Wild Mushroom and Sweet Potato Gratin

What a GREAT side dish! This is also my introduction to Fontina cheese. Edited from yet another Cooking Light recipe!

What you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced cremini mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 3 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced chanterelle mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
• 4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

Sweet Potato Mash

This Sweet Potato Mash recipe is amazing and will bring you right to the holiday mind set. It's great enough to make year round, but a great additional to the Thanksgiving and Christmas table.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes
• 3 tblsp butter
• 1/4 c skim milk
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• dash clove
• salt
• pepper

Make it:

Start a large pot of boiling water with a dash of salt. Skin the potatoes and chop into cubes. When the water starts boiling add the potatoes and boil until the potatoes are soft. 

Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well by using a hand mixer to make them silky soft. Taste, and then include additional salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Paprikash over Sweet Potatoes

This is a great, slightly spicy little dish that is quick, simple, fun and healthy. This recipe was found in my Cooking Light book and the original recipe is linked at the end of this post. I made a few edits to make it just a little more healthy and a little more flavorful.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken Tenderloins
• 2 tblsp whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 2 Portabello Mushroom
• 1/2 cup fat free/low sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 Cup Light Sour Cream
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Butter
• salt
• pepper

Cook your Sweet Potatoes in the microwave until soft..about 15-18 minutes. Before you put them in there, stab them a few times all around first to let the heat in.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, dice up the chicken tenderloins into bit sized pieces. In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, and all dry ingredients and mix well.

In a large frying pan melt about 1 tablespoon butter on med-high heat. Once it starts melting, add the coated chicken along with the mushroom (which should be cored, cleaned up, scraped, and chopped into cubes) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies become tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Next, stir in the chicken broth and cook until the sauce thickens for about another 5 minutes. Once everything is married and in love in the pan, remove it from the heat.
While off the heat, add the sour cream and mix well.

Arrange the sweet potatoes on a plate and make a small slice in the center leaving the ends uncut so it looks like you poked a pocket into the potato. Take a fork a fluff the inside of the potato as well as you can, but no need to go overboard and be gentle. We don't want to destroy the skin.

Add the chicken mixture into the potatoes by spooning it in, so the sweet potatoes become the bowl. Spoon on some extra sauce.

Serve just like this and eat until stuffed.