10 Different Ways To Eat Sweet Potatoes
Food lovers—and paleo runners—rejoice; here is a roundup of some new, inventive ways to eat one of your favorite superfoods.
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As a paleo runner and food lover, sweet potatoes are my superfood of choice. The orange, white, and sometimes purple potatoes are lower on the glycemic index than white potatoes, meaning they extend the feeling of fullness, and don’t spike your blood sugar levels, making them a fantastic choice for diabetics as well as athletes seeking healthy, slow-release carbs for fuel.
Chock full of anti-inflammatory nutrients, vitamins, fiber, beta-carotene, manganese, and if you didn’t already know, a whole lot of taste, sweet potatoes are one of my favorite ingredients. Here are 10 ways to spice (or sweeten) them up!
Sweet Potato Toast
You know the toast-revolution? #ToastTuesday? You can join in without the bread, because we all know it’s the toppings that really matter. Preheat the oven to 425, make ¼-½ in thick slices of sweet potato, and lay them flat on a greased foiled tray. Bake for ~20 minutes, and finish with a ~5 minute low broil. Depending on thickness, time may vary, so check on them! Some of my favorite toppings include almond butter and blackberry preserves, guacamole and a poached egg, and grilled fruit and prosciutto.
Breakfast Loaded Sweet Potato
If you have the patience, which you might gain once you’ve tasted this—baking a whole sweet potato and topping it off with healthy fats and fruits like almond butter, banana, chia, like this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen is the way to go! I also love adding frozen blueberries, cinnamon and a sprinkling of sea salt.
Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai
Paleo pad thai is a thing. No peanuts, no noodles, insanely delicious. Get the recipe here.
Brownies
When it’s Friday night and I’ve finished a busy week of work, have a lot of running ahead of me and all I want to do is treat myself, I make brownies. You should too. Get the recipe here.
Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie
Blend ½ cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed without skin, ½ large banana (option to freeze peeled banana chunks and sweet potato chunks in advance for an ice-cream-cold-smoothie), 1 cup almond milk, 2 ice cubes, 1 tsp vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon. Feel free to add some protein powder, almond butter or some more nut milk!
Fries
Preheat the oven to 425, and lightly grease (I use Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray!) a baking tray or foil on a tray (less mess). Slice your potato into fry wedges, ~½-1 in thick. In a bowl, toss the fries with oil/spray and seasoning. This teeny added effort helps actually distribute the seasoning, I promise. Play around, but some of my favorite seasoning combos are salt/pepper/garlic/paprika, salt/mustard/chipotle, and salt/cinnamon. Arrange the fries in a single layer on the sheet—make sure they don’t touch, as that leads to soggy fries—and bake for ~18-20 minutes. Some people will flip the fries, but I’m lazy and prefer to, at that point, switch to a low broil for ~5-7 minutes to crisp the fries. Serve with guacamole if you’re really trying to do things right.
Mashed Potatoes
Bake a sweet potato in the oven for ~45 minutes (I just place a whole one on foil) at 350F, or make fork holes all over, wrap in wet paper towel, and microwave for 5 minutes. Once cooled, peel off the skin, and place the potato in a bowl. Either in a bowl (chunkier) or blender (smoother), mash the potato with nut milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I also like to add some freeze-dried chives and paprika. If you don’t have nut milk, you can use a low-sodium broth instead. I love serving this as a side to any saucy meat or curry.
Vegan Sweet Potato Skins
It doesn’t have to be Super Bowl Sunday to enjoy the food associated with it. And that food doesn’t have to be unhealthy, either. I love halving my potatoes, baking them, and replacing scooped out flesh with sautéed veggies, vegan cheese, baking them more, and topping with salsa and avocado. Get the recipe here.
Sweet Potato Soup
This recipe brings together aromatic spices, vegetables…and bacon, into a hearty, satisfying bowl.
Sweet Potato Curry
Ever heard of winter? My answer is curry. Get the recipe here.
For more from Iselle, find her online at Kick & Sprout and follow her on Instagram.