holistic health coach & vegetarian chef. working hand-in-hand with lifestyle & diet, i help those in need return to a state of nourishing balance & well-being.
Sweet Potato Salad - deconstructed
Sweet potatoes. I. Love. Them. They are a staple in my warming meals during the fall and winter. They are beyond delicious when they are tossed with the perfect seasonings and roasted for fries or baked and smothered with every delicious (and healthy of course) topping known to man kind. Even roasted and tossed into your salad along with a handful of pumpkin seeds adds an autumn touch to your summer-go-to.
This recipe was actually a “mistake.” A glorious mistake, but one none the less. I was actually attempting to make gluten free crostini, using the sweet potato coins as a replacement for bread. Though that recipe is soon to come, I think my sweet potato was a tad too skinny this time around. In an attempt to also empty my frig, the topping is an “everything but the kitchen sink” sort, which makes it that much tastier.
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2-1 tsp paprika
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil and/or coconut oil
an assortment of veggies, I used:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8oz shitake mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup frozen corn
2 cups of fresh spinach, washed
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice the the sweet potato into about 1/4” thick coins. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes (time can vary from oven to oven).
Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium high heat add a splash of coconut oil. Then add your onions, sprinkle with a touch of salt and saute until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Next, add your mushrooms and garlic. Sprinkle with a tad bit more salt (you should always season each layer). If the pan looks dry feel free to add a touch more coconut oil, vegetable stock or filtered water. Saute until mushrooms are cooked, about 5 minutes.
Add in the spinach and corn. Sautee until the spinach is wilted and the corn is heated through. Season as needed.
Pile the sweet potatoes as you desire on a large plate. Top with your delicious assortment of veggies and a crumble of goat cheese, if desired. Wah-lah! Now you have yet another dish to add to your vegetarian repertoire.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Zucchini “Hummus”
Yes, I am back again with the sweet potato fries. What can I say, everyone loves them! This is one sweet potato worth of fries, so of course for me it was a single serving. This time around I’m pairing them with another crowd favorite, zucchini “hummus.” The only reason for the parenthesis is because my hummus is a lighter, easier to digest version with NO chickpeas. Gasp! I guarantee you won’t miss them though, because everyone who tries it is stunned at the fact that it doesn’t contain chickpeas! Try it out for yourself, even use it as a salad dressing if thicker dressings like ranch and thousand island are your thing!
Ingredients:
For fries…
1 sweet potato
1 tbsp herbs de provence
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of olive oil
zucchini hummus…
2 zucchinis, chopped
2/3 cup raw tahini
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
Directions
for sweet potatoes…
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel sweet potato and cut into fries. Toss with salt, pepper, herb de provence and oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until desired crispiness.
for zucchini hummus…
Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.
**Feel free to add a little spice by adding jalapeno, hot smoke paprika, cayenne pepper or a couple shakes of your favorite hot sauce
Smoky Sweet Potato Stacks
Every time my boyfriend craves french fries I always offer up my famous sweet potato fries. Okay, well famous might be a tad bit of a stretch but at least he loves them. I love them too, but as a Chef it is my job to switch things up a bit every now and again so this past week I decided to make these sweet potato stacks. They are a delicious mix of sweet, salty and spicy all packed in one little stack. Finished off with a refreshing dallop of chilled sour cream and a sprinkle of chives makes for a perfect two-bite hors d’oeuvre.
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
2-3 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp freshly chopped sage
large pinch of hot smoked paprika
course sea salt
sour cream for garnish
freshly chopped chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Give the sweet potato a good scrub, because you will be keeping the skin on (looooots of nutrients in that beautiful orange skin that is always being peeled off). Slice the sweet potato into very thin slices, hopefully you have a mandolin or a very steady hand.
Heat butter in a small sauce pan and bring up to a simmer. It will start to foam a bit, don’t be nervous because this is what you are looking for. When the foam subsides stir in the chopped sage.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Begin to make your stacks, you want 10 sweet potatoes per stack. Each layer needs to have a little brushing of the sage brown butter and repeat until there are 10 sweet potato slices. Don’t worry if the layers don’t match up perfectly, they won’t and it looks beautiful and rustic that way. Repeat with as man stacks as possible. Sprinkle a bit of the paprika on top of each stack then a nice big pinch of your preferred course sea salt, I normally opt for the grey celtic sea salt.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes until the edges are beautifully browned and golden, gives the potatoes and needed crunch.
Let the potatoes cool for a bit when they come out of the oven, you may need to adjust a few that shimmied around a bit in the oven. Top with sour cream and chives as I did or obviously you’re the chef so top them off with whatever you choose! Best served at room temperature.
Roasted Herbes de Provence Sweet Potatoes
For me, there is nothing better than a perfectly roasted vegetable. Roasting brings out flavors, especially the subtle sweetness that vegetables do suprisingly have that sauteing, boiling or frying just can’t do. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my raw veggies and my stir fry nights but roasted veggies are my taste buds go to for preparing veggies. For my sweet potatoes I hike up the temp on the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes and do a rough chop, try to keep consistent sizes so they cook evenly. Toss them with a coating of olive oil, salt, pepper a bit of chili flake (optional of course) and in this case a couple big pinches of Herbes de Provence. Herbes de Provence is my favorite go to herb mix. The standard dry herb mixture consists of savory, fennel, basil, thyme and lavender flower, sometimes other herbs are added as well. Roast for about 30-40 minutes, making sure to toss around half way through so one side doesn’t brown more than the other. I topped mine with some fresh chives, which also looks beautiful against the deep orange sweets!
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
I remember when I was a little girl, being a extremely picky eater with a normal diet of fresh bread and butter at any restaurant we went to. My mom worked at a German/American restaurant called the Spa Brauhaus which my grandfather would take us to every once in a while, well…who am I kidding? It was his, my nearly 100% Irish grandfathers’, favorite place to wine and dine so we were there for far more than just special occasions. So, back to my point. Besides my diet existing of bread and butter (which by the way, they had THE best dinner buns) I loved their twice baked potatoes. Crispy skin on the outside and fluffy whipped potatoes on the inside, delicious. We all know that the Germans are quite the heavy eaters so when I think back to that delicious twice baked potato I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now about the loads of butter and cream they most likely used to whip those potatoes to perfection. With a returning craving I decided to see how a sweet potato worked.
Sweet potatoes are just that, sweet. They have such a unique flavoring and knowing that they taste just as good, or sometimes better, when I substitute them for an ordinary potato in something like french fries, I had to do a little taste testing. When choosing the best sweet potato go for the ones with a darker orange skin because they will have more beta carotene…and yes, you can eat the skin! Though “sweets” are something we are normally adding to our forbidden food lists, they may actually be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance…who would have thought?!
Here I share with you the recipe for a delicious and nutritious twice baked sweet potato!
1 Large sweet potato, try to find one with that is straight
olive oil
2 tbsp low fat organic sour cream
2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions or chives, plus extra for garnishing
Cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce (optional if you want to kick up the spice)
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice Sweet potatoes cross wise into thick pieces (see photo). Rub them with olive oil, be generous or they may get a bit too dark in the oven. Place on a oiled baking sheet and roast for about 35-40 minutes or until tender and “scoopable.”
When cool enough to handle scoop out the majority of the insides and place into a bowl leaving enough flesh attached so that when you refill them the “cup” is sturdy enough to hold the filling. Add your sour cream, scallions or chives, spice, salt and pepper to the sweet potato flesh. Always taste to see if you need to adjust the seasonings a bit to fit your taste buds.
Using a spoon refill your sweet potato cups enough so it makes a mound. Place back into your pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are reheated through and slightly browned. Top with more chives or scallions and enjoy!
*Chef’s Note: After I tasting them I thought…mmmhmmm, should have added bacon! A great peppered bacon to purchase is one they sell at whole foods that is 40% lean with NO nitrates! When I go back this week I’ll get the brand name for everyone :)
