I remember the sweet potatoes of my youth.
Usually made around the holidays, they were baked and smothered with brown sugar and butter. So sweet! In fact, they may as well have been dessert!
Now, that was a vegetable I was willing to eat more than my share of!
Times have changed and I eat much differently now.
I limit my consumption of added sugar and simple carbohydrate because it messes with my energy levels. I know where the saturated fats come from and I keep them to a minimum too.
I’ve gotten it down so that my calorie intake balances my calorie expenditure.
And, when I eat a meal, I include as much plant food as possible. They satisfy your hunger with less calories, and it feels like you’ve eaten plenty. Not to mention, fresh plant food comes with countless additional benefits from vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
I still eat sweet potatoes.
They are also plants.
I make them with very few added calories, no added sugars, and in a way that takes mere minutes to prepare.
The next time you serve up sweet potatoes, give this recipe a try. I made them for the Thanksgiving holiday this year along with an amazing turkey that was so simple.
Simple, Healthy, Delicious Baked Sweet Potatoes
Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 min Bake Time: Approx 40 min
Ingredients
- Two, medium, sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash sweet potatoes with a brush and cut out any black divots.
- Cut crosswise into about 1″ thick, circular slices.
- Rub cold stick of butter onto pan to lightly cover the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place potatoes on the baking dish. Try to keep it to 1 layer.
- Thinly divide 1tbsp butter, placing a thin slice of butter on each sweet potato slice.
- Rub the butter in a little with your finger. You won’t believe how far a Tbsp of butter will go!
- Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until fork slides easily into the potato.
Nutrient Facts:
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. A medium sweet potato has 437% RDA for Vitamin A and 37% RDA for Vitamin C based on a 2,000 Calorie diet. It’ll also have about 15% RDA for fiber, and contain small amounts of Vitamin B6 and Potassium, Iron, and Calcium.
The sweet potato can be a lovely holiday side dish with a turkey, or a great, simple side for any winter meal.
To be honest,
I only use the butter and cinnamon for special occasions. I have made this dish with only olive oil on the pan and it still tastes great!
How do you like to eat your sweet potatoes?
Share in the comments below.
References and Supplemental Readings:
Wikipedea – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato
Nutrition Data – http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2667/2
Sweet potatoes are simply the best. I usually make baked sweet potato fries and they are just WOW! Adding some herbs and salt on them and some olive oil before baking makes them one of my best comfort foods for the rainy season.
Sounds like you have an awesome recipe, too! They can totally be a natural, and healthy comfort food!