Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Tagine with Ras el Hanout

Mid-Winter Lift

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times

I can’t imagine a better pairing than winter and tagines. These highly spiced North African stews perk up both body and spirit. Though traditionally tagines are curried meat dishes, vegetables respond equally well to the combination of spices. Sweet cinnamon and ginger, hot peppers, bitter turmeric, exotic cardamom and saffron, and other spices combine to make the heady blend called ras el hanout—which means “head of the shop” or roughly “top rated” in Arabic. In this recipe you’ll make your own spice blend, creating a supply for other tagine experiments this winter.

Vanilla Maple Yams or Sweet Potatoes

Up-cycled Leftovers

Recipe adapted from Vegetable Recipes I Can’t Live Without

Leftover yams can be a problem. As delicious as they were when they came out of the oven, hot and plump and bursting with flavor, they’re typically deflated and soggy after refrigeration. This is another recipe by Molly Katzen, creator and chef of the Moosewood Restaurant, one of the first and most famous vegetarian restaurants in the US. Molly describes this recipe as subtle, but its slight vanilla flavor is pleasingly pervasive. Originally written for freshly cooked yams, I’ve adapted the recipe to include use with holiday leftovers. This dish would also serve well at winter dinners and potlucks, appealing to diners who enjoy yams but dislike wrestling with the skins.

Pineapple Orange Stuffed Sweet Potatoes or Yams

Recipe Adapted from Old Photocopy

During the early days of spring, many of us await strawberries and other early-season produce none too patiently. In the meantime, I’m drawn to tropical fruits that are harvested year-round, like bananas and pineapples. ‘Course, they’re not exactly local, but are still “in season.” It’s a perfect time to use up the last of the wintry veggies, before we start harvesting their spring counterparts. Like the two gigantic yams (or sweet potatoes?) I've had since January. It’s also the perfect time to enjoy oranges; soon their season will be just a memory.

Simply Baked Yams

Fix Your Own: Butter, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon

Recipe by Robin

In December, food media tends to emphasize complicated recipes for sweet and buttery treats and desserts. I’m all for holiday baking (and will post some recipes that contain seasonal fruits later), but wanted to offer the alternative of a simple baked yam, naturally colorful and sweet. Although my recipe contains sweetener (maple syrup) and butter, the amount compared with the vegetable is low. Since butter and syrup are served as “add your own” condiments, each diner can add the amount they like.

Mom’s Apricot Yams with Spice

Apricot Yams

Recipe by Mom and Robin

Happy Thanksgiving, All! The first thing that I do every Thanksgiving, before I’m even out of bed, is to think of 10 things for which to give thanks. Top of the list is always my husband, friends, family, home, and having plenty to eat. It’s everyday things--like a bountiful harvest that puts food on the table--that Thanksgiving celebrates.