Merry Christmas!

I wish Everyone a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for being here!

Parsnip sweet potato latkes can be a great addition to your autumn meals! Grated parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions are mixed and made into patties with some eggs. They are super easy to make and are delicious too. Serve them with some sour cream and scallions!

RECIPE

6-7 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sweet potatoes or potatoes, grated
1 cup parsnip, grated
1/2 onions, grated
2 eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup flour
oil for frying
3 scallions plus more for serving, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

If you decide to leave the skin on, soak the sweet potatoes (or potatoes, if used) and parsnips. Scrub off any dirt. Otherwise if you prefer not to have the skin on, peel them with a vegetable peeler.
Coarsely grate them with a box grater. Try to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add the rest of the ingredients except the oil. Mix.
Let the mixture rest for 1 hour if possible.
Heat a skillet with some oil. Take out 1/3 cup of the mixture and form patties. Put them in the skillet and flatten them down with a spatula to about 1/2 – 1 inch thickness.
On medium high heat, cook the patties for about 5 – 10 minutes on each side until crisp and brown
Best served fresh.
Serve with sour cream or cream fresh.

enjoy!

Photo and text by Twincitiesherbs.

Festive Cheese Cake

Not sure what to serve for the holidays? This recipe is a smaller version of the well-known cheese cake. Impress your guests with this delicious and easy to make cake! It is a crustless cake with a creamy body infused with almond extract. I also added raisins to add some texture. You can decorate it with anything you desire. I used lingonberry jam and roasted slivered almonds. Enjoy!

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour or almond flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
handful of raisins
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
oil for baking the almond slivers
1 cup slivered almonds for the top
20 oz lingonberry jam for the top

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C.
Butter a 7 inch round cake pan.
Mix the wet ingredients: egg, ricotta cheese, almond extract and milk.
Sift the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sugar and salt.
Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Fold in the raisins.
Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. You can gently tap the form on hard surface so the top gets leveled. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour. Set aside.
Meanwhile bake the slivered almonds: Apply oil to a cookie sheet and place the almond slivers on it. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 F for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
Bake the cake mixture in a pre-heated oven for 30-35 min or until the edges are slightly golden and an inserted knife edge comes out clean. Let cool.
Spread jam of your choice and sprinkle roasted almond slivers on the top.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy! Happy holiday!

Photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Kale salad with warm cranberry vinaigrette

As many of you know, I post recipes with the seasons so I normally would post salad type dishes during the warmer months. However, this salad would fit my ‘Eating with the season’ motto so I thought it would be a great time to share it now. Kale actually thrives in cold weather garden. Here the kale is topped with the warm zesty cranberry vinaigrette dressing and is a lovely addition during the holidays. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 larger shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, sliced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
juice and zest of half a lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 – 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese (optional)

Directions

Slice the shallots.
In a medium sized pan, saute the shallots in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for minute, stir. Turn off the heat.
Add the wine vinegar, cranberries, honey and the lemon juice and zest, mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Wash and take large veins off of the kale so you are left with the delicate leaves only. Discard the veins.
In a large bowl, drizzle a little olive oil and salt on the kale leaves. Mix with two large spoons. Massage the leaves until tender. This just means to take a leaf in your hand and rub it in-between your thumb and index finger to soften the leaves and to get the oil onto the leaves.
Add the shallot/cranberry mixture from earlier and the sliced almond slievers. Toss to combine.
Serve with crumbled cheese if you wish.

enjoy!

Photos by twincitiesherbs.com

Welcome Autumn

Most of my readers are well aware that autumn is here. Please feel free to look at my write-up for Eating with the Fall season and my favorite recipes from last year. Enjoy this beautiful season!