Pink Kitchen

Adding fresh veggies to your diet does not have to be complicated. On a scale of 1-10 complication (10 being the highest), today’s post is a 1!

Because of its name, some people avoid the sweet potato, thinking it will just add starch to their diet. Isn’t that what potatoes do, after all?

Well, here’s the good news – the sweet potato is not actually a potato at all. In fact, sweet potatoes can actually help to balance blood sugar levels. Also, the darker the sweet potato, the more carotenes it contains. Carotenes are powerful antioxidants for fighting all kinds of disease. All vegetables have them, but orange veggies contain much higher amounts.

The key with sweet potatoes is to avoid preparing them like a syrupy Thanksgiving side dish. You know the kind I’m talking about – loads of brown sugar, butter, maybe even marshmallows…that type of sweet potato dish is obviously not going to lead us to good health!

But – you can still prepare them in a way that will satisfy a sweet tooth. Or, you can prepare them in a savory style. The sweet potato is like a healthy canvas, just waiting for you to put your own artistic flair onto it.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES
As a side dish, you’ll need one small sweet potato per person. Scrub the sweet potato (you can either use the pads of your fingers to rub away dirt, or you can use a little brush, called a potato scrubber.)

Poke the potato in 4 different locations with a fork. Place into a shallow oven-safe dish (I like to use a glass pie plate).

Bake at 350 degrees F until soft to the touch, about 40 minutes (depending on your oven, and the size of the potato).

While they’re cooking, put your feet up! You deserve it.

Once they’re cooked, slice the sweet potatoes in half.

Now for the fun part. Here are just two ideas to get you started.

For ‘Sweet’ Sweet Potatoes: Drizzle with coconut oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and shredded coconut.
For ‘Savory’ Sweet Potatoes: Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs, pepper, and sea salt.