Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bites

Sometime this spring, I froze some sweet potato puree I made. Over the weekend, I decided to clean out some of the freezer and made sweet potato popovers with some of the sweet potato puree (delicious!). Today I was wanting to make a dessert with the rest of the puree. Since it is fall, the time for flavorful and comforting desserts is upon us. And desserts that are slightly richer....but since I'm a fan of 'everything in moderation,' I decided to cut my desserts in smaller portions. Now, I just need someone to take them away so I don't eat more than I should 'because they're so small!' Guests can have as many 'bites' or as little as they want when these sweet potato bars are cut smaller. I really love how some restaurants (P.F. Chang's for instance) are allowing patrons to order smaller portions of their desserts. It makes it fun to try more things this way!

I ran across this recipe at East Village Kitchen blog and changed it up a bit to suit my liking. Also, I accidentally left out the baking powder from the original recipe (1/2 tsp.) in the base, but didn't miss it--actually preferred the creamier texture. And it still held up to being cut in smaller bites. My husband said it tasted like pumpkin pie--but I think it tastes better. No one can understand why I don't like pumpkin pie because I love pumpkin pie spices, but if I'm going to have my calories, I want it to be on something I love. Well, I really love these bites! Probably because they are creamy (I love pumpkin cheesecake!). You can skip the pumpkin pie spice for a purer flavor. And, I'm guessing you can substitute pumpkin for the sweet potato.

By the way, does anyone else find surprises in their kitchen? This is what I found when I began my baking. I was told that Minnie also wanted to cook. Apparently, Minnie also ate a few....that's the story I'm sticking with anyway...

These sweet potato cheesecake bites would be a fun dessert to serve during the holidays or even for cocktail-type parties where only appetizers and/or desserts are served. 

SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE BITES

Should make about ~32 mini squares

For the base:

• 8 Tbsp. butter (1 stick)--I used salted butter--a part 'light' butter and a part real butter
• 1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree (canned or cooked & pureed by you)*
• 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar (raw sugar preferred)
• 1 cup flour (I used all purpose, but plan on trying whole wheat pastry flour next time)
• 1 egg + 1 egg white (reserve yolk for topping)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (this may seem like a lot, but I think vanilla goes really well with the sweet potatoes)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)

For topping:

• 1 (8 oz.) package reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 Tbsp. brown sugar (or raw)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 8 inch square pan with 2 inch high walls with butter. Trim two pieces of baker’s parchment so they can sit flat on the bottom the the pan and so they are long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Butter the paper. (Now, I skipped the buttering before applying the parchment but think it was an essential step—since I had rough edges and ended up eating them all. Or, I'm not sure what it would be like to skip the parchment paper step altogether....?)

Microwave your sweet potatoes. Then, microwave the butter to melt it completely (about 30-45 seconds), and whisk the butter into the mashed sweet potatoes until the mixture is smooth with very few bumps.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer or a whisk, add sugar to the sweet potato mixture and beat until smooth. Add egg, egg white, and vanilla and beat until they are fully integrated. Add flour and salt and mix just until the liquids have absorbed them. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.

In a separate bowl, using a whisk or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and uniform.

Place 6-8 large dollops of the mixture on top of the batter in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter. Rap the pan flat against the counter a few times to level, then place in the preheated oven, on the middle rack. 

Bake until the cheesecake swirls are starting to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted into the batter part comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Use the parchment to pull the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board and cut into squares. (You can place them in mini-muffin liners like I did for an easy-to-eat way to serve. No utensils are needed if you are standing :))

Store sweet potato cheesecake bites in an airtight container in the fridge.

*If you are using leftover baked sweet potatoes, remove them from foil, cut them in half and microwave them for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on thickness. If you are starting with raw sweet potatoes, poke holes in the skin with a fork and microwave on high for 4 to six minutes, or until they are soft and easily mashed. Discard skins and mash and whisk with a fork until they are smooth. 

Sweet Potato Leek Frittata

First, let me start off by saying I had no hand in making this. My mother in law made this for us while we were visiting. We LOVE to be her guinea pigs and try her cooking. Second, I really enjoyed this frittata and therefore wanted to feature it for you guys. This frittata made a good vegetarian breakfast-but I think it would make a great dinner served with some crusty bread and a green salad. If you're looking for a fun way to use healthy sweet potatoes and an easy meal--try this frittata.

A few recipe notes: Don't get scared by the amount of eggs--three of us ate it two mornings in a row and we STILL have half the frittata left. The recipe is supposed to yield 6 servings....however, our portions were smaller and we served it with fruit and lemon bread. The original recipe calls for 4 garlic cloves, but we all thought that we would use less next time we made it. In addition, we're big cheese lovers, so my mother in law added extra cheddar on top (WONDERFUL!).

Leeks always make me think of spring.....so this may be your 'good-bye winter' meal.

 SWEET POTATO LEEK FRITTATA

Adapted from the Rachel Ray Show

• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 12 extra-large eggs (large eggs should be fine)
• 1/3 cup milk or half-and-half  (fat free half & half would work well here)
• A splash of hot sauce (such as Tabasco brand)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese (regular is fine too)
• 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Heat a 12-inch, nonstick, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, sweet potatoes, leeks and garlic, and cook until the veggies are tender, 6-7 minutes.
 
Beat eggs together with milk or half-and-half, a splash of hot sauce, some salt and pepper. Pour the eggs in the skillet over the filling. Using a spatula, raise the cooked egg off the bottom of the pan, allowing more of the still-liquid eggs to settle on the bottom of the pan.

When the frittata has set, sprinkle the top with cheese and transfer to the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes until top is deep golden brown. Remove and let stand 5 minutes.

Garnish with parsley, cut into wedges and serve.

Sweet Potato Cranberry (Pear) Whole Wheat Muffins--SO GOOD!

If Autumn could have a flavor-this would be it-cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves....if you don't care for any of these (or would prefer a ginger flavor), you can subtract a spice or two. Tailor these muffins to your liking.When you have sweet potatoes that are going bad, you can peel them and cut off the soft spots. Then, you can boil them and puree for uses in baked goods--like muffins. I will post on a vegan sweet potato roll later next month using this type of puree.

The streusel topping really makes these muffins--in fact, I doubled the streusel topping ingredients (below is singular)--it didn't seem to be sufficient for all the muffins and I'm glad I did. But, by doing so, I think I may ALSO skip the honey and the sugar from the muffin ingredients the next time I make them. The cranberries and the raw sugar in the topping provide plenty of sweetness. Recipe courtesy of ungourmet.com via Taste of Home.

SWEET POTATO CRANBERRY PEAR WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar (I’m skipping this next time)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ cup dried cranberries
2 eggs
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
¼ cup chunky pear sauce (if you click on it, there's a link on how to make it, but I’m sure applesauce will do)
½ cup skim milk
½ cup honey
¼ cup canola oil

Streusel Topping:
2 Tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp. oats
1 Tbsp. raw sugar (like Turbinado)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold butter (I used Brummel and Brown spread with yogurt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Lightly spray the paper liners with a Pam-type spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar (if using), baking powder & soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cranberries.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sweet potatoes, pear sauce (or applesauce), milk, honey, and oil. Stir the liquid/egg mixture into the flour mixture JUST until moistened. Try not to overmix.

Fill baking cups 2/3 full. (I just fill all the 12 muffin cups until all of the mix is used) Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins.

Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

HAVE AN AWESOME FALL!!!!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions

This is one of those posts where my picture does not do the recipe justice. These potatoes ARE SO GOOD! And soooooo easy! They are an absolute staple in our house. And courtesy of my mother in law, Carol. And a very healthy side dish.

Keep in mind that however you cut the potatoes, they need to all be cut the same (roughly) so that they can cook evenly.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH ONIONS

I've tried to estimate proportions, but there is no exact science to it. Seems like for every 2-3 potatoes, use one small onion. Estimate approximately one small-medium potato for each person.

2-3 sweet potatoes, (I like them in thin half moons-but you can cut them any way)

A couple TBsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, sliced into rounds or half rounds

Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together and evenly spread them on a large baking sheet. I like to mix them with clean hands directly onto the baking sheet and then spread them out.

Roast the potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check halfway into the time (about the 25-30 minute mark) and mix all the potatoes to redistribute them so they get evenly roasted. It's okay if they overlap a little bit.

Serves 3-4 people as a side dish to chicken, fish, or very good part of a vegetarian meal with 'choplets' or 'multigrain cutlets'.