Sweet Potato Casserole

Casserole Ingredients

 4 C. mashed sweet potatoes = 6 baking potatoes or 2 large cans, drained

3/4–1 C. sugar

1/4 C. milk

2 beaten eggs

1/2 stick softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping Ingredients

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 C. ground pecans

1/4–1/2 C. flour (I use oat flour, i.e. oats ground in the vitamix)

1) Mix casserole ingredients well and in order given. Place in shallow casserole dish.

2) For topping, start by melting butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar, pecans, and then flour.

3) Crumble mixture over top of casserole and bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

* Bake potatoes with skins (pierced) at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours, then scoop out of skins and cream. I find little benefit to making them this way. That is, it's just as good with canned yams.

* When I need to stretch this, I add a bit more sweet potatoes and don't worry about adding the other ingredients. It works fine.

* Finally, if I were trying to duplicate this as a whole food, plant-based recipe, I would use flax eggs and stir in a little tahini for richness.

Philip & Molly's Chipotle Chicken Chili

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

1 12-oz bottle beer (or cider for GF)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 chipotle peppers in adobo

3 14-oz cans beans (pinto, black, and kidney), undrained

1 can corn (optional), undrained

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. (heaping) masa harina

1 lime, juiced

sour cream, grated cheese, and cilantro for serving

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft (2-3 minutes).

2. Add diced chicken and cook 3-4 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Pour in all but 1/4 C. of the beer/cider, the tomatoes, the minced chipotles, and the beans (and corn, if using).

4. Stir to combine, then add the spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

5. Whisk the masa carina with the remaining beer/cider until it's smooth, then pour it into the chili. This will thicken it and give it a really nice corn flavor.

6. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir it around and let the chili simmer for another 10 minutes or so until thick.

7. Serve it up with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro!

PREPARATION/OBSERVATION NOTES:

When Philip and Molly served this to us this week, they had added an extra can of tomatoes, they did use the corn, and they used Bold Rock plain flavored cider, doubled. They also added dried cilantro in with the other seasonings, generously. For the chipotle peppers called for, they get a jar of diced chipotle peppers and just add a bunch of scoops to taste.