Chaga Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

From Our Friends at Birch Boys

Roasted veggies are such a delicious staple. A favorite anytime, but especially so during the holidays, are these roasted sweet potatoes with a Chaga Maple glaze. This recipe is fairly easy and the kiddos are sure to love the candy-like result! Plus, the Chaga Maple glaze is very versatile, and you’ll have a bit leftover so read to the end for all of the uses for Chaga Maple glaze!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2″ cubes (peeled or unpeeled is fine)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Dash of ground ginger
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup Woodlife Ranch Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup potent Birch Boys Loose Chaga Tea
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Dash of lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.
• Cube your sweet potatoes into ½ cubes.
• In your large mixing bowl, add sweet potato cubes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir or toss to coat. Reserve empty mixing bowl for use later.
• Spread coated sweet potato cubes onto a large baking sheet. For the best result keep the potatoes in one layer (don’t let them overlap.)
• Put sweet potatoes in the oven and set the timer to 20 minutes.
• While your potatoes are cooking, get started on the glaze. Add Woodlife Ranch Maple Syrup, Birch Boys Chaga Tea, cinnamon, and brown sugar to a small saucepan and mix.
• Heat on low-medium until the mixture is thick and syrup-like, this will take approximately 20 minutes.
• Once sweet potatoes are roasted (test by trying to crush one with a fork, if it happily yields, then they are ready!) pull them out and turn off your oven.
• Using the reserved mixing bowl, add sweet potatoes and ½ of your maple glaze mixture, mixing well to coat.
• Put the sweet potatoes back onto the baking sheet and into the warm oven (oven should be off) and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the glaze to soak into the sweet potatoes and slightly caramelize.
• Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, plate, and drizzle with leftover Chaga Maple Glaze and serve!

This Chaga Maple Glaze is so versatile, and you’ll have a bit leftover. Here are a few delicious ways to use your Chaga Maple Glaze:

• Over ice cream
• Over any roasted veggie
• Over pancakes
• As a sweetener for trail mix
• As a sweetener for Chaga tea or coffee
• Use as a frosting/icing base

Woodlife Ranch Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie with Honey

Option to add spinach or kale, you won’t taste it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana (preferably frozen)
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1 tbsp Woodlife Ranch Raw Honey
• ½ cup Milk or Milk Alternative of Your Choice (Almond, Oat, Soy, Coconut, etc)
• Handful of Spinach or Kale

Directions:

• Toss in a blender and blend away! Use more or less of any of the ingredients to adjust it to your preference.

Woodlife Ranch Backwoods Brussels Sprouts

Balsamic and maple glazed brussels sprouts with pancetta and toasted maple pecans

If you’d like to make this a vegetarian meal, the pancetta is totally optional, (but cooking the brussels sprouts in the fat is soooo tasty.) All of the amounts below can be changed slightly, we like to taste as we go and make adjustments!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussel Sprouts, halved
• ⅓ pound Pancetta, diced
• 1 cup Pecans (we used whole pecans, half them or dice them if you prefer)
• 3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Woodlife Ranch Maple Syrup (this recipe is delicious with any one of our 5 syrups)
• ½ tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a bowl, toss brussels sprouts and pecans together with olive oil, balsamic, and maple syrup.
• Roast for 30 minutes in preheated oven.
• While sprouts and pecans are roasting, sauté diced pancetta in a large nonstick pan, cooking until golden brown.
• Remove brussels and pecans from oven and transfer into the stove top pan with pancetta, mix it all up and sauté for another 10 minutes or so, option to use high heat if you want it crispy.
• (If you are skipping the pancetta, you will still sauté the brussels and pecans stove top when you take them out of the oven)
• Do a taste test and decide if you want to add salt, pepper, and/or more maple and balsamic.
• Serve and enjoy!

Emily’s Trail Carrots

Honey Roasted Carrots

This one is super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 8 Carrots, large (peel if you’d like, but we don’t!)
• ¼ cup Woodlife Ranch Honey (we usually use our Raw Honey, but this also works with our Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey and Applewood Smoked Honey)
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place whole carrots into baking dish or baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil.
• Mix around until carrots are completely covered with olive oil.
• Pour on the honey.
• Bake in oven for 40 minutes to an hour. The longer they cook, the tenderer and softer they will get.

Chef Tony’s Peppermint hot chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp candy canes (crushed)
• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• Optional: 6 oz. peppermint schnapps (1 1/2 ounce per glass)

Directions:

• Make a double boiler by filling a deep pot halfway with water and placing a metal bowl on top. Make sure the bowl covers the top but does not touch the water.
• Bring to a boil and add the milk to the bowl.
• Add the chocolate, vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt.
• Whisk continuously until the chocolate is melted.
• Continue to whisk vigorously while heating until the chocolate has completely melted and incorporated into the milk.
• Place crushed candy cane onto a dish. Wet the rim of mugs with an orange slice (or water) and dip them in the crushed candy cane to make them stick.
• Divide hot chocolate evenly amongst mugs and add peppermint schnapps.

Woodlife Ranch Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 ounces Whiskey (of your choice)
• 2-3 tsp. Woodlife Ranch Raw or Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey
• 1 lemon round
• 1 cinnamon stick (or powdered cinnamon)

Directions:

• Heat water and pour into a mug.
• Add whiskey, honey, and lemon juice.
• Stir, add cinnamon and enjoy!

Woodlife Ranch Whiskey Sour

Ingredients:

• 1/4 ounce Woodlife Ranch Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey
• 1/2 ounce hot water
• 2 ounces Whiskey (of your choice)
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Add honey to a cocktail shaker then add hot water (helps to dissolve honey) and stir to combine.
• Add whiskey, lemon juice and ice.
• Shake, pour into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Woodlife Ranch Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ounce Woodlife Ranch Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey
• 1 ounce Vodka
• 1/4 ounce Lemon
• A few sprigs of fresh lavender or lavender syrup if you have it handy (we use Lavender Bitters from Jack Rudy Cocktail Co)

Directions:

• Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice.
• Shake vigorously, pour and enjoy!