTE: Baked burritos will stay warm for 15 to 20 minutes; they can be eaten on the go or when you get to work. If reheating in the microwave, make sure to remove foil first.)

Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1 burrito
Per serving: Calories: 226; Total Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 113mg; Sodium: 500mg; Carbohydrate: 32g; Dietary Fiber: 10g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 13g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 296mg; Iron: 14%; Vitamin A: 124%; Vitamin C: 8%; Calcium: 29% 

Greek Salad Dressing

To go with the Greek Spaghetti Squash Toss, may I recommend making your own Greek dressing?

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk ingredients together. You can see that this makes quite a bit of dressing. So either halve the recipe or store the rest for later.

Greek Spaghetti Squash Toss

Original Recipe from Cooking Light

This recipe is super close to my standard pasta salad fare so I made some adjustments based on my preferences, and just used the spaghetti squash in place of the pasta. I'm not including precise measurements on all of the ingredients as I just eyeballed what looked right.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• about half of a red onion, diced or thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Spaghetti Squash
• 1 cucumber 
• kalamata olives
• baby spinach
• Dash of salt
• crumbled feta cheese
• Greek salad dressing (the original recipe doesn't call for this but I recommend it)

Spaghetti Squash

1. Pierce skin of squash several times with a sharp knife.
2. Place on tin foil on a baking sheet and bake for an hour at 375.
3. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. Slice in half lengthwise.
5. Scoop out seeds and gunk.
6. Use a fork to scoop meat out into a bowl. It will pull apart into strings like spaghetti.

The Toss

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. 
2. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. 
3. Add chickpeas and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. 
4. Add spaghetti squash; cook and stir 2 minutes. 
5. Add spinach, and salt; toss gently to combine. Cook 2 minutes or until spinach is just wilted. 
6. Allow to cool.
7. Drizzle with some dressing and add olives, cucumber and feta.
8. Stir to combine. Serve with extra dressing and cheese.

Cream of Carrot Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add carrots, potato, onion, celery, chicken broth, and ginger. 
2. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. 
3. Uncover and cool for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer soup in batches to a food processor; blend until smooth. 
5. Return soup to the Dutch oven; stir in cream. 
6. Add curry powder, salt, and black pepper; cook over low heat until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Gorgonzola and Champagne Vinaigrette

Ingredients, Salad:

• 8 cups baby spinach or romaine lettuce
• 1 ripe pear, cut in half 
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds 
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola 
• Champagne Vinaigrette, recipe follows 
• Fresh cracked pepper 
• 1 tablespoon honey 

Ingredients Champagne Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions 

Champagne Vinaigrette: 

1. In a small bowl or glass jar, add all the ingredients except the olive oil. 
2. Mix well, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil to combine. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Salad:

1. In a decorative bowl or platter, add the spinach or romaine. 
2. Cut the pear into fans, and then slice again on the diagonal, add the greens, crumble the Gorgonzola onto the salad and then drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette. 
3. Top with fresh cracked pepper and lightly drizzle the whole salad with the honey. 
4. Serve immediately. 

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/pear-and-pomegranate-salad-with-gorgonzola-and-champagne-vinaigrette-recipe-1949032

Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

The only thing I added to this recipe was tossing a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds on the top. Served it to friends we had over for dinner and it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cups peeled, sliced carrots
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice

Directions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. 
2. Cook and stir carrots in the hot butter until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.
3. Stir orange juice and pomegranate juice into carrots, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. 
4. Simmer carrots until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.

Minestrone Soup

A recipe that lends itself well to killing it at the produce game! As I'm doing gluten free right now I substituted some gluten free rotini in for the elbow macaroni and added in about a half pound of ground Italian sausage, both of which I cooked separately and added in for the last 10 minutes of simmering as I liked the idea of having more control of how well the pasta was cooked. The original recipe called for throwing the pasta in and cooking for the last 30 min (out of a total of 1.5 hours).

The results are delicious and virtuous!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• whatever other produce is starting to give you the evil eye in the fridge
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage, optional

Directions

1. Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute for a few minutes.
2. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, stock, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes until vegetables are barely tender.
3. If using it, brown sausage while vegetables cook.
4. Add cooked pasta and browned sausage to the pot, and simmer for 10-15 minutes more, until the veggies are tender. Correct seasoning, and serve hot with grated cheese.