Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Years ago, my husband and I spent A LOT of time at the Sea House Restaurant on Napili Bay enjoying their amazing Happy Hour. Back in the day, they had this incredible “small plate” menu and everything on it was between $5 and $7 bucks! For Maui, this was an absolute STEAL and during the Great Recession, it was very much appreciated. I have a post about the Sea House Happy Hour on my old blog HERE if you would like to check it out. Sorry in advance for my poor quality blog pics back in 2010 but the food was seriously AMAZING!

My favorite item on the Happy Hour menu was the Molokai Sweet Potato Quesadilla and OMG, it was so freaking good!

Over the years, the menu at the Sea House has changed. ( Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great place for Happy Hour ) but they no longer have my favorite quesadilla (sad face). But to be completely honest, I wouldn’t be able to eat it anymore because it contained cheese. Luckily, it’s been pretty easy to recreate this quesadilla at home. Over the years I figured out a delicious way to veganize it and make it a whole lot healthier in doing so.

Here’s my updated version below. Enjoy!

Molokai Sweet Potato Quesadillas - Make 4 - 5 small quesadillas

• 1 large purple sweet potato ( Molokai or Okinawan ) a regular sweet potato or yam would work as well. Cubed, steamed, and then mashed.

• 1/2 small onion, diced ( I used a sweet Maui onion )

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 bell pepper, diced

• 1 cup shredded spinach

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• juice of 1/2 lime

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese ( Violife is good ) This is totally optional. I opted out today.

• 4-5, 6” corn, cassava flour ( pictured ) or regular flour tortillas

Toppings

• guacamole

• salsa fresca

• vegan sour cream ( homemade version HERE )

• hot sauce

• cilantro/chives

To prepare

*Peel sweet potato, cube, and steam in a steamer basket until easily pierced with a fork ( about 15 minutes ). Remove from heat and then mash cubed sweet potato with a potato masher or fork until “creamy” ( you may add a little water if need be ) then set aside.

*In a large non-stick skillet on med-high heat, saute diced onions, minced garlic, and diced bell pepper in about 1 Tb of water until translucent ( about 5 minutes ) You may use 1 tsp avocado or coconut oil instead of water if you prefer. Next, sprinkle on 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chili powder, squeeze on lime juice, add 1 cup of shredded spinach, and 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and saute for about 1 minute ( or until greens are wilted ). Remove from heat and then fold the cooked veggies into the sweet potato mash. Taste and sprinkle in more salt if needed.

*Heat tortillas on a hot grill pan or skillet until soft. Remove from heat and then place about 1/2 cup of the sweet potato and veggie mash on one half of the tortilla. Add a sprinkle of vegan cheese if desired here. Then fold tortilla over mixture and place back on grill or skillet until the quesadilla crisps up a bit ( about 2 minutes ). Flip and grill the other side of the quesadilla.

*Remove quesadilla from heat and plate with desired toppings.

Truffled Potato and Leek Soup

Last weekend at the Upcountry Farmer’s Market I spotted a ton of fresh gorgeous leeks. Having no idea what I was going to do with them, I bought them anyway and figured I’d come up with something eventually.

It’s still hot as hell on Maui, and the last thing I’ve been wanting to do is heat up the entire house by turning on the oven, so stovetop cooking is about all I can handle these days. My husband suggested making a creamy soup with the leeks but I was thinking, “Really? A hot soup while you’re still sitting between 3-floor fans in the living room?” But ya, this is what he wanted, and he promised to do all the chopping so you gotta take advantage when you can.

I was too lazy to grocery shop for additional ingredients this particular evening, so I managed to throw this together with what we already had in the pantry and I gotta say, it turned out freaking amazing. I would imagine it would be even more amazing if the humidity level in my house wasn’t “Amazon Rainforest” so yes, sometimes I envy you people living in those bigger latitudes.

This soup is nutrient-dense, decadent, and bursting with crave-worthy flavors. Enjoy this on a crisp fall night with some warm sourdough smeared with vegan Miyoko’s butter. Delicious!

Truffled Potato Leek Soup

• 1 tbs olive oil ( or a few tbs of water if avoiding oils )

• 2 large leeks or 3 small ( white and light green parts only ) cleaned and sliced

• 1 large white onion, diced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4 Medium Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 5 cups vegetable broth

• juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp sea salt ( or more to taste )

• 1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper

• 1/2 tsp or more depending on taste, truffle oil ( optional but so delicious )

Topping suggestions - chopped flat-leafed parsley, chopped chives, croutons, vegan sour cream, and/or additional truffle oil.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat add olive oil ( or water ). Next, add leeks, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute until wilted ( about 10 minutes )

Add vegetable broth, thyme, potatoes, lemon juice, truffle oil, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and then cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 mins or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Puree soup either by using a handheld emulsion blender or a high-speed blender. If using a high-speed blender, be very careful with a hot soup. Hot liquids can “explode” in a blender if the canister is overfilled or started on a “high-speed”. Either puree soup in smaller batches on low speed or let the soup cool first ( then re-heat on the stovetop ). Puree soup until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with topping suggestions listed above.

The soup should last about 5 days in the refrigerator.