Orange food recipes

Sweet potato frittata

4 servings 1 medium sweet potato

1 sweet, mild onion, such as Maui or Vidalia, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup sliced, julienned country ham

1 tablespoon butter

6 eggs Salt and pepper to taste

** Peel sweet potato and cut into 1/4-inch cubes.* Blanch in boiling, salted water until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

** Heat oil in omelet pan; saute onion and bell pepper until tender, about 2 minutes.

** Stir in cooked sweet potatoes and ham. Saute 1 minute.

** Add butter to omelet pan.

** Beat eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into omelet pan and stir with a fork. Cover pan and cook about 3 minutes to set egg.

** Uncover and place pan under hot broiler until top of frittata is firm, about 1 minute. Loosen with a rubber spatula and slide onto serving plate. Serve hot or at room temperature.

-- ncsweetpotatoes.com

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: Calories, 290.8; protein, 22.3 grams; carbohydrates, 10.6 grams; total fat, 17.4 grams; cholesterol, 354.7 milligrams; saturated fat, 5.7 grams; dietary fiber, 1.9 grams; sodium, 1422.8 milligrams; sugar, 3.7 grams; vitamin A, 831.8 retinol equivalents; vitamin C, 33 milligrams; calcium, 63.7 milligrams; iron, 2.2 milligrams; alcohol, 0 grams.

----------------------------------------------------

Orange-date muffins

9 servings or 18 muffins

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup grated orange rind

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon butter, melted

** Stir together buttermilk and soda until blended.

** Beat 1 cup butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add brown sugar, beating well.

** Stir in buttermilk mixture, eggs and next five ingredients until well blended.

** Pour batter into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.

** Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

** Remove from muffin pans and cool on wire racks.

** While muffins are cooling, stir together powdered sugar, orange juice and melted butter until smooth. Drizzle glaze over muffins. This optional step could be left out for those wanting a healthier muffin.

-- From "The Screened Door Pantry" by Harriett Courtney Lemke and Fran Wall Weaver of Hartsville

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: Calories, 717; protein, 8.5 grams; carbohydrates, 102.8 grams; total fat, 32.2 grams; cholesterol, 105.8 milligrams; saturated fat, 15 grams; dietary fiber, 4 grams; sodium, 498.8 milligrams; sugar, 66.5 grams; vitamin A, 161.2 retinol equivalents; vitamin C, 5.8 milligrams; calcium, 112.6 milligrams; iron, 3.6 milligrams; alcohol, 0.16 grams.

----------------------------------------------------

The best whole-baked carrots

4 servings

1 pound 10 ounces young bunched carrots, washed and scrubbed

Olive oil Herb or red wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A few sprigs fresh thyme

3 cloves garlic, crushed

** Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

** Toss carrots with a generous portion of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs and the garlic cloves.

** Place in a roasting pan or earthenware dish, cover tightly with foil and cook for 30 or 40 minutes until just tender.

** Remove foil and cook for 10 minutes more or until the carrots have browned and caramelized nicely.

-- From "Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook" by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, 2007)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: Calories, 140; protein, 1.9 grams; carbohydrates, 18.7 grams; total fat, 7.2 grams; cholesterol, 0 milligrams; saturated fat, 0.98 grams; dietary fiber, 5.7 grams; sodium, 273 milligrams; sugar, 8.3 grams; vitamin A, 5189 retinol equivalents; vitamin C, 13.5 milligrams; calcium, 70 milligrams; iron, 0.85 milligrams; alcohol, 0 grams.

----------------------------------------------------

Arizona pumpkin soup

6 servings

3 cups cooked pumpkin, freshly pureed or one 29-ounce can

4 cups water

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups minced onion

1 large bell pepper, minced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Freshly ground black pepper

For toppings: Lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

Finely minced scallions

** Combine pumpkin and water in soup pot or Dutch oven. Stir until uniform. Partially cover, and heat gently, stirring often.

** Heat oil in medium-sized skillet. Add onion and bell pepper; saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.

** Add garlic, salt and chili powder to skillet. Stir and cover. Cook over low heat for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender.

** Add the saute and lime juice to soup. Stir well, cover and allow to simmer about 10 minutes.

** Season to taste with black pepper and adjust salt, if necessary. Serve hot, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and minced scallions.

-- From Mollie Katzen's Recipes: Soups (Ten Speed Press, 2007)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: Calories, 191; protein, 5.6 grams; carbohydrates, 21 grams; total fat, 11.4 grams; cholesterol, 0 milligrams; saturated fat, 2 grams; dietary fiber, 6 grams; sodium, 800 milligrams; sugar, 7.7 grams; vitamin A, 3086 retinol equivalents; vitamin C, 29.2 milligrams; calcium, 62.7 milligrams; iron, 3.8 milligrams; alcohol, 0 grams.