Sweet-Potato Latkes

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated in food processor
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
canola or olive oil, for frying

Stir together potatoes, scallions, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper.

Heat oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, spoon 1/8 cup potato mixture per latke into oil and flatten to 3-inch diameter with a slotted spatula. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer latkes with spatula to paper towels to drain.

Pasta with Broccoli & Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1¼ cup canned chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 generous cup broccoli florets
3-4 oz small pasta (bowties)
4 Tbsp minced red onion (optional)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup diced canned plum tomatoes
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh toasted bread crumbs
grated cheese

Put the chickpeas in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and drop broccoli. Cook until tender 4-5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and refresh in cold water. Drain and set aside. Drop pasta in water and cook.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and broccoli and cook until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Drain pasta when al dente and add to sauce with bread crumbs. Warm through. Transfer to bowl and sprinkle with cheese.

Sauteed Sole with Almonds and Lemon

This fish came out so good my husband said it didn't even taste like fish!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 sole fillets
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Finely chopped zest and juice from 1 lemon, plus wedges for garnish

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge fish fillets in flour mixture, coating both sides, and shake off excess.

Melt butter with oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When butter begins to foam, add fillets. Cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer each fillet to a serving place.

Add almonds, parsley, zest and 2 Tbsp juice to pan. Spoon over fillets, and serve with lemon wedges. ( I serve over white rice)

Golden Pan-Fried Fish with Roasted Chips

This is so yummy! And its very light- the chips are roasted and the fish is only lightly pan-fried.

Ingredients
2 lbs large unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, each cut into 6 to 8 wedges
2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
2 lb 1 1/2" thick halibut fillets
1 1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
3 large egg whites
3 Tbsp olive oil
tartar sauce

For potatoes: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes, olive oil and salt in medium bown. Arrange potatoes, points facing up, on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue to roast until potato wedges are tender and golden, about 30 minutes longer.

For fish: Cut fish into rectangular sticks and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine panko, parsley, salt, lemon peel and cayenne pepper. Dip fish into egg whites then turn fish in panko mixture to coat all sides. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add half of fish sticks. Cook until golden and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining fish sticks, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Transfer fish to paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with tartar sauce and chips.

Spinach Cheese Calzones

If you don't want to take the time, you can use store-bought pizza dough instead of making your own.

For Dough:
1½ cup warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
4 cups flour
½ tsp salt

For Spinach Ricotta Filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb baby spinach
salt and pepper
15 oz ricotta
1 cup parmesan
½ c shredded cheese
1 egg
½ tsp red pepper flakes

Combine water, yeast, honey and 4 tsp flour. Stir gently to combine. Cover bowl with damp towel. Let stand for 30 minutes. In warm place till foamy add remaining flour and salt, knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth. Add flour if sticky. Cover with wet towel and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough down and form a ball.

To make calzone: Heat oil in pan and cook garlic 2 minutes. Add spinach. Season and cook 5 minutes. Combine spinach, cheese, egg and pepper in bowl. Fill pizza dough with filling and fold over. Press to make sure calzone is sealed. Brush with egg and bake at 350 till golden brown. Serve with warm tomato sauce.

Garlic Ribs and Rice with Carmelized Vegetables

Ingredients:
8 spare ribs
Mikee Garlic Stir-Fry & Marinade
1 T olive oil, plus more for vegetables
1 tsp salt
1 cup short-grain white rice
2 medium onions, sliced
6 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in pan and brush with sauce. Leave at room temperature for at least half an hour to marinade. Cover tightly and bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes until soft and tender.

Meanwhile, bring water, 1 T oil and salt to a boil. Add rice, stir and cover. Lower heat to very low flame and simmer for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.

Drizzle olive oil in non-stick pan. Heat over medium flame and saute onions, mushrooms and carrots until onions are translucent and mushrooms and carrots are fully cooked.

To serve: place a heaping spoon of rice on place and top with caramelized vegetables. Place 2 ribs on the plate and drizzle ribs and rice with sauce from the pan.

Thyme Baked Sole with Shittake Mushroms and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
½ lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced into ½" slices
4 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 T shoyu (soy sauce)
1 pint whole cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 fresh thyme sprigs
2 T balsamic vinegar
½ tsp salt Fresh ground black pepper
4 5-oz sole, flounder or other thin fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the shiitake mushrooms with 2 T of the oil and the shoyu. Transfer the mushrooms to a 9 x 12" baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 T of oil, the balsamic vinegar, the salt and a sprinkling of black pepper. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the fish, sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. Spoon some mushroom and tomatoes over the top. Bake uncovered until the fish is cooked through, 10-15 minutes depending on thickness.