Brunch-Ready Sweet Potato Pancakes

No thanks could ever be enough for the troops who ensure our freedom, but I hope you attempted. Before heading out to the National Mall this Memorial Day, I sat down with friends uptown and made brunch. These pancakes were a smashing hit, and secretly easy to make (no one needs to know.) Plus, many of my friends said they didn't even need syrup, because they could "definitely taste the yummy sweet potato." I hope they're a hit for you too!

Servings: 18-20 pancakes

What You'll Need:

• 2 and a half cups boxed Complete Pancake Mix
• Water 
• 1 large sweet potato
• Microwave & Medium Pan
• Cooking Spray

The Step-by-Step:

1. The night before (or a few hours before) -- cut a slit into the middle of the sweet potato and microwave for 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then peel off the skin with your hands. Place the sweet potato in tupperware and keep in the refrigerator.
2. When ready to make the pancakes -- With a whisk, stir water (a little at a time) into the pancake mix until slightly runny.
3. Add the sweet potato, and then with the whisk, mash it until it everything has mixed well.
4. Heat the pan and add cooking spray.
5. One by one, cook pancakes for about 3 minutes per side.
6. Serve with maple syrup or nothing at all! :)

here's to summer brunches.

xoxo n

"S'macked" -- My Quest to lighten-up Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

About a month ago, I had the opportunity to visit one of my dearest college friends, Katy, who is living it up in New York City pursuing her dream working in corporate fashion. I had the best time -- it felt like no time had passed (you know, those are the best friendships.)

Sarita's Mac ("S'Mac") in NYC 

Among walking the Brooklyn bridge, eating great street food, and visiting the area we lived in that one summer we interned in the city -- there was this one experience that put a fire in my belly in particular -- and that was ordering the Buffalo Chicken Baked Mac & Cheese at a hot eatery known as "S'MAC." It was delicious and one of those meals you know will set you back, but in a "I don't care, it tastes SO good" way. 

Love ya, Katy!!! I need to come back ASAP!

Upon returning to DC, I kept joking to my boyfriend that if recreate it, and he finally charged me up to stop talking about it and actually cook about it. So, I set out to recreate it in a way that (1) didn't add bulk to my hips, and (2) actually have a substantial amount of chicken, which is something Katy and I joked about the entire time. After doing my research, the best recipe I found was from Iowa Girl Eats. I then tweaked her recipe even further by switching up the proportions in favor of lighter calories and more creaminess: by using mostly Laughing Cow cheese and only 1 slice of cheddar instead of grated cheddar then some LC. I also didn't buy blue cheese because I wanted it to be easy on the wallet, meaning less ingredients in my cart.

The ultimate test: a happy boyfriend, who was full and commented on the "there's actually chicken chunks in here."

Katy, this one's for you!

Servings: 6

What You'll Need:
(The ingredients I changed from Iowa Girl's recipe are in bold)

• 8oz whole-wheat rotini
• 1lb chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• (1 lb is about 2 breasts)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp light butter
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free half & half
• 6oz plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 4oz shredded cheddar cheese
• (not needed -- see below!)
• 5 Laughing Cow Light Swiss Wedges
• 3 Laughing Cow Light Cheddar Wedges
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumb

My Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water with a little mixed in salt, for about 5 minutes (al dente.) Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and place on the stove over medium-heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add chicken to pan and let cook until no longer pink. Set aside the chicken on a plate.
3. Return the skillet to the stove and add more cooking spray. Add the butter, and after it melts, at the flour. Stir continuously with a whisk (or a fork, if you don't have a whisk) for one minute. 
4. Pour in the half & half and stir well. After about 3 minutes, the half & half should be thickened. Turn off the heat.
5. Stir in the Greek yogurt then the cheese wedges (one by one.)
6. Once smooth, mix in the buffalo sauce.
7. Add in the cooked pasta and the chicken, and toss it well to make sure everything's coated in the cheese sauce. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, top it evenly with the bread crumbs, then drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of buffalo sauce on top.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Bread crumbs should be golden brown (if not, turn your oven to the "broil" setting and let roast for 3 more minutes!)
9. Serve and enjoy.

I want to know -- what have you had and loved?

What are you inspired by??

Let me know -- shoot me an email at thehaventable@gmail.com.

xoxo n

---------------------------------------------------

a note on butter

I used a buffalo sauce brand called "Wing Time" that is creamy and delicious -- think of your favorite sports bar wings. The typical (and greatest) wing sauce is made from mixing hot sauce and butter, so instead of adding the two tablespoons of butter to the pan like Iowa Girl did, I cut it down by half -- because I knew the sauce had it covered. Know that in making food "healthier" -- sometimes you got to take a second and think -- what is already in my ingredients? Who wants to eat butter twice? Ok, we all do -- but honestly -- when was the last time butter did anything good for us? Well, let me not preach -- but I'm going on a cruise this upcoming week, and when I take off that towel and show my swimsuit to the world -- trust me, I'm not going to cry that I didnt have that extra tablespoon. Cheers! 

S'Mac picture: Phude-Nyc

Recipe Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats' "Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese"

Spring Vegetable Miso Soup w/ Sriracha

I know what you're thinking -- SOUP? In SPRINGTIME? Well, yes.

If you've ever been to a sushi house, you've more than likely encountered miso soup -- a light broth with tofu and seaweed that many rumor to aid digestion (I believe it!) Well, when I saw that Trader Joe's offered boxed Miso Ginger broth (for like $2, nonetheless) I got inspired. Skipping the tofu and seaweed and instead adding peas (they peak in flavor in the springtime,) whole grain fusilli pasta, and fresh sugar snap peas, this became an instant meal that delivered nutrients, flavor, and low calories. You CAN do comfort food in springtime without feeling bogged down (A pot pie before you head out in 80 degree weather, anyone? Didn't think so.) Bottom line: Natural energy to fuel your day -- nothing's better than that!

Servings: 3-4

What You'll Need:

• 1 box (or 4 cups) miso broth
• I love the Miso Ginger variety from Trader Joe's, but if you can't get that, feel free to use a low-sodium chicken broth and add a little miso powder -- you can find miso flavor packets at any grocery store, try the international aisle!
• 1 cup dry whole grain pasta (any type you got!)
• 1 cup/about 10 fresh sugar snap peas, cut diagonally

  

  Being Silly -- Topped mine with roasted bok choy & more sriracha! 

• 1 cup frozen peas 
• 1 tbsp sriracha (for that yummy heat!)

The Step-by-Step:

1. Let the broth and pasta cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes.
2. Add the peas (both the frozen and the sugar snaps.)
3. After about 5 more minutes, stir in the sriracha.
4. Taste-test the pasta to make sure it's cooked (different brands have different cook times.)
5. When done, ladle into bowls.
6. OPTIONAL: add more sriracha! ;)

Enjoy!

xoxo n

Stovetop Tomato Basil Chicken

So I'm a big advocate of "using what you have" but realistically,  there will come days where you do not want to eat what's in your freezer! Yesterday was a big example of that for me -- I needed a recipe, and fast. Plus, I was feeling inspired. I needed to pick up Austin from the airport after work, and that only left me an hour to grocery shop, get back to my apartment, and head to Reagan. Wonder Woman? Imagine that.

Leaving work, I started to google healthy recipes that had tomatoes. Personally, I'm not a fan of tomato-heavy recipes (my dad eats them raw and it makes me squirm, even though I know they're an incredible source of lycopene) but I was in the mood for something with Italian flair. Plus, we're on the cusp of tomato season (summer) so I knew tomatoes would be on sale. After googling for a while, I found this incredible recipe for Tomato Basil Chicken from LaaLoosh, a blog that specializes in Weight Watchers recipes (how did I not know about it before -- LaaLoosh, you are now one of my favorites!!!)

I was impressed about the way this dish is a single pot dish (eliminating the complaining mumbles that I usually hear/ignore as Austin loads the dishwasher) and is so easy to put together. It allowed me to be in and out of the grocery store in 15 minutes (and lucky for me, tomatoes on the vine were on sale, so I went with those instead of the grape tomatoes LaaLoosh used.) Besides that, I also made LaaLoosh's recipe my own by adding more basil for punch, as well as a fresh red bell pepper I had on hand. I added the pepper at the very end, so it added a nice fresh crunch! All in all, I highly recommend this next time you want to do a quick, easy, flavorful dinner -- straight from stove to table. Lay a towel down, and let's go.

Servings: 6

What You'll Need:

• 1.5lbs of raw boneless chicken breast (skin removed)
• 1.5lbs is about a 3-breast package
• 4 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into wedges
• LaaLoosh used grape tomatoes, so if you have that, go ahead!
• 1 cup fresh basil chopped (about 10-15 leaves)
• 1 good tbsp light spreadable butter (like I Can't Believe it's Not Butter or Land O' Lakes)
• Salt, Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
• Cooking Spray

  

  Candlelight dinner, anyone? =)

The Step-by-Step:

1. Carefully rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels. Slice each breast in two (long-ways) until you have six portions, and lay the chicken on a plate.
2. Season the chicken with the oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. In a pan coated with cooking spray, cook the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. If your pan isn't big enough, you may have to do this in batches. When you are done with the last of the chicken, place all of it in the pan.
4. Add the tomatoes and most of the basil. After about two minutes, give it a good stir to make sure all of the chicken gets the flavor punch! You'll start to notice that the tomato is releasing lots of liquid at this point -- that is good!
5. After about 5 more minutes, turn off the heat, and stir in the butter. Add the remaining touch of fresh basil, and season with a little more salt and pepper until it tastes just right to you.
6. Serve over pasta, brown rice, on it's own, or even over fresh kale (we had it salad style!)

Again, I can't stress enough how much I loved this recipe (Austin raved too!) Not only that, but I want to stress how important it is to be open to other bloggers out there and learn from them -- cooking is not new and there are people out there that can teach you a thing or two -- so thank you LaaLoosh!! Lastly, be humble enough to use what you have (example: I used garlic powder because I forgot to get fresh garlic at the store) when trying something new -- and have the confidence to know that if you put enough love in it, it will taste great!

xoxo n

Recipe Adapted from LaaLoosh

Photos my own