Hey to you!  I was walking around the kitchen on Sunday afternoon wondering what to do with another big squash that was hand picked by “The Best Builders” around when I noticed some nutmeg sitting in the pantry.  A little light bulb went off and thought that it would be a great combination.  I then wandered over to the fridge as I knew that we had some “real” maple syrup.

That was enough to call it a dish.  Below is the scoop on how this goes together.  Pretty simple yet a perfect fall treat.  Here is a shot of my laptop as I was playing around with the settings on my camera.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare and peel the carrots and squash.  Cut into chunks and place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, nutmeg and maple syrup.
3. Throw in a roasting pan and let cook for 25 minutes.
4. Remove and toss in tomatoes.
5. Cook another 15 minutes.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking grape tomatoes, I tend to put them in later in the cooking process so they do not completely break down and become mush.

That dish is pretty simple yet satisfying.  Very nice for this time of year for sure. 

I spent a little time at the house (with no power) tonight with my car headlights on cleaning out the utility room.  I think we are getting some heat in the house tomorrow!  The boiler is being installed. 

Question of the Day

How do you heat your house?  Let me know – I think it will be interesting as we go across the globe.

Have a great Tuesday.

Take care

zesty

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I’ve only made these pancakes a couple of times but they are so good that I had to share them with you.  The secret ingredient, as far as I can see, is nutmeg.

This recipe is perfect for Christmas morning!  Wake up, open a few presents and you can then whip up these pancakes in no time.  The whole grain oatmeal pancakes are super simple with an easy to follow recipe.

The first time I made these pancakes, I found them to be so hearty and filling that I had a hard time finishing three of them.  Normally, I can eat three pancakes before the rest of the family is even seated!

Enough about my voracious appetite, lets get started with the oatmeal pancake recipe.

Quick note, as I have said in the past, make sure your ingredients are fresh especially the baking powder.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Oats
• 1 Cup All Purpose flour
• 1 Cup Whole-wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. Honey

Method

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium low heat.



2. Whisk together the oats, flours, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
3. Using the same whisk, but in a second bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, vanilla and honey.



4. Pour the wet into the dry mixture and stir briefly, just until combined.
5. Spoon into the skillet.



6. Once bubbles form on the outside of the pancake and do not fill in again  – it is time to flip them over.



7. Flip just once  – plate them up.



8. Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas day! Let me know what Santa brought you – I love hearing about all the fun gifts.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The time has come, Sweet Potato Fries is now getting some attention.  A few weeks back I shared with everyone a quick and easy way to whip up a batch of healthy homemade french fries.  This crunchy plate of goodness received a lot of positive response.  With that came requests and references for sweet potato fries.

Krista over at Kristas Kravings said she loved sweet potato fries done in a very similar process. Juliet from Think Inside the IceBox said that she had sweet potato fries on her to do list.  As well, Nick over at PeanutButterBoy said he also like to make a batch of sweet potato fries in the oven.  Also Clayton from Furiousfoodies asked if I could whip up a batch of sweet potato fries. Needless to say with all these requests, I had to oblige and put these on the Zesty Menu.

Now I have been experimenting with sweet potato fries for a couple of years now.  To be honest, I find the most successful way to make excellent sweet potato fries is to deep fry them.  However, I opted for the healthier alternative and went baked.  When baking sweet potato fries, you have to be very alert and on your toes because of all the sweetness in the potato they tend to burn very quickly if not attended to properly.  Because of that reason, I tend to cut the potatoes a little larger than a traditional french fry to avoid burning.  This is only valid when using the oven method.

So follow along  – as it doesn’t really get any simpler!

Ingredients

• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp. Cumin
• Black Cracked Pepper
• Salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.



2. After peeling and cutting (try a mandolin/v-slicer) the potatoes to your desired size  – I like to soak them in water and release some of the starch which will allow them to crisp up a little more.
3. Once soaked for about 30 minutes, be sure to dry them really well.  Do not leave any water moisture on the potatoes.



4. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the oil and spice combination.



5. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.



6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.



7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Sweet Potatoes are way for delicate than a regular potato and can burn very easily.  Do not go in the room to watch your favorite tv show…. just stay in the kitchen  – turn on your favorite tunes and dance around for a while.  You will need to flip these little guys 3 or 4 times to get them just perfect.  Stay close and keep smiling.

Now that you have a delicious plate of baked goodness, what does everyone love to dip these into?  Last night I chose a spicy ranch dip with a hint of Jalapeno Pepper to kick things up.  Normally I just go straight ranch… but I felt adventurous.  Let me know your favorite dipping sauce for sweet potato fries.

Happy Tuesday everyone…. I can’t wait to hear your response.

Zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty