CarolCooks2…In my Kitchen today…Sweet Potatoes…

 

November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month! That said purple sweet potatoes are one of my favourite vegetables…I love them!

Just boiled or steamed then mashed and served with lots of fresh vegetables they are one of my favourites …

This starchy vegetable is a given on the Thanksgiving day menu, but the preparation possibilities are endless so it can be enjoyed year-round.

The purple sweet potato is my favourite…

They are nutritious...a good source of iron, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, plus vitamin C. They are especially high in both fibre and an antioxidant called beta-carotene.

Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A when it is consumed, which can help prevent worsening eyesight and support a healthy immune system. Fibre slows the breakdown of starches, helping to prevent blood sugar spikes.

1 medium sweet potato is considered a serving size, which provides about 100 calories, 0g fat, 2g protein, and 23g total carbohydrate…

They can be mashed, baked, fried or steamed. Sweet potato French Fries are also easy to achieve at home and are a more nutritionally-rich version of traditional French Fries. Due to their naturally sugary flavour, sweet potatoes do not require extra salt or sugar to enhance their flavour. Olive oil, green onions, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice may be used if you’d like to jazz things up.

I like something a little different… This recipe is a nice treat… A recipe that was given to me by a friend who used goat’s cheese… I use feta or ricotta if I can’t get goats cheese…

purple sweet potato

Sweet Potato with goat’s cheese, honey, and roasted grapes.

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 2 cups of red seedless grapes
• 1 tsp of coconut or olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces of goats cheese, feta/ricotta
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
• 2 tbsp of honey plus additional to drizzle if required

Prick the sweet potatoes then wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and cook in the oven at 350F for about 35/45 mins until soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool then take your cooled sweet potato and gently remove the flesh… the skins are not as hardy as a normal potato are they? So my advice is to leave some of the potato flesh attached to the skin or you may struggle to fill them.

About halfway through cooking your sweet potatoes roast the grapes… put them on a baking tray drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper then roast them for about 20 mins or until the skins just start to burst… Do check them as ovens vary and they can tend to burn…my oven runs hot so I have to be careful…

In a bowl mash the potato with 3 oz of the goat’s cheese, honey, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, to taste then put the potato back in the skins and crumble some more goats cheese on top …To serve: add the grapes and drizzle more honey if desired…

Enjoy!

Other sweet potato fillings:

How about a baked sweet potato filled with cooked black beans, corn, crispy bacon, sweet peppers topped with sour cream with some lime rind stirred through or sprinkled on the top and some chopped coriander.

Or the Thai way our sweet potatoes here are a bright purple we do get the orange but many are purple a really beautiful colour… Baked and topped with Thai Peanut sauce they are heavenly…

Ingredients for Thai Peanut Sauce:

  • 1 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts (unsalted)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic very finely chopped or minced
  • 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. brown sugar (to taste)
  • 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce (for vegetarians: substitute 2 1/2 to 3 tbsp. regular soy sauce)
  • 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste (or 2 tbsp. lime juice)
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1/2 tsp Thai red chilli paste more or less to taste)
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk

Let’s Cook!

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until the sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.

Taste.... adding more fish sauce (or soy sauce) if not salty enough, or more red curry or cayenne if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you’d prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar.

This sauce tends to thicken as it sits–just add a little water or coconut milk to thin it out, as needed. Otherwise, it stores well if kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Add to your baked sweet potato and top with chopped red onion, green onions and coriander, and some crispy fried garlic…yummy if you love Thai flavours.

Enjoy!

There will be more “Sweet Potato” recipes throughout the month…I hope you enjoy x

 

40 thoughts on “CarolCooks2…In my Kitchen today…Sweet Potatoes…”

  1. Pingback: CarolCooks2…Friday Food Reviews…Potatoes! | Retired? No one told me!

  2. Deb

    It is actually very important to eat sweet potatoes as they are rich in antioxidants and help in reatining the radiance or the the glow and firmness of the skin.
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  4. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…November 7th-13th 2021…Environmental A-Z, Sweet Potato Recipes, Music and Christmas Pudding Recipes… | Retired? No one told me!

  9. Victoria Zigler

    I love sweet potatoes! Also, for the record, I tried that recipe when you shared it before, using a vegan feta-style cheese alternative and maple syrup, and it was amazing. I’ve also done it with agave syrup as the honey substitute, and that’s just as tasty.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. tidalscribe.com

    I think sweet potatoes turn up here much more than they used to, such as sweet potato chips in restaurants – not that I have any idea what restaurants are serving post Covid! I put one in when I am making one of my ‘one of everything’ vegetable soups, though when put a purple one in, it did make the soup rather an off putting colour. I should try more things with them.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I prefer the ones not just for the colour but I think they are tastier than the orange ones although I like them… the purple ones are a little denser in texture which I prefer 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Sowmya

    Sweet potato is one of my favourite. Wonderful recipe of sweet potato with goat cheese. Looking forward to more recipes of this purple vegetable Carol

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It is one of my favourite vegetables Sowmya.. Can I ask you if you use Long Peppers? I have a plant in my garden and my understanding is that they are used more in Indian cuisine but I am struggling to find any recipes…Sometimes known as Indian long pepper or pipli I wondered if you could help? X

      Liked by 1 person

  14. beetleypete

    I like sweet potatoes, but Julie doesn’t care for them. I once had that purple mash in a restaurant, and although I didn’t care for the look of it on my plate, it tasted fine.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. D. Wallace Peach

    I love sweet potatoes, Carol, but don’t eat them because of the carbs (unless I’m having a binge day. Lol). Thanks for the recipe for the peanut sauce. Another way to get some use from the fish sauce you turned me on to. My mom used to make it with regular peanut butter and skip brown sugar. I’m going to try yours and let her taste. 😀 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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