Tag Archives: healthy eating

St Patrick’s Day Sweet Potato Stew – No More Mallows!

March 13, 2012
4

As announced last week, it is time for our Annual Blogger Recipe Contest with the theme of ‘No More Mallows’.  Regular readers know that sassy sweets are such a versatile and adaptable ingredient that it really is a shame to condemn them to a monotonous culinary role as “that marshmallow casserole.” To me, it’s like taking a fine dry-aged prime-rib and using it to make a chicken fried steak.  Sure, it would probably taste good, but think of the potential cuisine that could have been.

Here is a little inspiration for your recipes. Over the past few years, this blog has highlighted sweet potato biscuits, nachos, cookies, pizza, soup, salad, ice cream, burritos, and sandwiches. Out sassy sweets have been paired with endive, mushrooms, quinoa, avocados, oranges, and even chocolate.  They have been featured in Italian, Spanish, German, Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, Korean, Jewish, Chinese, and American cuisine where they were fried, grilled, boiled, baked, sauteed, fricasseed, juiced, gravied, frozen and even served raw….all without a mallow in sight. 

And that’s not all. The sweet potato truly is the wonder of the kitchen.  It is a superfood that tastes delicious…How does it get any better than that?  I doubt I could eat spirulina every day, but sweet potatoes are something I just can’t do without.  I’m eatin’ em for breakfast lunch and dinner…and getting all those health benefits with hardly any effort on my part. What’s not to love!

As a final bit of inspiration, here is a recipe that is perfect for the season. With St Patrick’s Day right around the corned, I am featuring an Irish inspired dish, Sweet potato Stew with Pork.  Traditionally, Irish cooks used pork instead of corned beef. The beef tradition was actually started in New York, not Ireland, but I digress.  If you just can’t do without that corned beef flavor, try adding a bouquet garni of pickling spice as the pork simmers.  The spice blend pairs beautifully with pork.  And speaking of pairing beautifully, there in almost no better combination than sweet potatoes, pork and onions. Give this recipe a try, and I am sure you will agree.

Irish Sweet Potato Stew with Pork

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-1/3 cups chicken broth
  • 4 to 5 small onions, quartered
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley


Directions

  • In a large bowl, toss pork with mustard until lightly coated. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and brown sugar; add pork and shake to coat.
  • In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown pork in oil. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth; bring to a boil. Scrape bottom of skillet to loosen any browned bits. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.
  • Add the onions, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper; cover and simmer 30 minutes more or until the pork and potatoes are tender. Stir in parsley.

The Sweet Potato Solution to Your New Year’s Resolution

January 10, 2012
3

It happens every year. During the first week of January the gym is overloaded, classes are jam-packed and the quest to obtain an available treadmill is bloodthirsty and cutthroat. Everyone makes that typical resolution on January 1st to lead a healthier lifestyle. Whether it’s to lose weight, exercise more or eat healthier, this “New Year’s” resolution dwindles down to a 2 week challenge. Come mid-January the gym is back to its steady pace and those newfound fitness fanatics have gone astray. People generally slip back into their old habits and the resolution vanishes. The fact is- lifestyle changes require commitment and time, they don’t happen instantly. It’s best to set long and short term goals that are reasonable and will stick.

Swapping a white potato for a sweet potato is a small simple way you can keep up with your new year’s resolution. Don’t be one of those mid-January quitters. Let sweet potatoes be the solution to your new year’s resolution!

What exactly makes the sweet potato an ideal weight loss food?
  • Low in calories, only 103 per medium backed sweet potato
  • Rich in fiber, keeps you fuller longer. Fiber also keeps your bowels healthy and lowers cholesterol
  • Naturally sweet, which helps keep that sweet tooth satisfied without loading on calories
  • Made up of complex carbohydrates (energy) that is released at a steady pace for a constant source of vitality
Here is a healthy vegetarian recipe I found on Greatist.com. These mushroom caps loaded with sweet potatoes, kale and quinoa will be sure to keep you satisfied – physically and mentally!

Quinoa & Sweet Potato Stuffed Mushrooms
(serves 6)

Ingredients

  • 6 portobello mushroom caps, whole
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa, red or white (prepared according to package directions)
  • 4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 cubes
  • 2 tablespoons olives oil (plus extra for drizzling!)
  • 3 cups greens (spinach or kale work well)
  • Salt and pepper

What to do:

  1. Heat oven to 450 and line a rimmed sheet with foil (for easy cleanup).
  2. Toss sweet potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until pieces are golden-brown and cooked through.
  3. Just before the sweet potatoes are done cooking, remove sheet from oven and throw the spinach on the pan (or on top of the sweet potatoes, really). Place back in oven for the last 2-3 minutes.
  4. Once spinach is wilted, remove pan from oven and cool until veggies are cool enough to handle.
  5. In a medium bowl, mix quinoa, sweet potatoes, and greens. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Time to prepare the mushroom caps: With a damp paper towel, gently wipe the mushroom caps to remove any extra dirt.
  7. Brush both sides of mushrooms with olive oil, and place smooth side down on the baking sheet.
  8. Fill the caps: spoon the quinoa and sweet potato mixture into the caps, mounding slightly in the center
  9. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 400 for 15-25, or until mushrooms are cooked through.

Fit for a King

October 15, 2011
16

The sweet potato truly is food royalty. No other food come close to packing so many nutritional benefits into such a tasty package. Sweet Potatoes are rich in beta carotene, an essential antioxidant. Plus, they deliver vitamin C and folate which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. On top of all those wonderful benefits, sweet potatoes are also low on the glycemic index and glycemic load charts. Sweet potatoes truly are the Duke of Dinner, the Prince of the Plate and the King of the Superfoods.

So what recipe can truly capture the sweet potato in all its grandeur? Why, Sweet Potato Crowns, of course. These scrumptious treats are so sinfully decadent that you may just forget that you are eating healthy!

This culinary delight is the perfect practice recipe to get you in the mood to begin planning your Thanksgiving meal. It is beautiful, decadent and actually very simple to make. It is the perfect side dish to complement your savory holiday offerings, but can also work equally well as a dessert. So go ahead and give these crowns a try, and be sure to  come back to Sweet Bytes Blog soon. The countdown to the busiest time of the year for our royal sweets is officially underway.

Sweet Potato Crowns
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1-1/2-inch slices with ends discarded
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
     
  2. In a large bowl, combine oil and salt; mix well. Add sweet potatoes and toss until evenly coated.
     
  3. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until fork-tender.
     
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on each potato round and return to oven; cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until sugar is melted. Serve immediately.

Spice up your Fall

September 19, 2011
11

The official start of Autumn is only a few days away on Sept 23rd.  It seems that just knowing that Fall is coming seem just  a bit colder. Of course, both recipes featured this week offer just the right of amount of spicy kick to perfectly complement the natural sweetness of our favorite orange spuds. Who could turn down a recipe this full of flavor and packed with all the vitamins A, C niacin and potassium that this superfood offers? No one, that’s who. Bon Apetit!

Our first tasty treat was recently featured on NPR and combines classic sweet potato fries with lots of boisterous spices and a creamy sriracha sauce. This heat of this popular Thai sauce adds amazing flavor notes to the crunchy french fry goodness.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
2 large sweet potatoes, cut in large batons, approximately ¼-inch-by-2 inches
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sriracha Dipping Sauce
Makes 1 cup
1 cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sriracha, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk olive oil and sriracha together in a small bowl. Pour over sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss to coat.

Combine spices in a small bowl. Add spices to potatoes and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in one layer on an unoiled baking sheet.

Bake on lowest rack 10 minutes. Turn potatoes with a spatula and bake 10 more minutes, or until golden brown on all sides.

While potatoes are cooking, whisk dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Remove potatoes from oven and serve with sriracha dipping sauce.

Still looking for a quick way to warm up when the Autumn chilled winds begin to blow? Try this amazing salsa on nachos, or as the perfect side to jazz up any entree.

Sweet Potato Salsa

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes
4 scallions or one large sweet onion
3 raw jalapenos, remove the seeds
1 red bell pepper, chopped and sauteed
1-2 large tomatoes (optional)
Cumin to taste
1 tsp Chili powder to taste
1 tsp Powdered garlic to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt

Sweet Potato Gravy!!! A New Southern Tradition?

May 15, 2011
9

Being from the South, I know we have the reputation of putting gravy on everything.  And I suppose there is a measure of truth in the stereotype. Every good southern cook should have a plethora of gravy recipes to choose from…sawmill gravy, redeye gravy, chicken gravy, beef gravy, brown gravy, mushroom gravy – I even have a friend that makes tomato gravy.  But until yesterday, I had never even thought of sweet potato gravy. I am almost ashamed to admit that.  I strive to show how versatile sweet potatoes can be in everything from pizza and soup to biscuits or nachos, and yet I didn’t know sweet potato gravy existed until my friend gave me the recipe.  Here is another thing I didn’t know…it’s delicious!

After a little investigating, I discovered that the original came from famed chef Emeril Lagasse.  It has a lot of potential for custom variations, so I hope you will put your own spin on it and share it with me.  I think I will add some tart apples for contrast when I next make this dish…and I will be making it again!  So without further ado, here it is…

Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Gravy

Ingredients

  • 4 thick pork chops, 6 to 8-ounces each
  • 2 teaspoons Emeril’s Essence or your favorite Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, baked, peeled, and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons pure cane syrup
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

  • Season the pork chops with the Essence.
  • In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook until brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a warm platter and cover to keep warm.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Add the flour and, stirring constantly, cook until the roux is dark brown, the color of chocolate, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until wilted. Add the pecans, water, salt, and cayenne and mix well. Bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and  blend to make a smooth mixture. Stir in the syrup and green onions. Return the pork chops to the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer until the pork is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes, basting the chops with the gravy.
  • Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Garnish with parsley.

For the Dogs!

November 30, 2010
16

I hope everyone had a wonderful (and Sweet Potato filled) Thanksgiving. I tried out several new recipes for our favorite sweet spud that I will share with you in the coming weeks, but this week (our 100th posting), I want to share some recipes of a different kind.  Now, I have long known just how healthy Sweet Potatoes are for people, but it never occurred to me that they are equally healthy for our four-legged friends. That is, until this weekend when I was shopping at my local pet store and saw something that got my curiosity going.  Sweet Potato Dog Treats!

It really makes perfect sense. All of the same health benefits apply to our furry friends. Low fat, high fiber, low glycemic index. It’s no secret that many of our pampered pooches tend to fall on the plump side of normal, so many dog food manufacturers are making rawhide substitutes out of Sweet Potatoes. The cool thing is, you can even make them yourself for a fraction of the cost. Dogs love them for their sweet flavor, and the texture even helps clean their teeth. The Dog Treat Kitchen offers the following easy to prepare recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 Large Sweet Potato, washed & dried

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250° F
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Cut off one side of the sweet potato lengthwise, as close to the edge as possible. Cutting the side of the potato first allows you to then turn the potato onto this flat surface that you have just created. Having a stable area to rest the potato will make it easier to cut the potato into slices. Don’t discard that first piece, it comes out just as yummy as the rest!
  4. Cut the rest of the potato into 1/3″ slices, no smaller than 1/4″.
  5. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 3 hours, turning half way through.
  7. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Degree of Chewiness – Baking for 3 hours results in a soft, but chewy dog treat. If your dog prefers more of a crunch, then bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. When you take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, they may at first appear to be too soft. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before you decide whether or not to bake them longer. This is because they will continue to dry or harden while cooling.
______________________________________________________________________

Crunchy snacks are just the beginning, a quick internet search turns up recipes for fish & sweet potato dog food, Puppy Sweet Potato Muffins and my favorite…Tator Gators from the Canine Cookery. These delicious sounding biscuits are made from molasses, sweet potatoes and bananas.

“tater gators”
sweet potato-banana dog cookies (wheat-free/dairy-free)
 
dry ingredients:
3½ cups oat flour
1¾ cups brown rice flour
1 cup barley flour
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup ground hulled sunflower seeds
¼ cup ground flax seeds
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
wet ingredients:
1½ cups cooked sweet potato
½ cup thinly sliced banana
3 large eggs
¼ cup safflower oil
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
¼ cup orange juice, unsweetened
Peel sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces and steam until tender.  Reserving liquid, empty potatoes into strainer to drain well and cool thoroughly.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Sift flours into mixer bowl.  Add remaining dry ingredients to flour and gently stir until mixed.  Add wet ingredients to dry, then mix on low to medium, until all flour is taken up and well combined.  Use a dough hook instead of paddle, if available.  Let dough sit for about 10 minutes before rolling.

Roll dough to ¼” thick or more on a lightly dusted surface and cut into fun shapes.  Adjust dough texture, if needed, with liquid from sweet potatoes or with flour added sparingly.  Baking time will depend on size and thickness of treats, pan material, number of pans in oven simultaneously, and other factors, including altitude and humidity.  We use a 3″ alligator cutter for our famous “tater gators“ and baking time is about 28 minutes, with pan rotated at the halfway-point.  When done, cookies will be crunchy and lightly browned underneath.

A Sweet and Savory Thanksgiving!

November 15, 2010
12
Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes

This is the time of year when our Sassy Sweets really get the attention they deserve.  Would any Thanksgiving meal really be complete without sweet potatoes.  When my family gets together for Turkey Day, it is not unusual to have two or even three sweet potato dishes.  And why not?  Sweet potatoes are so versatile – roasted, mashed, fried, baked, boiled, and of course, casseroled!  The possibilities are endless. Unlike a lot of the foods we might consume in the coming weeks, sweet potatoes are really good for us. Just 4 ounces of sweet potatoes exceeds the RDA of Vitamin A, plus you get lots of fiber and potassium to boot.

Since Sweets are so versatile, I decided to offer two recipes this week.  Both are roasted, but one is savory and the other is a little sweet.  Both are super quick and easy to make and both are delicious additions to any Thanksgiving meal plan. Bon Appetit and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes 

The tartness of the orange combines with the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes to make a dish that you will not soon forget. This one is almost guaranteed to become a holiday tradition.

1 tablespoon butter
3 large sweet potatoes or yams
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9” x 9” baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Brown butter in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the skillet, until butter turns a nutty color. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Peel sweet potatoes or yams, cut in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2”-thick slices. Place in the prepared baking dish. Pour orange juice over sweet potatoes or yams. Sprinkle with orange peel, salt, and nutmeg. Top with brown sugar and browned butter. Cover and bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until sweet potatoes or yams are crisp-tender. Uncover and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until juices are almost absorbed

Savory Onion Roasted Sweet Potatoes 

This recipe is packed with so much flavor! Your guests will never realize that it only takes about 10 minutes of prep time.

Ingredients:

1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
4 – 6 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Cut into bite size pieces.
1 small onion, cut into small chunks
⅓ cup vegetable oil
Fresh herbs (parsley, chives, or rosemary are my faves)

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a 9×13 baking dish.  Toss until well coated.  Chop fresh herbs (or use whole sprigs of rosemary) and sprinkle over sweet potatoes. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

Have A Sweet (Potato) Halloween!

October 30, 2010
13
Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Tomorrow is the big day, so I hope you are ready to be visited by all manners of spooks and specters. Halloween is a wonderful holiday – you get to dress up, people give you free candy, you can stay up late telling ghost stories, and did mention the free candy!  Of course all that sweet stuff makes it hard to think about nutrition on Halloween, but there are few ways that you and your kids can sneak in some delicious nutrition.  After dark many of us will have a dinner that consists primarily of miniature snickers bars and pumpkin shaped marshmallows, so I suggest getting the healthy stuff in early. Here are some ideas for breakfast and lunch.

Jack o’Lantern Sweet Potato Smoothie

This recipe comes from Spark Recipes, it is fun to make, tasty to eat, and cut to boot!  The faces are painted on the inside of a clear glass with chocolate.  Get you whole family involved with this one, it’s a blast.  Best of all, each smoothie has only 147 calories while packing in 3 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of protein. Plus loads of potassium and vitamins A, C, D B6, and B12.

Ingredients

  • Sweet Potato, baked, 1 cup
  • Greek Yogurt, Plain, 1/4 cup
  • Brown Sugar, 2 Tbsp unpacked
  • Banana, fresh, 1 small
  • Milk, 1%, 2 cup
  • Vanilla Extract, .5 tsp
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • Ice cubes, 5 or as desired to increase volume
  • Chocolate chips 1 Tbsp, melted

Directions

  1. Melt chocolate chips for 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring between each increment.
  2. Use a paintbrush (food safe) to paint jack o’lantern or other Halloween themed picture on the inside of chilled glass. Put glass in freezer while you make the smoothie.
  3. Add all ingredients (except chocolate chips) and blend until frothy.

Serves about FOUR 8-oz glasses.

Kid-friendly Halloween recipes: Jack-o-Lantern fries

Continue the fun at lunch with these cute sweet potato fries. We’ve talked about how good sweet potato fries are before, but these are extra special.  Before baking, cut Jack-O-Lantern faces into the strips. Remember to make these a little wider and not quite as thick as your usual fries, so cutting the face will be easier.  Since a knife is involved, this project is probably best for older children, or maybe just Mom and Dad. Kids of all ages will enjoy eating these tasty treats, so if you don’t have them for lunch, make them for your Halloween Party.

Ingredients
  • Sweet potatoes, 3 – 4 medium sized
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar and cinnamon to taste
  • Olive oil


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Peel sweet potatoes and carefully slice lengthwise so they look like long ovals. Adults should do this with a sharp knife and use caution when cutting.
  3. Older children can help cut faces into your jackolanterns using a dull knife. If they’re not old enough to carve a real pumpkin, they’re probably not old enough to do this step.
  4. Once you’ve cut eyes, noses and mouths into your potato pumpkins, place in bowl of water to soak.
  5. Once all are completed, drain and lay each slice flat on a baking sheet.
  6. Lightly brush oil across the faces of your pumpkins and sprinkle with salt.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on your pumpkin fries because thickness of your slices and altitude can effect cooking time.
  8. When they’re done, lightly sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and salt.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Warm Sweet Potato Oatmeal

October 19, 2010
15

This morning’s breakfast idea came to me as I was getting dressed for work. Sweet potato oatmeal – why didn’t I think of this before! I love a bowl of warm oatmeal when it’s cold out, it’s so healthy and comforting and an easy way to get your daily fiber. Health.com considers oats a super food because it helps lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and possibly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It’s also a rich source of magnesium which works to regulate blood-sugar levels. But remember, we’re talking the real oats that you make on the stove top, not the flavored instant kind!

You might think that eating oatmeal every morning could get boring, but there are dozens of ways you can eat your oatmeal and not get sick of it. I was probably subconsciously influenced by our guest blogger Kath from Kath Eats Real Food. She has a whole section on her blog devoted to oatmeal! Check it out: Tribute to Oatmeal.

I baked a small sweet potato this morning, but this is a great breakfast to make when you have some leftover mash from dinner. Banana and sweet potato make a great pair and I used chopped hazelnuts for texture; I think pecans would be great too. I also added a drizzle of maple syrup (I used Canadian grade B for a strong maple flavor) to bring it all together. And if you put all this in a blender with your favorite milk and some ice, it’d make a great breakfast shake! With all the fiber from the oats and the potato, this breakfast will surely keep you satisfied well into the lunch hour.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal
1/2 cup cooked oats
1/4 cup sweet potato mash
1 banana, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup

In bowl, combine cooked oats, mashed sweet potato and 2/3 of the banana slices; stir until you have orange oatmeal. Garnish with remaining banana, chopped nuts and maple syrup. Serve warm.

Get Perfect Skin with Sweet Potatoes

April 21, 2010
17

Did you know that sweet potatoes are a great way to keep you skin smooth and young-looking? The reason is simple, Sweet Potatoes are chock full of beta-carotene, the orange colored antioxidant that your body rapidly converts to Vitamin A.  That’s the same ingredient in all  of those high dollar skin creams, lotions and treatments (usually in the form of retinoic acid or retinol).  Given a regular source of natural beta-carotene and Vitamin A, your genes will start rapidly putting the nutrient to work at what it does best… regulating the growth of new skin cells, and creating smoothing healthy skin.  Plus, as a great source of antioxidants, a diet rich in sweet potatoes can even help your body repair skin that is already damaged.

This week’s recipe is a tastebud tingling sensation, Sweet Potato and Avocado sandwiches with Poppy Seed Dressing.  This is a super healthy, power punch of a combo because carotenoids like Beta Carotene are lipophilic (soluble in fat, not water).So consuming this sandwich is not only delicious, but the avocado’s healthy monounsaturated fats will actually help you absorb more Vitamin A.  Pretty Cool, huh.  Even better, this recipe requires no real cooking, just boil and Sweet Potato, stack you sandwich and prepare to enjoy!!

 Sweet Potato and Avocado Sandwiches with Poppy Seed Dressing

 INGREDIENTS

  • 1 small sweet potato (about 7 ounces), peeled and cut into 2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon honey mustard
  • 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
  • 1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
  • 4 slices whole wheat bread
  • Red onion slices
  • 1/2 small avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
  • 4 tomato slices
  • Your fave reduced-fat cheese
  • Finely shredded lettuce or sprouts

PREPARATION

Cook sweet potato slices in boiling salted water until tender. Rinse with cold water, then drain. While those cool, stir together honey mustard, mayonnaise, and poppy seeds in a small bowl.

To construct the sandwiches, first spread half the poppy seed mixture on 2 of the bread slices, then place the onion, avocado, and tomato slices on top of each slice; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add a layer of sweet potato slices, cheese and lettuce. Top with remaining bread.

There you have it. 10 minutes for a tasty lunch and a pathway smooth, healthy, skin.  Hard to beat if you ask me.

461 calories per sandwich, 15 g fat (2 g saturated), 67.5 g carbs, 17 g fiber, 14 g protein