Garlic- and Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This simple recipe is amazingly delicious. If you do not grow your own rosemary, you should. It's easy to grow and versatile. You can certainly substitute dried rosemary if fresh is unavailable.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 3-quart baking dish (3 by 9") with aluminum foil to make cleanup a breeze.

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks or slightly larger
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• two cloves of garlic, diced or pressed
• three sprigs of fresh rosemary 

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Dump in the sweet potatoes and stir until all pieces are lightly coated. Dump the mixture in the baking dish. Spread so that there is only one single layer of sweet potatoes in the dish (any thicker and you will steam the vegetables instead of roasting them). Top with the sprigs of rosemary.

Put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Then stir-- don't worry if the rosemary breaks up and covers the potatoes-- this is desirable. Then bake for 25 more. Remove from the oven, then carefully remove the rosemary stems and stir lightly to loosen the chunks of sweet potato, but be careful not to break them up. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Onion and Cabbage Casserole

This recipe was adapted from an even easier and simpler version found in Global Vegetarian Cooking: Quick and Easy Recipes from Around the World. The original recipe is from Lesotho, near South Africa. While the original is good, I added some ingredients to add flavor. The spices make up for the salt omitted so that my husband, a cardiac patient, can healthfully eat it. Those without such dietary restrictions are welcome to salt this recipe lightly. In summertime I would also definitely substitute a few chopped, fresh tomatoes for the canned.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a large cabbage, tough outer leaves removed, cored and sliced finely
• 1 onion, chopped
• two cloves fresh garlic, diced or pressed
• one 15-oz. can of no-sodium-added chopped tomatoes
• spices: I used freshly-ground coriander, freshly-ground pepper, and red pepper flakes
• a little olive or other oil (about a tablespoon)
• about three tablespoons white wine (NOT cooking wine, which tends to be high in sodium!)

 Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cover, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to soften. Add the cabbage and cover, stirring occasionally for three to five minutes. Add the wine and cover, stirring occasionally until the cabbage starts to soften.  Add the spices to taste, then stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, uncovered until some of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Serve warm or cold.