Category Archives: Recipes

Showy Sides | Sweet Potato Skillet Stack Recipe

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jennifer fisher sweet potato skillet stack textI’m going to keep this short and sweet (potatoes)! In addition to the Bourbon Cranberry Apricot Relish, one of my other contributions to the family’s Thanksgiving feast was this delicious dish – Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Sriracha Orange Sauce. So pretty to look at and easy to make – you use the same skillet to roast the potatoes and simmer down the sauce on the stove top. Slicing the potatoes into nearly paper-thin slices is the most tedious detail, but it’s made much easier with a mandolin (watch your fingers) or food processor slicing attachment.

jennifer fisher thefitfork sweet potato ruffle

Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Sriracha Orange Sauce Recipe

  • 4 pounds sweet potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • sea salt to taste
  • 4 ounces orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
  • 2 teaspoons. sriracha
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions, including green tops
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 375°. In small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and then mix together with olive oil; set aside.

2) Peel sweet potatoes and, using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice crosswise into very thin slices (1/8” to 1/16”).

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com slicing sweet potatoes

Slice potatoes as thinly and evenly as possible using a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor.

3) Coat bottom and sides of 12-inch cast iron skillet with two tablespoons of the butter-oil mixture; reserve the rest. Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes in concentric stacked rings until the entire pan is filled. Sprinkle tops with sea salt.

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com sweet potatoes skillet

Ready for the oven

4) Roast potatoes for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the middle of the potatoes are tender and the tops begin to brown and crisp.  If potatoes were sliced on the thick side or packed very tightly, they may take longer to cook.  Remove from oven.

5) In small bowl, stir together orange juice, coconut sugar, ginger and sriracha sauce. Drizzle mixture over potatoes and bring to boil over medium-heat on stovetop.  Lower heat and continue to simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until orange juice mixture is reduced to a thicker state. Sprinkle tops of potatoes with green onions and parsley and serve warm.

Serves 8.

 

I have sweet potatoes coming out my ears! Due to the holidays, they’ve been on sale for 25 cents a pound at my grocery store. Needless to say, I’ve been picking up a couple pounds every day “just in case.” Good thing I have a lot of favorite sweet potato recipes to finish off my stockpile. Check out all this yam-y yumminess:

sweet potato collage

Southwester Sweet Potato & Chickpea Soup

Spicy Beef & Sweet Potato Samosas

Jamaican Beef & Sweet Potato Kebabs

Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

Oh, F-word | Bacon-wrapped Salmon Kebabs with Sriracha-Orange Glaze for Dinner

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Oh, F word. And by “F word” I mean fat. Seventy two hours into my quest to eat 180 grams of healthy fat a day for 10 days is proving harder than I imagined. I’m doing this as a fat-loading phase of a marathon nutrition plan. I’ve had avocado, almonds and eggs.  I put real cream in my tea. I was thinking whole plain Greek yogurt would be yummy, but am finding it actually hard to find at the grocery store. Everything is marketed as fat-free, low-fat, reduced-fat or I-can’t-believe-its-not-fat! I did find one large carton of yogurt that had nearly half its calories made from creamy goodness, but the expiration date was looming. Conspiracy!

Eggs, avocado and cheese only got me 1/9th of the way to my 180 gram fat goal.

Eggs, avocado and cheese only got me 1/9th of the way to my 180 gram fat goal.

I was planning a fabulous beef dinner crisped up in rendered fat, but keep forgetting to pull the roast out of the freezer. That will happen this weekend, but I still needed dinner inspiration for tonight. With salmon and bacon on hand, it didn’t take long to realize that these two high-fat proteins would pair up like fine wine and Cheetos (really, try it). With salmon rich in heart-healthy polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids and the bacon sputtering with a hefty dose of (one might argue) less-healthy saturated fats, it only took a mere bamboo skewer to bring together these two opposing forces of dietary fat. You can call the fat combo “naughty and nice” or you can call it “yin and yang,” but why not just make this recipe for Bacon-wrapped Salmon Kebabs with Sriracha-Orange Glaze and call it a damn good thang?!  

jennifer fisher thefitfork bacon wrapped salmon kebabs sriracha

Bacon-wrapped Salmon Kebabs with Sriracha-Orange Glaze Recipe

  • 8 ounces wild-caught sockeye salmon, skin off
  • 6 slices of hardwood smoked bacon
  • Zest from one orange
  • Juice from one orange
  • ¼ cup tamari
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • ¼ cup orange marmalade (all-fruit, no added sugar)
  • 6 6-inch bamboo skewers

jennifer fisher thefitfork raw kebabs1) Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 10 minutes to prevent burning.Cut salmon into 6 equal-sized strips. Thread onto skewers. Wrap skewered salmon with one slice of bacon.

jennifer fisher thefitfork salmon kebabs grill pan

2) Heat grill pan to medium-high heat. Pan grill kebabs for approximately 4 minutes on each side (including sides), for a total of approximately 16 minutes or until bacon is crisped and salmon cooked through.

3) While kebabs are grilling, prepare glaze by adding juice, tamari, Sriracha and marmalade into a small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute, stirring once, or until heated through.

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com bacon salmon kebabs close up

4) Remove kebabs from heat and brush with glaze. Sprinkle with orange zest. Use any remaining glaze on the greens, noodles, rice or whatever you are serving*

Serves 2.

When I made the greens, I just kept the rendered fat from the bacon in the pan because I (ahem) wanted it. But, drain off if you wish.

When I made the greens, I just kept the rendered fat from the bacon in the pan because I (ahem) wanted it. But, drain off if you wish.

I served these Bacon-wrapped Salmon Kebabs with a version of my Kicked-up Orange Cashew Kale. Heck yeah, the cashews add a little extra crunch and healthy fat. Instead of kale, I used a 10-ounce bag of mixed greens (turnip, collard and mustard). By the time it cooks down, that big bag (which isn’t all yet in the pan above) serves just the two of us. Convenient because I still  can’t get my kids to eat cooked greens; pretty sure I wouldn’t as a teenager either.

Happy Fitsgiving – Stretching & Smoothies!

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Don’t you hate that feeling of being so full you can’t move? I have a few yoga moves that are the perfect postprandial way to keep from feeling stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. A little stretch here, a little deep breathing there and then, viola, things get moving right along, so to speak. Visit my guest post to get step-by-step instructions on the seated twist, child’s pose, bow pose and upward pose.

jennifer corepower thanksgiving yoga

Visit CorePower.com to learn about these Thanksgiving yoga moves.

After these yoga moves, go for a walk or play tag with the kids in the front yard — in no time you will have worked up an appetite for my Apple Cider Cinnamon Smoothie, a recipe I developed for the Core Power Protein Drink blog. Please go check out their site to get the full recipe, you don’t want to miss this super-yummy seasonal sipper!

Apple Cider Smoothie made with Core Power Protein Shake.

Apple Cider Smoothie made with Core Power Protein Shake.

Also, now through December 2nd, Core Power is hosting a Happy Fitsgiving contest. Just show Core Power how you are staying on top of your fitness goals this holiday season by sharing your favorite winter workout or healthy Thanksgiving recipe. Use hashtags #FitsGiving and #CorePower and post on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. They’re giving away a case of Core Power protein shake to one lucky pinner, and I’m have a feeling the winner could very well be you fit friends.

Fitgiving600

Relish the Day! Bourbon Cranberry Apricot & Pecan Relish Recipe

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After getting three kids out the door with special class party snacks, finishing a running workout of mile repeats in this relentless humidity fest which is central Texas and hitting the grocery store with my daily list, you’d think I’d be too bogged down to celebrate National Cranberry Relish Day. But no way! I really relish all the nuances of this sweet -tart dish that makes not just  a great side dish but also is a superstar salsa for chips, crave-worthy condiment on wraps, and tasty topping for Greek yogurt.  Sometimes I wonder why people only make this recipe during the holiday season?!

There are so many versions of cranberry relish and everyone seems to have a favorite. Some like molded cranberry sauce right out of the can while others prefer the texture and taste of fresh relish. We have a family recipe for raw cranberry relish that’s been around forever — I can’t remember a Thanksgiving without it! Basically, its fresh cranberries, sugar and an entire orange (unpeeled!) thrown into a food processor and pulsed. I guess back in the day, Grandma just chopped it up with a knife, old-school style.

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - bourbon cranberry apricot pecan relish

My recipe for Bourbon Cranberry Apricot and Pecan Relish is inspired by the not overly-sweet tang of this beloved family recipe, but adds some new and exciting ingredients — err, namely the bourbon!  The brief cooking process burns away all of the alcohol content, so you don’t have to worry about getting your little ones loopy!  However, if you’d rather not use the liquor, simply substitute ounce-for-ounce with more orange juice.

Here’s an interesting fact that my kids figured out – cranberries bounce! Apparently, small pockets of air inside the fruit make them bouncy and buoyant (that’s why they float when harvested in the bogs). It’s also why you will hear them popping in the sauce pan.

Bourbon Cranberry Apricot and Pecan Relish Recipe

Only six ingredients, so simple!

Only six ingredients, so simple!

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
  • 2 ounces bourbon whiskey
  • 2 ounces fresh orange juice (from medium orange)
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest (from medium orange)
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • Garnish: fresh mint

In a large saucepan, bring all the ingredients (except pecans and mint garnish) to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes; let cool. Stir in pecans.  Serve warm, room temperature or cold – it’s good every way!

Serves 6 – 8.

jennifer handstand rings

So, as I mentioned earlier, my workout today was 5 mile repeats. And, thank goodness, it was not my “One-Derful” WOD which includes not only mile repeats but also lots of other tough stuff.  With Thanksgiving coming later this year, I didn’t realize that my marathon (Dallas) was just over 2 weeks away. I guess I’m going into taper mode and I am completely NOT ready for the marathon.  But I never am.  So what do my friend and I like to do after we run? We always take crazy pictures at her CrossFit box (BVM CrossFit) – I’m sure you’ve seen some of them before.  Nothing like walking around in a handstand with one of your legs stuck in a gymnastic ring. I added some sparkly disco lights to distract from my lack of flexibility!

Happy Umami-days! Figgy Blue Cheese & Bacon Bites

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Inspired by the taste of umami, I have created an easy appetizer recipe that will have your taste buds exploding with happiness this holiday season – Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites. I’ve talked about umami before, but in case you’re not familiar with the term, it certainly bears repeating. That’s because umami ingredients are a great way to bring crazy flavor to a recipe without tons of fat and calories.

Umami (oo-MA-mee) is a Japanese word that literally means “delicious essence” and is used to describe a fifth taste receptor. We all know the traditional four tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are associated with specific parts of the tongue. However, there is a mouth-watering, savory, meaty and indescribable taste that happens when eating certain foods like beef, mushrooms, bacon, aged cheeses, fermented sauces and red wines – this taste is called umami. To put it sort of scientifically, umami is the taste of glutamates (the salts of an amino acid) and other small molecules called nucleotides working synergistically with other flavors to create a multidimensional taste experience.

blue cheese bacon fig newton appetizer

This recipe for Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites is great to have on hand for impromptu holiday guests.  Using only four ingredients (including Fig Newton cookies!) you can treat guests to something simple and yet oh-so special to eat in no time!  It’s a recipe I’ve put together for Litehouse Foods using their delicious center cut blue cheese. Head on over to the Living Litehouse blog to get the full instructions.

I dare to say, you’ve probably already made quite a few recipes with food pairings that boost umami and not even realized it. Just think of the yumminess that happens when pairing salty feta cheese with ripe tomatoes or shrimp with soy sauce – all of these foods are high in glutamates. Below are a few favorite umami-rich recipes I’ve made lately, check them out!

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com pomegranate balsamic pot roast mushrooms

Pomegranate Balsamic Post Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms

jennifer fisher litehouse camp stuffing blue cheese

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Onion Bombs

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - spicy sesame salmon seared watermelon

Spicy Sesame Salmon on Seared Watermelon