Monday, June 24, 2013

Sweet Potato Smash



Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes


I thought of  this idea for rosemary smashed sweet potatoes because last week I made crispy crunchy hot smashed rosemary hot white potatoes. The white potatoes were really fabulous, but I tend to want to limit my potato consumption because of the high starch and sugar content.  Did you know that sweet potatoes are not really a potato ( is a tuber) ?  Sweet potatoes are roots and are loaded with dietary fiber that helps regulate blood sugar levels even in diabetics.

                                       

Sweet Potatoes are actually low in Sugar and High in Nutrients
Unlike most starchy vegetables, sweet potatoes are actually low in sugar. In addition, sweet potatoes are one of the best sources for beta carotene which raises our levels of Vitamin A, a great source of potassium which helps prevent muscle cramps and is needed for a healthy heart. The benefits of sweet potatoes are impressive including that they are very high in health protecting antioxidants, they are anti-inflammatory, and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Most athletic trainers will include sweet potatoes in their daily diet. The darker the variety of sweet potato, the greater the benefit.

Looking for a fast side dish that kids will eat? 
This is a vegetable that kids will eat because sweet potatoes taste sweet. Adding this real food to your kids diet could be extremely beneficial to adding some healthy nutrients. Isn't that what we want? Want kids with better moods, kids who can concentrate in school, and kids that have great immune systems? They need real food to see real results ( real food are foods from farms that have not been previously cooked for you) like fruit and vegetables that you bring home and eat and cook. Try Sweet potato chili or  Sweet Potato Fries
Healthy Sweet potato fries
 Sweet Potato Fries Recipe



The best and fastest way to cook and eat sweet potatoes:

Already steamed sweet potatoes laid out on a cookie sheet

Research has shown that simply steaming this vegetable brings out its greatest nutritional benefits.

place in any large pot
I use a little steamer basket which I  place in a large pot and add enough water to slightly cover the steamer. I them scrub the potatoes well, place them in the steamer basket, cover the pot and allow to boil for about 10 - 20 minutes.( They may not lay straight, but that's ok - important thing is to cover the pot so steam is created)  The sweet potatoes will be soft, tender, and delicious. As with most vegetables, a little fat is needed to absorb the fat soluble vitamins, so mash with a little oil, butter, or avocado or sprinkle with nuts!

How to choose and store sweet potatoes
Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and not wrinkled and keep away from any potatoes that have some green discoloration ( which is toxins) Do not store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, open space and not in plastic bags. They can keep for about 10 days.


smashed sweet potatoes 

Sweet Potato Smash Recipe ( Yum) 
Now I'm getting back to the Smashed Rosemary Potatoes I made last week. So I started to think how much we loved them and I wondered how they would taste if I substituted sweet potatoes. Well, I tried it and it was awesome. In my excitement to serve them, I forgot to take pictures but you can follow the same steps and pics that I showed for the smashed potatoes from last week. or just follow the easy directions.

These taste every bit as good and sweet as candied yams that we eat on Thanksgiving but without any sweetener.

Ingredients: 

8-10 medium deep orange sweet potatoes, steamed in their skin ( or any amount you want 1 per person)
1/ 4 cup Rosemary ( fresh or dried)
Olive oil
Covered cookie sheet

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet  with parchment paper and spray with olive oil spray. Lay steamed sweet potatoes out on the baking tray. Smash each one with a slotted spoon ( the top layer of skin will come off , so remove it. Drizzle with olive oil ( or olive oil spray) rosemary. Bake for 25-35 minutes.
The sweet potatoes skin will get crunchy and the sweet potato will get drier and sweeter. The taste is amazing. My company raved about them.


 will be share on Some of the following carnivals: Blog Carnivals


18 comments:

  1. I love sweet potatoes because they're healthy and delicious! I'm stopping by from Give Me The Goods Monday. Have a great week!

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  2. These are amazing!!!! Loved the fresh rosemary on there.

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  3. Mmmm, these must taste good! Thanks for sharing with Simple Supper Tuesday.

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  4. When living the Trim Healthy Mama way, these would make a great crossover once reaching goal weight! We love sweet potatoes here. Thanks for all the information you provided. Thanks for linking at Trim Healthy Tuesday!

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  5. I never thought of steaming sweet potatoes! Are you saying you can cook WHOLE ones in just 10 minutes in the steamer basket?! My whole family loves baked sweet potatoes as a side dish in winter, so if we had a way to cook whole ones in summer without using the oven, that would be great.

    Here are two of our favorite sweet potato recipes that don't heat up the kitchen too much:
    Sweet Potato Burritos
    Pittsburgh Yam Fake

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    1. Depending on the size of the potato you can steam them rather quickly. Cut the sweet potato in half if you want to expedite the time. If you leave the sweet potatos whole, they might take 20 minutes

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  6. Yum! We LOVE sweet potatoes at our house, but we mostly do baked fries. I will have to try your smashed recipe!

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  7. Thanks so much for the sweet pot. ideas and info. I love these little tubers and adding the rosemary just elevates them to gourmet yumminess. Have a lovely day! Love, Wanda

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  8. Not only does your recipe for the mash look delicious, I am glad you put on your recipe for the fries. When I made my fries they were not crispy, now I know to use olive oil for flavoring and crispiness. Thank you for sharing on our BBQ Block Party.

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  9. That's looking pretty tasty - I may have to amp up my "standard" baked sweet potatoes!

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  10. We live in a sweet potato growing area and eat a lot of them. Unfortunately the most common way to prepare them is with brown sugar. I've come to prefer them savory and think they are especially good with rosemary! Have never tried mashing them, though. Sounds good! Thank you for linking this week, Judee. I appreciate it.
    Michelle @Ms. enPlace

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  11. mmm, I've recently come to love sweet potatoes. Thank you for all the info on sweet potatoes and sharing on Foodie Friday

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  12. Sweet potatoes, yum! I never thought of steaming them though, that's genius! Thanks for linking up to "Making Your Home Sing Monday!"

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  13. We love sweet potatoes in our house, and you've shared some really delicious ways to serve them. I love that you make the mashed version with olive oil - and the rosemary is a lovely addition too.

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  14. I'm so happy you shared this post on Natural Living Monday! Sweet potatoes are one of the few vegetables my picky toddle will eat, but I sometimes run out of time to bake them. I wouldn't have ever thought about steaming them. What a great idea!! I will absolutely be trying that out soon!

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  15. Such great tips! My family loves sweet potatoes! Thanks for sharing at Give Me The Goods Monday.
    Jamie @ Better With Age

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  16. I love sweet potatoes! These are great tips! Got them pinned and tweeted on our Gluten Free Fridays board!

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  17. Whoo this looks so yummy and tasty :)

    Thanks for sharing #CreativeMondays

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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