Sweet Potato + Sausage Breakfast Hash

When I was younger, Hash was a joke in our house. I don't even remember the exact details of what happened but my mom (who is an incredible cook) made Hash and none of us liked it and from there on out we called it mush. It's been a long standing inside joke for years but I'm a grown up now and here I am sharing a recipe for hash. The truth is, I think it's a terrible name for a dish but it's what it's called so we are sticking with it.

I don't love eggs, but they are my go-to breakfast these days. They are quick and easy and always keep me full and satisfied. When I have extra time, a tasty bed of veggies like this one actually makes me excited for breakfast. Most mornings I'm not even super hungry, but skipping breakfast is not something I like to do and starting my day off with something nutritious and healthy ensures I'll make good eating choices the remainder of the day. 

This is really just one giant pile of sweet potatoes, peppers and sausage topped with two over easy eggs- just the way I like them. It's colorful, healthy and full of flavor. Make a bunch of this on Sunday to enjoy all week long and add your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand! Ignore the breakfast in the title of this post...I think this mush would be delicious to eat anytime of day! 

Sweet Potato + Sausage Breakfast Hash

1 large sweet potatoes, diced (the smaller they are cut the faster they will cook)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 links mild Italian sausage, crumbled
olive oil
salt and pepper 

In a medium/large cast iron skillet or saute pan, drizzle olive oil and heat on medium high. Add potatoes and onion, and saute until onions become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and let the veggies saute and sizzle, tossing occasionally. Cook until potatoes are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Season with salt and pepper. Smoked paprika is another tasty addition! Toss in sausage and cook until heated through. Top hash with two eggs anyway you like them! 

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I'm running a 21 Day Holiday Meltdown for our gym right now and it's been to motivating and encouraging as the holiday season is in full swing. We do daily check-ins, post our workouts and share recipes and healthy eating. This time of year is SO HARD for so many of us to stick to our health and fitness goals and this has been a great way to keep everyone accountable! What good is a bunch of hard work if you are going to let it go because you can't say no to ALL THE CHRISTMAS TREATS. 

This recipe has gotten the most response so far and it's become a favorite here over the past couple of months. I love the sugary sweetness of the baked sweet potatoes coupled with the tangy and spicy buffalo chicken. The cilantro and scallions on top are the perfect finishing touch. We love this meal! This chicken would also be delicious in a lettuce wrap for lunch or as protein on top of your favorite dinner salad!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot (or other hot sauce)
3 Tbsp. liquid aminos or Tamari
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
sweet potatoes, baked (400 for one hour)
cilantro, chopped
scallions, chopped

In a small bowl, mix red hot, liquid aminos, olive oil and garlic powder. Place chicken breasts in a crock pot and pour sauce over. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Shred chicken and toss in the remaining liquid from the crock pot.

Serve over baked sweet potatoes and top with chopped scallions and cilantro.

Sausage + Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This is hardly a fancy dinner post and the photo doesn't do dish justice, but easy and healthy dinners are worth documenting- and sharing! I made these sausage + veggie stuffed sweet potatoes the night before I did a weekly grocery shopping haul so this dinner really came from nothing! I surveyed the kitchen to see what I had and this is what I came up with. Baking sweet potatoes and stuffing them with a protein and some veggies is a great way to use up your produce from the week. I almost always have some sort of sausage in the freezer so I pulled that out, too. A little cheese on top is a tasty addition when you place the stuffed potatoes under the broiler but you can leave that off to make this a Paleo/Whole 30 compliant meal! We loved this!

Sausage + Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

2 Sweet potatoes, baked
2 cups broccoli, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion 
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 links mild Italian sausage 
1/2 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Wash potatoes, dry and poke holes all over with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1-1.5 hours, or until potatoes are soft. 

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil (a few swirls of the pan). Cook sausage and break apart while cooking. Once sausage is cooked, add garlic and onions and saute until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add remaining veggies and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add marinara and stir to combine.

Cut potatoes down the middle and mash the inside with a fork. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top with sausage and veggies and a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cilantro + Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes make themselves at home on our dinner plates at least once a week. They are packed with nutrients and almost always make their way onto every "SuperFood" list. We almost never eat white potatoes because their sweet orange cousins are so much better for you and, in my opinion, much more delicious. We like them roasted in the oven, pan roasted, and mashed with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of cinnamon.

Recently, I came across this post on The Bite House and my belly needed this combination as soon as possible. It wasn't the sweet potatoes that were tugging at my tastebuds, it was the goat cheese. SWOON. I remixed the recipe into my own version of a delicious mashed sweet potato side dish that paired perfectly with a roasted chicken and baby greens salad, and made great leftovers to enjoy throughout the week. This is another simple and healthy side that's perfect during the week but good enough to serve to goat cheese loving dinner guests!

Cilantro + Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp. goat cheese

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Wash, peel and cut sweet potatoes into large chunks*. Cover with water in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Bring to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cover with a lid, leaving a little opening for the steam to peep through. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Drain water out and leave potatoes in the sauce pan. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and mash until they are thick and creamy. Add goat cheese, and mix until it's fully incorporated. Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

*the smaller the chunks of sweet potatoes, the less cooking time

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Italian Sausage & Sage

This recipe started out as a Paleo version of my favorite pillowy pieces of Italian comfort but when the dough wasn't yielding that consistency I was hoping for, the sinking feeling in my stomach let me know that my Italian ancestors were rolling over in their graves. There was no way that my Great Uncle Leonard would allow me to get away with these recipe alterations. I quickly re-joined reality and accepted the fact that any sort of "healthy" pasta was a no go. I mean really, what was I thinking? Never again. This Italian needs to stick to what she knows. The good stuff. How my family has always done it. And since my sweet husband is still an Italian in progress, I knew his first gnocchi experience needed to be something that would make my people proud.

Made with sweet potatoes, whole wheat flour and a lot of love, these gnocchis made the perfect mid-week comfort meal at the end of a cold and rainy day. Italian sausage makes this dish hearty but does not take away from the main attraction. It's the perfect mix of sweet with a tiny bit of salt and a hint of fresh sage.

Patience is the biggest piece of this kitchen and if you have that, you can pretty much count on an amazing meal at the end.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

2.5 lbs. sweet potatoes

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more as needed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Cut and boil sweet potatoes until cooked, about 20 minutes. When the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, dump into a strainer and let cool completely, for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the skins and in a large bowl, mash well with a potato masher. Add egg and with a large wooden spoon, slowly incorporate the flour into the potatoes. A doughy mixture will start to form. I used about 3 cups of flour total. Keep incorporating the flour until you get a nice soft dough. Place dough in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour.

Once the dough is cool, knead on a floured surface. Divide the dough into equal sections and roll out into logs, about 1 inch thick.

Cut the logs into 1 inch pillows. Using your thumb, press down into each gnocchi and roll away from you, creating the little dumpling shape. Place them on a cookie sheet dusted with flour.

Place in a large pot of boiling water for around 5 minutes, or until all the gnocchi have floated to the top.

I served our gnocchi with mild Italian sausage, olive oil and fresh sage. A little salt and pepper to taste and finished with freshly grated Romano cheese. Molto bene!