BBQ Grilling: Goat Cheese Stuffed Grilled Sweet Potatoes

                    AP photo: Matthew Mead -- Goat Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Sweet Potatoes

From Denny:  This is a delicious unusual recipe twist for the popular sweet potato.  We all know that goat cheese is a low salt and low fat alternative to the regular highly salted - OK, totally yummy - cheeses.  

I've tried goat cheese as the soft melting quality cheese in my omelets and found it a bit sour in comparison to  my favorite cheddar cheese but eventually created a medley of white cheddar, fontina or mozzarella in addition to just a touch of goat cheese for my favorite blending of flavors..  

Yet that slightly tangy sour taste is the perfect healthy complement to the very sugary sticky sweet potato.  This recipe also adds fresh thyme and olive oil for aromatic delight and lots of fresh garlic and butter for robust flavor.  To sweeten it up a bit the zest of an entire orange is added for that citrus brightness that pairs so very well with sweet potato!

It's advised you slice the sweet potato in thick chunks so it is easy for the thick smear of cheese, oils, herbs and citrus zest to adhere better.  If you like your potatoes to have a bit of crispness on the skin, then open up the aluminum foil in the last 10 minutes of grilling to brown and crisp up a bit.  

Also note that you will require a microwave to partially bake the potatoes before placing on the grill.  This recipe is best done at home instead of at some remote fishing camp with no electricity - like we have so many of here on the Gulf Coast, especially Louisiana. :)

This is such an easy recipe it is kid friendly and a good choice to help teach the kids to learn how to grill by helping you with the prep work.  What creative kid would not enjoy smearing a gooey mess onto those sweet potatoes?  I rest my case. :)  Enjoy!

Let Good Times Roll Stein

Let Good Times Roll celebrates Mardi Gras all year long!

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Easy Fall Recipe: Sauteed Red Cabbage With Apples

Photo: Heather McClelland @ 2TheAdvocate.com

From Denny:  Red cabbage is both a pretty color for the table and an easy vegetable to cook up quickly.  Red cabbage, like regular green cabbage, is great for your skin, an added health benefit!  Who wants wrinkles?  Dine regularly on chicken and cabbage and you sure won't need to bother with silly botox injections or face lifts.  We really are what we eat.  It helps when it tastes good too!

Now that many varieties of apples are in season you can enjoy your favorite apple paired with red cabbage.  All you do is first steam the cabbage. Then saute the apples with some onions in butter, adding the steamed cabbage.

Ahead of time I like to clarify the butter to remove the artery clogging milk fats and it also makes it easier to store at room temperature if you desire, once filtered of the milk fats.  I use a small tea strainer once it's cooled enough to go into a storage container.  I also prefer cooking with Vidalia sweet onions or red onions, sometimes called purple onions or Bermudas, but that's just my personal preference.  This recipe calls for yellow onions.  You decide what your family enjoys best.  Once the cabbage is just cooked through then stir in the cider vinegar and brown sugar mixture.

By the way, be sure not to use an iron skillet for this recipe as it tends to darken the cabbage and apples.  Yeah, it's the vinegar that creates that reaction.  (You could use an iron skillet that is coated with enamel so you wouldn't get that chemical reaction.)

Red Cabbage differs a bit from the common green cabbage.  How?  Well, the leaves are crunchier and the flavor a little bolder.  Some people cook down this cabbage until soft as it tends to get sweeter like in German cuisine.  It's really more healthy if you choose to saute it quickly or lightly steam it just until it's properly cooked through.  Again, it's all about your family's personal taste.  After all, the whole point of cooking is to enjoy the eating, right!? :)

Also, please remember that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, keeping these women in your thoughts and prayers.  Here's my latest Denny Lyon Gifts design (at Cafe Press) to honor all the fabulous women and their supporters fighting this disease.

This design first started off as one of my photos of those favorite hot pink azalea blooms, in addition to many other filters, employing a kaleidoscope filter to create this abstract medallion effect. This design reminds me of how our beauty is always there, no matter what form it takes.  Of course, here in Louisiana, we take creative "French" license with English spellings. :)  The thought bubble is to remind others to support these women on their journey to wellness.  Lots of other styles of t-shirts and other products to enjoy too.  The link takes you to the page of all the products featuring this design.  Thanks for visiting!

Geaux Wear Pink! Women's All Over Print T-Shirt

Help support breast cancer awareness and hope for the cure!

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Image via Wikipedia

Comfort Food From Louisiana: Cajun Red Beans and Rice: From Denny: Red Bean and Rice is a traditional recipe in Louisiana that was the original Wash Day food every Monday, in every household in New Orleans, rich or poor. These beans could simmer on the stove for hours, leaving time for household chores.

Living in Louisiana, sometimes I forget some people don't know how to make this simple delicious dish. It's seems when I am researching up pops something else that I just know you will want to see.

I've been thinking lately of how to get more beans into our diet by adding to traditional recipes and found some awesome recipes from the various bean grower sites that I will be featuring soon on all my food blogs. If you are not yet sold on beans as a healthy and inexpensive food, this dish would be a great introduction.

Related articles

• Comfort Food From Louisiana: Chef Recipe: Crab Calas with Remoulade Sauce (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Comfort Food From Louisiana: Tailgating Recipes: New Orleans Ugly Dog Saloon BBQ Chili Beans (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
• Funny Video: The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger (dennysfunnyquotes.blogspot.com)
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Denver Rackhouse Pub: Beer Baked Mac N Cheese

Several creamy cheeses and wonderful beer combine for a slice of comfort food heaven.

From Denny:  Check it out! Yet another stellar mac 'n' cheese recipe to enjoy. Does Life get any better? The perfect weekend food, the perfect crowd pleaser, the perfect recipe for the cold weather and all this crazy snow we have been finding all across the nation this winter.  What a pleasant way to warm up! :)

This recipe is real magic. Snuggled warm inside this dish are no less than five kinds of wonderful cheeses. The rich base gets a lift from amber ale. It bakes with a blanket of light panko crumbs for some crunch. Parmesan cheese spreads out on top too to give a rich, golden perfection.

Be sure to visit the Rackhouse Pub in Denver, Colorado and try this dish in person!



Beer-Baked Mac 'N' Cheese

From: Rackhouse Pub in Denver, Colorado

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Servings: 12 to 16


Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup amber beer

2 cups half and half

1/2 pound Brie

16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese

1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 (16-ounce) box penne pasta, cooked and drained

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup panko or bread crumbs


Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium, heavy-bottom pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a light roux. Slowly whisk in the beer and half and half.

3. Add the Brie and cream cheese to the sauce, stirring until the cheeses are melted and incorporated. Stir in the Gorgonzola, cheddar and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.

4. Stir in the pasta, taste and adjust the seasonings as desired with salt and pepper (some of the cheese will be salty and the mixture may need only a little salt, if any).

5. Pour the mixture into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Top the mixture by sprinkling over the remaining Parmesan cheese and panko crumbs. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the toppings are crisp and golden, about 1 hour.

6. Cool slightly before serving.

Each serving: 566 calories; 20 grams protein; 29 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 41 grams fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 123 mg. cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 611 mg. sodium.



*** Photo by Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times



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