hey all! hope you all had a lovely new year's celebration, whether you hunkered down at home or partied the last of 2014 away. frank and i enjoyed a quiet one at home, as he's been traveling throughout the holidays for work, and was setting off the next day for another trip. while our last hours of 2014 were quiet and without 2015 hats or glasses, confetti, or champagne, we set out to make a special meal together including a mole sauce that's been our list to make since before we got married and this cake! i've had a few recipes and half written grocery lists for months and months, but the one we decided to go with was kelsey's oaxacan black mole. it took just about all day to make it, as there are a series of steps that included toasting, soaking, blending, reducing, and blending some more. we had laughs and blunders, and mole that splattered on just about everything in our kitchen, but in the end we enjoyed some killer enchiladas (and enough leftover sauce to last us the year!). so, thank you, kelsey!
the 1st of january often marks the day that people start new diets, resolve to lose weight, or exercise more, etc., etc. but this year i'm trying to take the pressure off all of those green salads and smoothies, and offer a not-bad-for-you, baked sweet potato chip sandwich..? there was a lunch spot near us that offered a sweet PLAT sandwich (sweet potato, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) that was kind of insane; and ever since it closed, and i saw this sandwich, i knew making some variation of it was in my near future. and ever since making ashley's special sauce (from her new book!) over christmas break, i knew that needed to make an appearance in this sandwich as well. so, if you're a fan of sweet potato fries, sandwiches, spicy sauce, avo, and some greens for good measure, then i've got you covered! here's to a happy 2015, all! xo
spicy sweet potato chip + avocado sammie (v + gf)
i like cutting these potato slices quite thin, as i prefer a crunchier sandwich. however, if you prefer a softer chip, slice the potatoes to 1/4-inch thickness - you may have to adjust the cooking time as well.
| makes 2 sandwiches |
- 1 large sweet potato, sliced lengthwise to about 1/8-inch thickness
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- large grain sea salt + fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon mild paprika
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- micro greens, sprouts, small lettuce, etc.
- 4 slices favorite gluten-free bread (or 2 rolls), toasted
spicy special sauce
i slightly adapted ashley's recipe, and added sriracha for spice. i also divided the recipe in half since the recipe is for 2 sandwiches. (i actually wish i had made the full portion of sauce, and refrigerated the rest for another time!)
| adapted from Date Night In by Ashley Rodriguez|
- 1 teaspoon good dijon mustard
- 2 1/2 tablespoons mayonaise or vegenaise
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
instructions
spicy special sauce
- whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at 1 hour or up to 1 week
sweet potato chips
- preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. set aside
- mix sliced sweet potatoes, oil, paprika, a couple pinches of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, until potatoes are evenly coated. spread potatoes in a single layer, do not overlap or overcrowd. bake for 15 minutes, then flip each potato over and bake for an additional 15 minutes. at this point some potatoes might be crisp; if so, remove from baking sheet and transfer to a large platter or plate. continue this process until potatoes are lightly browned and crisp. let potatoes cool in a single layer. (placing them on top of one another while still hot will result in a soggy chip.)
assemble the sammie!
- remove spicy sauce from fridge and spread a good amount on both sides of the bread. add onion, avocado, chips, and micro greens, top with remaining slice of bread
chow down and enjoy!
