Sweet Potato Cornbread with Hot Honey Lime butter

I’ve always looked forward to celebrating New Year’s Day with a giant feast of black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread. This holy trinity of southern food stems out of the African diaspora, like many southern favorites, and they are a symbol of luck, money, and prosperity in the forthcoming year.

I eat a lot of cornbread this time of year, not just on January 1, because it makes for the perfect comforting side to go with all the soups and chili I make in the cold months. I’ve been trying out new flavor combinations for a while, and I wanted to share a recipe for one of my favorites: sweet potato cornbread with hot honey lime butter. I love the flavor combination—it's a little sweet and spicy and sour. You may wany to make a double batch of the butter because if you're like me you'll slather it on every bite.

The black eyed peas recipe I make each year is inspired by a Greek stew. It isn’t the traditional southern way of eating the dish—there's no pork, and it's a little lighter. In my opinion, the biggest flavor boost comes from the fresh lemon juice and herbs stirred in at the end. I also love the salty-sour pop from the addition of feta cheese.

Sweet Potato Cornbread with Hot Honey Lime butter

Yield: Makes 16 servings

Time: 30 minutes prep, 35 minutes cook

Ingredients

For the cornbread

• 1 cup (152 grams) cornmeal
• 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup (240 grams) sweet potato puree*
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) brown butter, cooled to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) sour cream
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) maple syrup
• 1/2 cup (107 grams) brown sugar**

For the hot honey lime butter

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) Challenge salted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons hot honey***
• Zest from 1 lime

Directions

For the cornbread

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and spray coat with nonstick spray.
• Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
• In large bowl, stir together sweet potato puree, brown butter, eggs, sour cream, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
• Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Pour batter into baking dish.
• Place in oven and bake to 35 to 40 minutes, or until center of cornbread feels firm and slightly springy.

For the hot honey lime butter

• Stir together butter, hot honey, and lime zest until smooth.

Notes:

*Make sweet potato puree by roasting sweet potato at 450 for 90 minutes or peeling, chopping, and boiling potato until tender. Put cooked sweet potato in food processor until smooth.

**Melt butter in thick-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Continue to heat butter until foam on top subsides and brown specks form at bottom of skillet. Remove the skillet from the burner and pour the butter into a bowl to prevent it from continuing to cook. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature before incorporating it into the rest of the wet ingredients.

***I purchased hot honey, but if you can’t find any, you can make your own.

Black eyed peas and greens with dill

Yield: Six 1-cup servings

Time: 30 minutes prep, 45 minutes cook

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard (or collard greens), stems removed and diced, leaves cut in ribbons
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup stock (or water)
• 1 pound black eyed peas, cooked
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: Feta cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and Swiss chard stems and saute on medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and saute another minute.
3. Add tomatoes (with juice), red wine vinegar, stock, and black eyed peas. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover Dutch oven.
4. Continue to simmer until black eyed peas are soft but not mushy, about 45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and dill. 
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with feta cheese if desired.

Golden sweet potato cheesecake

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

If we are what we eat, I yam a sweet potato. I would be perfectly content eating sweet potatoes every single day. In fact, I did that after I graduated while I was trying to save money. And I still love them! I could eat them in any way, shape or form. But I have to say this sweet potato cheesecake tops the list.

For some reason, everything tastes better to me when someone else makes it. I never get as much satisfaction eating something I've created. This cheesecake is the exception. I was blown away the moment I sampled the filling. It's so incredibly flavorful. And the sour cream topping adds the perfect tang to balance out the sweetness. Also, the turmeric gives it a really beautiful golden color.

The crust couldn't be easier to make. The combination of gingersnap cookies, butter, sugar, and salt comes together quickly in the food processor. It's important to use good quality butter in your crust. I use Challenge unsalted butter because it's 100% real cream butter. It doesn't have any artificial or synthetic ingredients. You may wonder why I use unsalted butter since salt is on the ingredients list, but I always use unsalted butter so I have greater control over the flavor.

You can make this cheesecake up to three days in advance/ I recommend making it ASAP so you don't have to worry about trying to fit it in on Thanksgiving. You can also freeze it up to a month ahead of time.

Golden Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Yield: Makes 1, 9" cheesecake
Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust

• 255 grams (9 oz) gingersnap cookies
• 114 grams (1 stick) Challenge unsalted butter, melted
• 25 grams (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling

• 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
• 133 grams (2/3 cup) white sugar
• 71 grams (1/3 cup) brown sugar
• 14 grams (1 Tablespoon) fresh ginger, grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces sweet potato flesh (no skin)
• 2 large eggs

For the topping

• 1 cup sour cream
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Optional: Candied pecans, crystallized ginger for topping

Directions

For the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 9 1/2-inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Pulse gingersnap cookies in food processor. Add butter, sugar, and salt and pulse until it resembles wet sand.
3. Dump into pie plate and spread in even layer, making sure to press up sides. Bake until firm to touch, about 12 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and turn heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling

1. Beat cream cheese and both sugars with electric mixer until no lumps remain.
2. Scrape bowl and add ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
3. Add sweet potato and beat until smooth.
4. Add eggs and beat until just combined.
5. Pour filling into crust and spread in even layer. Bake until edges are set but center is still a bit jiggly, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven.

For the topping

1. While cheesecake is baking, mix sour cream, sugar, and turmeric.
2. Spread topping over baked cheesecake while it's still hot, Return to oven for 5 minutes.
3. Cool cheesecake on wire rack and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
4. Top with candied pecan pieces and slices of crystallized ginger before serving.

Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Ginger Snap Crust

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I want to preface this post by saying I am a certified sweet potato enthusiast. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner, and I’ve prepared them most every way imaginable.

I was in Whole Foods last week, and I spotted Stokes purple sweet potatoes. I had never tasted purple sweet potatoes, but I immediately envisioned making a beautiful pie out of them! When is the last time you’ve see a purple pie?!

Their taste differs slightly from orange sweet potatoes. It's a bit winey with hints of rose.

One thing I want to point out is I made the filling for this pie in a food processor. The reason being is because sweet potatoes can be stringy, so you definitely want something that can break that all up. There's nothing worse than a stringy or lumpy sweet potato pie!

One of my favorite parts about this pie is the ginger snap cookie crust. It really elevates the flavor and complements the sweet potatoes well. Also, I love any reason not to make a traditional crust that needs to be rolled out.

Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Ginger Snap Crust and Brown Sugar Meringue

Yield: Serves 8 people

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (140 grams) ginger snap cookies
• 6 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (50 grams)

For the filling

• 400 grams purple sweet potatoes (should yield about 2 cups cooked)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the meringue

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup brown sugar (213 grams)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

For the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Crush ginger snap cookies in food processor. Combine with melted butter and brown sugar.
3. Press mixture into pie pan, starting at the bottom and working your way up the sides
4. Bake crust for 5 minutes. Set aside.

For the filling

1. Boil sweet potatoes for about 50 minutes. Remove potatoes from pot and peel skin off. It should come off easily, but if not, boil a little longer.
2. Put peeled sweet potatoes in food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Add brown sugar, heavy cream, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to food processor and blend until smooth. The filling should be the consistency of a thick pudding.
4. Dump filling into crust and smooth top.
5. Put foil around pie crust edges! I know when you bake pies you normally don't do this right away, but the ginger snap crust will burn if you don't do this!
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the pie should come out clean.

For the meringue

1. In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and salt on low speed until they’re frothy, about 1 minute.
2. Add cream of tartar and increase mixer speed to medium, continuing to beat until egg whites are forming soft peaks.
3. Meanwhile, combine brown sugar and water in small saucepan and bring to boil. Do not stir.
4. Continue boiling until the temperature reaches 238 degrees, or about 5 minutes.
5. Slowly pour brown sugar mixture into egg whites, all while still mixing the egg whites. Continue beating until the peaks are firm and glossy.
6. Add the vanilla.
7. Spoon the meringue onto the pie filling or pipe it on.
8. Use a kitchen torch or a broiler to toast the meringue.

Crispy baked sweet potato fries

“Hey Kylee, do you want sweet potato fries?” “Yes, yes I do. Thank you for asking.” ß My response to anyone ever who asks me if I want sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato fries so much. So so so much. It really is hard to fully express my love for them. They’re salty and a little bit sweet.

Most sweet potato fries are fried (hence the name). But these particular fries are baked because 1) I don’t own a fryer and 2) If I ate them fried I would weigh 300 pounds because I eat a lot of them and I can’t stop. But don’t worry, I promise you will not miss out on the fried part! In fact, I’m going to go as far to say I doubt you would notice the difference! That’s because I have found a way to make these un-fried fries crispy!

Three tips to crispy un-fried fries

1. Toss in cornstarch beforehand! Just a little teeny bit of cornstarch gives the heat something to grab onto and crisp up!
2. Do not overcrowd baking sheet; if you overcrowd that baking sheet the fries will not get the same amount of direct heat and will steam instead of getting crispy.
3. After baking, turn off the oven, open the oven door halfway, and let them cool until you’re ready to serve or up to 30 minutes. Sweet potatoes are naturally moist, so this extra step helps take out the last bit of moisture! Obviously, be careful with this step if you have small children or dogs.

Now that you know those top-secret extra-special tips, here’s a list of why you should eat sweet potato un-fried fries! It is in list for because I am getting tired of writing paragraphs.

Why you should eat sweet potatoes

• Sweet potatoes provide more than 400% of your daily requirement of vitamin A
• Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber which slows digestion and helps manage weight
• Sweet potatoes contain a lot of calcium and magnesium which is great for bone health
• Beta carotene! It’s a powerful antioxidant that decreases risk of cardio-vascular disease as well as oral cavity, and lung cancers.

(Info from Cleveland Clinic)

Baked sweet potato fries

Ingredients

• One sweet potato per person
• One teaspoon cornstarch per sweet potato
• 1/2 teaspoon salt per sweet potato
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder per sweet potato
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne per sweet potato
• 2 teaspoons olive oil per sweet potato

*Make this recipe with as many sweet potatoes as you want, multiply ingredient by how many sweet potatoes you use.

Directions

1. Wash and peel the sweet potato. Cut into 1/4 inch strips.
2. Soak the sweet potato pieces in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes. This removes the starchy surface coating from the potato and allows it to get more crispy when baking.
3. Once you finish soaking the potato, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Thoroughly dry the sweet potato pieces and toss in bowl with olive oil before transferring to Ziploc bag with cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne.
5. Once sweet potato pieces are coated in seasoning, line them on baking sheet, making sure to not overlap. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven, turn baking sheet around, flip fries to other side, and place back in oven for 10 minutes.
7. Turn the oven off, crack the oven door halfway open, and and keep the fries inside until you’re ready to serve or up to 30 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

There were periods of my life in which sweet potatoes were by far my main food source in order to save money. And I've never gotten sick of them, which I suppose is a good thing considering they’re chock-full of beta-carotene and other nutrients.

And that’s exactly why they make the perfect addition to a healthy barbecue salad. 

If you haven’t ever grilled sweet potatoes, you’re missing out. The grill caramelizes the sugars and brings out a sweet, smoky flavor. I also added a few other vegetables, beans and cilantro to the salad and I tossed it with a lime vinaigrette. So it’s significantly healthier than a mayonnaise-based, starchy white potato salad.

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

Yield: Makes about 12 servings

Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch slices
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 ears sweet corn, husked
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 bell peppers, any variety, diced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
• Optional: Jalapeños, diced

For the vinaigrette 

• 3/4 cup lime juice, or the juice of about 6 limes
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon honey or agave
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

For the salad

1. In large bowl, toss the sweet potato slices with olive oil. 
2. Place the sweet potatoes on a grill over medium heat. Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes on each side. 
3. When sweet potatoes are close to being done, place corn on grill and cook 3-4 minutes, rotating so the kernels get slightly charred. 
4. Let sweet potatoes and corn cool to room temperature.
5. Cut sweet potatoes into cubes and place in large bowl. With sharp knife, remove corn kernels from cob and add to bowl. 
6. Stir in black beans, peppers, green onions, and cilantro. 

For the vinaigrette

1. Combine all ingredients in mason jar and shake until combined. Pour over salad and stir. 
2. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

Note: The salad will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.