I picked up some nice red garnet sweet potatoes this weekend. I love sweet potatoes. My plan is to cook them and then freeze the meat. That saves time when I need them down the road whether I have them plain or in a recipe.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritious addition to your food rainbow. They're benefits include:
high in potassium
high in Vitamin A
great source of fiber
high in antioxidants
low in calories
A nice baked or boiled sweet potato is delicious with a little grass fed butter, but you can do so much more. Check out the following recipes:
SWEET POTATO HUMMUS
Ramp up your hummus with the addition of sweet potatoes.
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 or 2 lemons)
1/4 c. tahini
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 c. water
Cook the sweet potatoes - Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces; place in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes; slice down the middle and scoop out pulp.
Place sweet potato in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin, garlic, and 1/4 cup of the water. Process until smooth, approximately 1 minute. Add remaining water, if needed, and continue processing to achieve desired consistency.
Add salt and pepper; stir to combine.
Let cool. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika before serving, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
https://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2013/01/sweet-potato-hummus.html
SWEET POTATO QUINOA PATTIES
This is a great recipe for meatless Monday.
1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 extra large eggs
1/2 cup onion chopped finely (about 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp refined coconut oil divided
For the sauce
1/2 avocado cut into chunks
1 cup packed fresh cilantro about 1 bunch
1/2 clove garlic germ removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tbsp lime juice about 1 large lime
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp water
Cook quinoa. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with cool water for at least 2 minutes. Drain. Rinsing quinoa before cooking will remove its natural bitter or soapy taste.
Transfer to a medium saucepan, cover with stock or water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes on the lowest setting. Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare mashed sweet potatoes. Place potato chunks in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they are very tender. Drain and mash sweet potato in your food processor (you can also mash them manually but make sure they're very smooth).
In a large bowl, add cooked quinoa, 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (you may have more than 1 cup but don't add more or less than that), eggs, onion, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt. Mix until well combined.
In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp coconut oil over medium heat. When hot, form patties with quinoa mixture (about 1/3 cup each), place them in the skillet and flatten them a little. Make sure you don't overcrowd the skillet.
Cook for 7 minutes undisturbed. Flip patties very gently with a spatula and cook for another 7-8 minutes. You want to cook them gently, so they are brown on the outside and cooked all the way through inside. Place patties in a warm oven. Repeat with remaining patties, adding 1/2 tbsp coconut oil.
Sauce. While the patties are cooking, prepare the sauce. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of your food processor or blender, and process until smooth (if using a blender, you might need to add a little bit more water).
Top patties with sauce, and serve warm.
https://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/sweet-potato-quinoa-patties-with-creamy-cilantro-avocado-sauce/
SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
Drop the grains, but not the goodness with this biscuit recipe. Here is another version: https://therealfoodrds.com/gluten-free-sweet-potato-buttermilk-biscuits/
2 cups cooked & mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 whole sweet potatoes depending on size)
3 eggs
4 tbsp of grass fed butter (or coconut oil) melted
3 tbsp of coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of garlic powder for a savory biscuit or 1/2 tsp of cinnamon for a sweet treat
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
The quickest way to do this is to use a food processor or mixer (I use my NutriBullet). Start by adding the sweet potato and eggs – mix together.
Then add the melted butter and mix.
Then add in the coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder or cinnamon and salt. Use a spoon to mix that up a little before using your mixer.
Your dough should look like a thick potato mash. Use a spoon to drop biscuits onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 -25 minutes.
https://ourfifthhouse.com/2014/06/quick-paleo-sweet-potato-biscuits/
SWEET POTATO NOODLES WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER CREAM SAUCE
I hope your spiralizer is handing. Sweet potatoes are perfect for this kitchen gadget. This is an easy pasta substitute.
Sweet Potato Noodles
2 large sweet potato, peeled (save 1/2 potato for sauce)
1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
sea salt , to taste
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup steamed sweet potato (mashed)
1 roasted red pepper
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Slice one of the large sweet potatoes in half, and cut that half into chunks so that you can steam them for the sauce. You'll need roughly 1 1/2 cups of raw sweet potato chunks to produce 1 cup of mashed sweet potato for the sauce.
Steam the sweet potato by placing the chunks into a small saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and then lower the heat to let the potatoes steam until fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are steaming, you can roast your own red peppers or use about 1/2 cup of jarred roasted red peppers.
Use a spiralizer or vegetable peeler to create "noodles" out of the remaining sweet potatoes, then set them aside.
To prepare the Red Pepper Sauce, warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and briefly saute the minced garlic, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the cooked garlic to a blender, along with the steamed sweet potato chunks, roasted red pepper, water, basil, and salt. Blend until smooth.
To prepare the sweet potato noodles, sauté them in a touch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add in the peas and sauce, and sauté until the noodles are as tender as you'd like them to be. Adjust any seasoning to taste, and serve warm.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply sauté everything in a warm skillet again until piping hot.
https://detoxinista.com/sweet-potato-noodles-with-roasted-red-pepper-cream-sauce/
MEXICAN SWEET POTATO SKINS
Impress your family with these sweet potato skins. Sweet and spicy!
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2–4 INDIVIDUAL chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed (not the whole can!)
1 ounce light cream cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Feta,Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil.
Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want – thinking taco seasoning or a mix of chili powder and cumin). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.
Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.
Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.
Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon, depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.
Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
https://pinchofyum.com/healthy-mexican-sweet-potato-skins
SWEET POTATO CUSTARD
Gain the benefits of sweet potatoes in this custard. By making it yourself you control the sweetness. Use monkfruit or stevia for a variation from honey.
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup canned sweet potato puree
1 tbsp raw honey optional
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/2 cup coconut milk full-fat
1 tbsp gelatin grass-fed
Gather five small jelly jars or ramekins, about ¼ cup in capacity. You can make these as large or small as you’d like, so use what you have on hand.
In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sweet potato, honey (optional if you’re limiting sugar, though this recipe isn’t very sweet), cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger until they’re well combined. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat the coconut milk on medium-high heat until it’s warmed through but not boiling. Turn off the heat. Slowly add the gelatin while whisking constantly. Make sure it’s dissolved and there are no lumps.
Now, slowly whisk the coconut milk / gelatin into the pumpkin and sweet potato mixture until well combined. Pour the mixture into the jelly jars or ramekins.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm. Store covered. Top with coconut whipped cream if you’re feeling sassy!
https://www.stephgaudreau.com/paleo-pumpkin-sweet-potato-custard/
SWEET POTATO BROWNIES
I couldn't forget you chocolate lovers out there. The moist brownies won't last long.
1 sweet potato
3 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup raw honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Directions
Time to bake that sweet potato. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, use a fork to puncture holes all around it, then throw in the oven for 25-30 minutes. (I'm sure you could microwave it, but I like the ole fashioned way. I'm just so ole fashioned)
Once your sweet potato is soft, peel off the skin and mash it up in a bowl. And turn your oven down to 350 degrees.
Now add your wet ingredients: eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla to the bowl and mix together.
Then add your dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips.
Mix well to incorporate all that goodness.
Pour into an 8x8 glass baking dish
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let rest to cool a bit.
https://paleomg.com/sweet-potato-brownies/
For more recipes: https://draxe.com/nutrition/article/sweet-potato-recipes/?utm_campaign=feed-posts&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=draxe
Your sweet potatoes have a lot of power. Great alone, but they also have transformative qualities to become main dishes, sides and desserts. Who knew? Try all varieties of sweet potatoes to find your favorite. Use my freezer trick so you always have sweet potatoes ready when you need them.
Here's to your health! Happy Cooking!