Comfort Food

The other day, I was feeling run down and tired. I knew I needed a boost of vitamins, and fast. I quickly roasted a sweet potato and then broiled a grapefruit. The result was a flood of vitamins A and C, pectin, and lycopenes. If you're feeling run down, just grab your nearest vegetable or fruit, add some sugar, spice, or salt and you'll have a satisfying, healthy treat. These two snacks are my new comfort foods, good for a chilly, rainy, Seattle day.

Broiled Grapefruit

I recently stumbled upon this beautiful blog post  from Gimme Some Oven and was quite inspired. I was not disappointed. I think next time I will add some cinnamon and sugar, as in this recipe, so as to add a little more flavor. All in all a wonderful idea and quick too!

Ingredients:

1 large ruby red grapefruit
1-3 tsp. brown sugar
Optional: 1 tsp. ginger or 1 tsp. cinnamon

Method:

Slice your grapefruit in half and cover with sugar and spices. Broil fruit about 2 inches from the heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the edges turn brown, your sugar sizzles, and you can't stand the smell any longer!

Roasted Sweet Potato

For my birthday, a dear friend gave my husband and I some black truffle oil, specialty sea salt, and vanilla salt from Sugarpill, an apothecary in Seattle. Delighted and excited to try all these treats, I sprinkled the coarse salt on my roasted sweet potato. Combined with the creamy Kerrygold Irish butter (hey, I'm half Irish), it was perfect. There is nothing like a roasted sweet potato with just a teaspoon of butter and salt. To me, it tastes like sitting in front of the fire, or waking up warm on a sunny Saturday morning in April. If this sounds too dramatic for you, just try it.

Ingredients (makes one serving):

1 large sweet potato

1 tsp. butter

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In an oven safe bowl or on a baking sheet, place your sweet potato and puncture with a few holes to release the heat. Roast for about 40-60 minutes until soft and the skin is crinkly. Slice open and cover with sea salt and butter. And last but not least, enjoy!