Super Natural Cooking - Swanson

I bought this cookbook a couple of weeks ago. I have been following Heidi Swanson's blog for about year. If you haven't seen it you should check-it out. The photos alone are enough to make you drool.

Nothing but a down to earth approach to cooking and eating, whole natural foods comes across in both the blog and book. Without seeming like a "food-elite" Swanson sings the praises of alternative grains (think Mesquite flour and amaranth) and less than familiar presentations of tried and true veggies (Hedgehog Potatoes pg. 97 and Shredded Green Beans pg. 91). All around the book does an excellent job of inspiring you to not only try something new but also puts a new twist on the familiar.

Here's a quick summary of the recipes I've tried.

Roasted Tomato and Paprika Soup (without the paprika) p. 99
In a 375 F oven, roast 5-8 cored and quartered tomatoes, 1 large red bell pepper, and 3 onions peeled and quartered, 5 cloves unpeeled garlic, drizzled with 2-tablespoons of olive oil. Bake until everything starts to look caramelized and yummy. Turn if you suspect burning.

Peel the garlic cloves, dump everything into a soup pot, add about 3-4 cups of veggie broth, puree with a hand blender. Warm over medium. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Yields: 4-6 servings
Time: 1 - 1.25 hours (mostly unattended)

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread p. 110

You need 3 medium-large baked sweet potatoes. (It takes about 1 hour in 425 F oven to bake sweet potatoes. I highly recommend doing baking them a day ahead. Otherwise this recipe is a bit laborious to prepare). In a small skillet, over medium heat in lots of butter brown 4 sliced thin, large shallots. Cook, until everything is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl coming 3/4 cup of flour (whole wheat of course!), 1 teaspoon of onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of 1 cup of boiling water, continue to add a bit at a time till its all incorporated, never mind the lumps. Add the sweet potato flesh and blend. Stir in shallots and all that butter, then add 3 eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing to combine.

Put 2/3 of the sweet potato mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish, dollop with 1/2 of 6-ounces of goat cheese. Finish with dollops of sweet-potato mixture and than the rest of the goat cheese. Bake 30- 35 minutes at 375 F (this is lower than the original recipe), until the goat cheese browns and the bread has set.

Yields: 6 - 8 small servings
Time: 1- 2.5 hours, depending on if you have pre-baked sweet potatoes