Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 small-medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups kale or spinach, roughly chopped

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, omit if you don’t like spice)

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated + 2 additional tablespoons

1 cup protein of choice (we used a mix of shredded chicken & bacon!)

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes (using a knife or fork), then lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

3. Transfer to the oven and roast until potatoes are soft, around 40 minutes.

4. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly, for 10 minute or so.

5. While the potatoes cool, add canola oil to a pan over medium heat.

6. Add one piece of diced onion to the pan, and when it starts to sizzle you know the pan is hot enough!

7. Add the remaining onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until softened slightly.

8. Add the kale, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so, until kale is wilted and softened, vinegar is evaporated, and garlic is nice & fragrant. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

9. By now the potatoes should be cool enough to touch.

10. Slice each potato in half, being careful to keep the skin intact.

11. Carefully scoop the potato out of the skin, and place in a large mixing bowl.

12. Reserve the potato skins and leave them on the baking tray.

13. Mash the sweet potato thoroughly, until smooth with just a few lumps here and there. If you prefer a very smooth texture you can blend with a hand mixer.

14. At this point you can remove about ½ cup of the potato and reserve for another use. I like to save for making soup or homemade dog treats! If you don’t remove some potato the recipe will still work, but you will likely have very full potatoes 😊

15. Add the cream cheese, and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella to the sweet potato. Mix to combine, until cheeses are melted and evenly combined.

16. Add the kale mixture and protein and again mix to combine.

17. Season with salt and pepper and give the filling a final mix together.

18. Next transfer the sweet potato filling back into the potato skins, about 1 cup per potato.

19. Top each potato with a sprinkling of the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.

20. Transfer the stuffed potatoes back to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

21. If you find the cheese isn’t browning quickly enough, throw the broiler on for a minute or so at the end!

Recipe developed and photographed by Alex Chesney, RD

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

*Serves 2

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 small onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 sausages, cooked & diced or crumbled

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 stalks kale, leaves removed from the stem and chopped

3 stalks fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup ricotta

½ cup milk

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Pierce the spaghetti squash all over, then microwave for 4 minutes. Flip, and microwave for another 4 minutes.

3. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, then scrape out the seeds.

4. Season the inside of the squash with salt & pepper, then set aside.

5. Heat the oil over medium heat in a shallow saucepan. Add 1 piece of diced onion to the pan – when it starts to sizzle you know the pan is hot enough! Add the rest of the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.

6. Next add the bell pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the sausage and garlic, and cook until garlic is fragrant.

8. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are softened and the mixture forms a thick sauce.

9. Add the kale, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes, as well as a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook and stir until kale is wilted and softened, about 5 minutes or so.

10. Remove the sauce from heat and set aside.

11. Next, whisk together the ricotta and milk, and about a ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

12. Now it’s time to assemble the stuffed squash!

13. Sprinkle another ¼ cup mozzarella cheese in the bottom of the prepared spaghetti squash halves.

14. Next, fill each half of the squash with tomato sauce, followed by half of the ricotta mixture.

15. Reserve the remaining cheese for later.

16. Loosely cover the stuffed spaghetti squash with foil (be sure the foil is not touching the mixture inside!), then transfer to the oven.

17. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil, top with remaining cheese, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

18. At this point, you should be able to scrape out the squash, along with the filling, mix together, and enjoy!

Recipe created & photographed by on-farm Registered Dietitian Alex Chesney

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Red Lentil Curry

*Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium (or 1 large) sweet potato, cubed

1 carrot, diced

1 pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, depending on spice tolerance

1 can coconut milk

1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock

1/2 cup red lentils

2 stalks kale, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Mise en place: chop all of your veggies and measure out all of your spices. That way they will be right ready to go when you need them!

2. Add oil to a shallow saucepan and heat over medium heat. To track the temperature, add 1 small piece of diced onion. When it starts to sizzle, you’re ready to go!

3. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Onion should be softened and fragrant.

4. Add the diced bell pepper & minced garlic. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, continuing to stir often.

5. Add spices and curry paste and stir until the veggies are evenly coated.

6. Next, add the coconut milk, stirring until smooth and mixed in with the veggies and spices. The mixture should be a nice rich orange colour.

7. Add the vegetable stock and stir again.

8. Finally, add the sweet potato. Stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium-low heat.

9. Remove the lid, stir, and add the red lentils. Stir again, then cover and cook 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes of so.

10. During the final 5 minutes, add kale. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, until the kale is wilted and coated in the sauce. The mixture should be thick and very fragrant.

11. Serve alongside rice or naan bread – something to soak up the saucy goodness. Enjoy!

Recipe created & photographed by Alex Chesney, RD

Creamy One-Pot Pasta with Butternut Squash, Kale & White Beans

I came across this recipe yesterday and was immediately intrigued for a few reasons:

• It used a bunch of produce we have on our farm right now (butternut squash, kale, & garlic)

• It was vegetarian (perfect for that meatless Monday trend)

• It was a creamy pasta dish (because, duh, what better comfort food is there?!)

• AND it was still high in protein and all-around pretty balanced

I was hooked! I had most the ingredients on hand, so I went for it… The verdict? I’m so glad I did! I’ve had some not so great experiences with one-pot pastas in the past, leaving me with a runny mixture of seemingly random ingredients, but this one turned out perfectly. The original recipe called for fresh basil and pumpkin seeds, which I didn’t have on hand at the time, so I made a few tweaks to fit my pantry. It was quick, easy, and pretty darn tasty. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

*Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 -- 13 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons dried basil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 small lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 cloves garlic

1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans

12 ounces dried spaghetti

1 cup butternut squash purée (can sub sweet potato or pumpkin purée)

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

3 cups loosely-packed kale

¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Finely grate the zest of ½ a small lemon. Combine with the dried basil and red pepper flakes, then whisk in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine; set aside. Halve the lemon and set aside.

2. Thinly slice 6 garlic cloves and add to a large straight-sided skillet (we like this one) or Dutch oven. Drain and rinse 1 can white kidney beans. Add 1/2 the beans, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 12 ounces spaghetti, 1 cup canned butternut squash purée, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

3. Add 4 ½ cups water and bring to a boil over high heat (this will take about 5 minutes). Boil the mixture, stirring and turning the pasta with tongs to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente and almost all the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. In the last two minutes of cooking, add 3 cups baby kale.

4. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the plain Greek yogurt, the remaining beans, the shredded mozzarella, the herbed oil mixture, and the juice from ½ the lemon. Stir with tongs, and taste, adding more lemon juice and salt as needed. Divide the pasta between 6 bowls and garnish each bowl with the shredded Parmesan cheese, and more black pepper.

Recipe Note:

To reheat leftovers, warm in a skillet with a splash of water, tossing until the sauce loosens up and is creamy. Season with salt, to taste, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Recipe slightly modified from: https://www.thekitchn.com/one-pot-pasta-recipes-261459