Sweet Potato/Yam Fries

Potatoes are one of the biggest crops in the world (along with corn and wheat), but they are a nutritional black hole. Yams aren't exactly a nutritional goldmine, but they're way better than non-sweet potatoes - and they actually, you know, have a flavor, instead of tasting like moist spackle.

Recipes abound for baked yam fries...which I should try ones of these days. I just used the way I learned to make fries and substituted yams for potatoes (N.B. - the oil adds calories, though, so calorie-conscious folks are better off baking).

It's really easy: peel the yam, saving the peels for stock if you like. Slice it into a pleasing, fry-like shape. You should get a lot of fries from a single yam - if not, you may be using a carrot by mistake.

Heat canola oil in a large saucepan. Add fries. Cook. I will sometimes reserve the excess oil in a jar to re-use later.

These are good with ketchup or mayo (unless Vincent Vega will be joining); if your local super market stocks it and you like spicy food, wasabi mustard works well, too.

Cowboy Soup

Soup really is good food, although I think it's way better when it's not out of a can. And given how easy it is to make, why would you use canned stuff? The ease with which it is made can be summarized by the following equation:

ingredients + water + heat + time = soup

Note that I have water listed in the equation, although it's way better with stock, which is really easy to make. It's also very Earth conscious, since you make it with stuff you would normally throw away. Go green. Just not in your soup. Unless it's St. Patrick's Day.

This is basically a tomato vegetable soup. I used the stock I made in the last recipe and then made up some more with some yam peelings, some chard stems, and the remnants of a lime I had squeezed for the lime juice.

Ingredients (but really, do whatever):
2 tbsp olive oil
1 quarter white onion, diced*
1 cup diced scallions*
1 orange pepper, diced*
1 yellow pepper, diced*
5 cloves garlic, minced*
2 liters vegetable stock*
1 can unsalted diced tomatoes, with juice*
1 can kidney beans*
1 can black beans*
2 cups chopped Swiss chard*
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp paprika*
salt and black pepper to taste
grated parmesan
3 basil leaves, chopped

* Or more. Or less. Seriously, do whatever. Note that I did not put an asterisk by the turmeric...that stuff is pretty potent so it's one of the few spices where I err on the side of caution.

You could get by with throwing everything in a pot and waiting for the veggies to get soft and the soup to taste yummy. But I modified a recipe in How to Cook Everything, which, despite its title, has a woefully limited scope.

Heat the olive oil in the biggest sauce pan/crock pot/iron cauldron you have. Sauteé the onions and scallions until your kitchen smells yummy. Add the peppers and the garlic and lightly sauteé them. Remember Alton Brown's directives about garlic: the smaller you mince it, the stronger the flavor; and once you burn it, it's toast.

Add the stock. If you have frozen stock, melt it separately (or in the microwave). Add everything but the parmesan and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover, letting simmer for a few hours.

Garnish with parmesan and fresh basil. Makes 10 servings. Maybe more. Maybe less.

Taking stock

Vegetable soup is probably one of my favorite ways to actually eat vegetables, and it's great because you can pretty much put whatever you want in there and if the rest of it is okay, you'll be fine.

I've made it before with just water, and it's fine, but it's better with vegetable stock. Save up all the stuff you would normally toss - peelings, cores, stems, whatever - and then just stew it in hot water.

I feel weird even giving a recipe here, because it kind of defeats the point, but here's what I used:
- peels from two yams
- stems of 4 portobello mushrooms
- cores from 2 crookneck squash and 3 zucchini
- leaves from 3 leek stalks

You want enough water to cover at least, maybe more if you've got some really nutrient-rich stuff in there like kale or something. (N.B. - we'll cover recipes that leave you with yam peels, mushroom stems, squash cores, etc. later).

Bring to a boil; reduce to a low heat and let stew for a few hours, maybe longer. Everything should have become waterlogged, and the water should be a different color. Find a suitable container (I used another pot) and use a colander or strainer to filter the veggies from the water. Squeeze remaining water out of the veggies with a spoon before discarding them.

As you can see, I got an earthy brown vegetable stock. I decided to split it into two containers and refrigerate one and freeze the other. One would go to the vegetable soup, and the other to something completely different...