Ting New England Clam Chowder

• 5 cans (33 fl oz) chopped clams (the cans are the ones the size of tuna tins or use one large restaurant size plus one small can)
• 1 bottle clam juice (8 fluid ozs)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2-3 strips bacon chopped
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 1 pint cream
• half tsp thyme
• quarter tsp ground black pepper
• about 3 chicken boullion cubes
• about 5 large potatoes diced
• chopped fresh parsley for topping

1. Brown bacon 2. Add 1 Tbsp or so of olive oil
3. Add flour and mix up
4. Add all stock from cans and bottle, boullion cubes and potatoes
5. Cook at low - med heat for about 15 minutes
6. Add everything else
7. Warm up
8. Better the second day

This is Lena's super fantastic clam chowder. It's even better then the one I make so I'm adopting her recipe!!!

Sweet Potato Puree With Apples

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon mild flavored honey, such as clover
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Pierce the apples in a few places. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the potatoes and apples on top. Bake for 40 minutes and remove the apples. Continue to bake the sweet potatoes until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until cool enough to handle.
2. Turn the oven down to 350ºF. Remove the skins from the potatoes. Peel and core the apples, scraping all the flesh from just inside the skins. Chop the potatoes and apples coarsely and place in a foot processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a lightly buttered 2- or 3-quart baking dish.

Heat the puree in the 350ºF oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until steaming. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves 6

Advance preparation: This can be made through Step 2 a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheating will take 30 to 40 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

another recipe sent to me by p that he wants to try.

This silky fall/winter puree tastes rich, though there is no cream or butter in it. This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Published: November 20, 2008

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced
• 6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.
2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.
Yield: Serves 6
Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 189; Calories from Fat: 29; Total Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium,776mg; Total Carbohydrates,38.6g; Dietary Fiber, 5.7g; Sugars, 3.6g; Protein: 3.5g; Vitamin A 163%; Vitamin C 61%; Calcium 7%; Iron 8% (Approximate nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)

from new_york_times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/nutrition/20recipehealth.html.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

p sent me this recipe from the NY Times. Not a Mark Bittman recipe but interesting sounding nonetheless.

These make a great lunch or snack. Bake some up and cut thick slices to go with cottage cheese, goat cheese, or feta for a quick lunch. Don’t try to save time and use a microwave for this recipe: the sweet potatoes won’t be nearly as sweet. They need time in the hot oven for their enzymes to convert starch into maltose, which is the sugar that makes sweet potatoes sweet.
4 medium sweet potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the potatoes on top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze. Remove from the heat.
2. Place on a plate or in a dish and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (they will continue to ooze and sweeten). Serve cold (cut in thick slices and remove the skin) or room temperature, or reheat for 20 to 30 minutes in a 325ºF oven, or in the microwave.
Variation: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lime
Make the recipe through Step 1. Transfer to a baking dish that will hold the potatoes snugly. Allow to cool completely (they will continue to ooze and sweeten). Slit the potatoes lengthwise and douse with the juice of 1 to 2 limes, to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature or reheat for 20 to 30 minutes in a 325ºF oven or in the microwave.
Yield: Serves 4
Advance preparation: Baked sweet potatoes will hold in the refrigerator for about 5 days.