The Sweet Potato Is Not A Yam

For many the sweet potato and the yam are interchangeable. These two vegetables are not related. They have two common factors; there are both a tuber and orange. It is not hard understand, why many think they are interchangeable; companies like Martindale, are just as confused as the rest of us.

During the holidays, many use canned yams in sweet potato recipes. The Sweet Potato Pie, you eat at Aunt Bessie’s house could actually be yam pie.

 I have never seen yam fries, have you?

I do not know how many times, I have heard or read people saying they do not like sweet potatoes. This is because of the sweet marshmallow topped side dish. In actuality, they are eating canned yams.

 That being said, how about we try a sweet potato and not yam recipe.

This recipe is Sweet Potato Cornbread. I have a picture of this recipe and it is clearly out of a magazine or cookbook. I do not know whom it is by. I have of course changed the recipe, because I wanted more flavor. If you are expecting a sweet corn bread you will be dissapointed. I would suggest with the mild flavor of this bread, to use it to counter balance a strong flavored dish.

Sweet Potato Cornbread

Ingredients:

5 eggs, beaten

½ cup melted butter

2 cups self rising cornmeal

2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled cooled and mashed

1 cup sour cream

3 Tablespoon of white sugar

¼ each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl, set a side

In separate bowl combine eggs, sour cream and butter until smooth. This will look like yellow cake batter when combined well

Add sweet potatoes to the liquid mixture until well blended

add to dry and beat until smooth

Pour into a lightly greased 9 X 13 pan.

Let rest five minutes before placing in oven

Bake for 35 minutes

Let cool before serving

San Diego Style Fish Taco

The weekends, because of work shifts, are the only time we get a chance to sit down as a family for meals. I always to try make a dish or meal one of the kids or my husband would like to eat. I guess my husband learned from last weekend, he had better come up with an idea for dinner. I had planned to make the Sweet and Spicy Chicken in the crock-pot, when my husband surprised me by requesting fish tacos for dinner.

My first thought, was how simply I could make this meal. Dungeness crab from California is the closest thing to fish my daughter will touch. My son (A.K.A. The Picky Eater, Bottomless Pit) I have a 50/50 chance of him liking it. My first thought was a Baja style, fried fish taco. Run to the store get breaded frozen fish. I thought no problem; I can maybe hide the fish taste from one child. I should have known it was not going to be easy, my husband wanted non-breaded fish.

When you make fish tacos, use a white fish, such as Cod, Halibut, or Tilapia. There are various ways to cook the fish, either by broiling, baking, pan frying or grilling. You have to get the sauce right. The flavors have to be a bit complex, the consistency cannot be too liquid or to solid. If the sauce is not correct, the rest just does not matter.

I use Tilapia for fish tacos. On each side brush with vegetable oil then season with equal parts cayenne and black pepper. Since my portions of fish were thin, I used an indoor grill and cooked each one for a few minutes until done (the fish turns the color of a hardboiled egg white)

We serve the fish on flour tortillas, with iceberg lettuce, fish sauce and guacamole. More traditional fish tacos use cabbage or Jicama. I will use Jicama sometimes, when I want a sweeter taste to the tacos, but usually it is the iceberg lettuce in the fridge.

The fish sauce recipe is adapted from The Soup Addict. I have changed the recipe a bit for our liking. I have added a bit more seasonings and limejuice, thus giving a warmer, earthy taste. You can find the original recipe at http://soupaddict.com/2009/06/wickedly-good-fish-taco-sauce/

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh sour cream

½ cup Best Foods / Hellman’s mayonnaise

Juice of one lime

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon dried dill weed (not dill seed)

½ teaspoon parsley

¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning (See Stop Your Seasoning Packet Addiction, blog entry)

 ½ teaspoon capers

1 whole jalapeno

2 Tablespoon fresh cilantro

Directions:

Blend sour cream and mayonnaise in a small plastic bowl that has a lid.

Cut top of Jalapeno and place in a mini-chopper with capers, cilantro and limejuice. Pulse chopper until ingredients are minced. Stir into sour cream mixture, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Guacamole recipe:

Two avocados seeded, skinned

3 Tablespoon of salsa of your choice

1 ¼ teaspoon garlic salt (See Stop Your Seasoning Packet Addiction, blog entry)

Juice from half of a lime

Mash avocados either with fork or potato masher, mix in spices and lime juice in a plastic bowl. With a piece of plastic wrap, push down on Guacamole mixture making sure the entire surface is covered. Cover with plastic lid and place in refrigerator for an hour.