March 31 – Ginger Cranberry Mocktail & Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds
Beautiful warm sunny springlike weather today in NorCal. Makes it hard to stay indoors. I find myself wondering whether we will see a high birth rate or divorce rate 9 months after this quarantine period. Actually, the divorces could come earlier than 9 months, I guess. This is a lot of togetherness, even if you love your partner dearly. Patience is the key, along with deep breaths, and gratitude for what we have. Feel like laying off the alcohol today, but still want something refreshing at 5pm. Maybe something with cranberry juice? Cranberries contain nutrients that help the body ward off infection, are high in vitamins C and E, rich in antioxidants, and promote digestive health. Good enough for me!
Ginger Cranberry Mocktail
2 oz cranberry juice cocktail (or unsweetened cranberry juice)
4 oz ginger beer (or you could substitute ginger ale)
Fresh cranberries for garnish
2 T sugar
1 t orange zest
Combine the orange zest and sugar on a plate. Cut a wedge out of an orange and run the wedge around the rim of the glass you are using. Roll rim in orange sugar.
Fill glass halfway with ice. Add cranberry juice, ginger beer and stir well. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds
This is a healthier take on loaded potato skins. They are bite-sized, so not messy to eat if you have a drink in one hand, and addictively good. I toss mine in bacon fat before baking for added deliciousness. If you are bacon-free, omit the bacon altogether and use olive oil.
2 strips of bacon
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 t garlic powder
2 t chili powder
1 t kosher salt
Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
3 scallions, finely sliced
Sour cream for garnish
Cook the bacon in a medium pan until crispy. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel and let cool. Reserve the bacon fat.
Preheat oven to 450.
Cut the sweet potatoes into 1⁄4” thick slices. I like mine to be perfect circles, so I use a 1” diameter cookie cutter. Transfer slices to a large bowl and add the reserved bacon fat, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt and toss to coat. Place rounds on a foil lined sheet pan in a single layer, using two sheets pans if necessary. Bake 8 minutes, then flip the rounds over and bake for 8 minutes more until soft.
Remove rounds from the oven and add a 1⁄2 t of grated cheese while rounds are still hot. Cheese will melt on the hot rounds of potato. Dollop some sour cream on top of cheese, then crumble reserved bacon over sour cream. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve.