Links to new recipes I love

So, I haven't posted in FOREVER which means I have about 20 new recipes. These are the recipes I didn't change at all (or very little), so I'm just posting pics with links :)

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SOUP

This soup is FANTASTIC and from one of my favorite bloggers (I think she will start appearing a lot in these pages...). I used sunflower seeds because I didn't have any pumpkin seeds; other than that I followed Olga's recipe completely.











SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH GARLIC YOGURT SAUCE

Again, made directly as Olga says :) I just added some mayo to the sauce...because I'm weak, so weak.

 BEET AND PEAR SALAD 






Too good. Honestly, this is the perfect blend of flavors--I'm astounded by how well everything works together. Find the recipe here.










MINESTRONE SOUP

The perfect pair to the salad. I pretty much followed this recipe, but I had to cook for much longer than it says to soften up the potatoes and carrots I added.








These two recipes, I might modify more and repost in the future. For now, just links and brief modifications.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

I made these for a friend's birthday and they were fantastic! Just a couple words of advice:
-Whip it good! But seriously, whip the batter between steps as much as possible (at least as much as the recipe says, maybe even more). It will keep them moist and give them great texture when they're baked.
-I used beet juice in place of half of the food coloring. I was worried about the food coloring giving the cupcakes an artificial tang, so I roughly chopped and boiled 3-4 beets (skins on) for 45 minutes. Keep the water level low, you don't even need enough to cover the beets; this will concentrate the color in less liquid. Then, use the water they were boiled in in place of half of the food coloring. I think I might try all beet juice next time.
-The frosting recipe is excessive. I could have easily halved the recipe and had enough. I'm also going to try it with less powdered sugar next time so the cream cheese taste will come out more.

BUFFALO CHICKEN ROLLS

I love these. So much. I usually use this recipe as a template for homemade/healthier blue cheese dressing to dip them in.
Modifications:
-I've found that straight hot sauce is too strong for me. I usually mix in a bit of butter. Heat up the butter and hot sauce (about 2 parts hot sauce to 1 part butter) and stir until blended.
-I hate cooking spray, so I just use olive oil and brush that on the egg rolls. It covers them better and doesn't have the artificial aftertaste of cooking spray.