Loving the sweet potato

I am feeling like a major blog neglecter, mostly because I've been following a new high-starch, low fiber, low fat lifestyle that makes my food blogging potential much less exciting. Thanks, missing gallbladder. Still, this new cooking style has led me to a new obsession: the sweet potato.

This delightful root vegetable is rich in folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and fiber (shh, don't tell my doctor!). The sweet potato actually ranks highest in nutritional value according to the Centre for the Science of Public Interest. Who knew?

I thought I'd make some suggestions on how to incorporate this fabulous friend into your vegan eating. The top five uses of the sweet potato (in no particular order):

1. Sweet potato fries - A little olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper at 425 for 30 minutes. Bam!

2. Sweet potato hummus - Add a cooked spud to your hummus, along with a pinch of hot sauce. The sweet potato gives the hummus a thick, creamy consistency, so you can leave out the tahini.

3. Sweet potato-scallion pancakes - Shred the sweet potato with scallions, flour, soymilk, and seasonings, then fry 'em up and enjoy with ketchup!

4. Sweet potato quesadillas - I do this all the time, it is so easy and delicious. Microwave a yam, scoop out the flesh, mash it into a tortilla with beans, spinach, salsa...whatever works. Fold it in half, fry it, and eat it.

5. Baked sweet potato with maple syrup - Cut in half, pour on some syrup, bake. This also works with mashed sweet potato. So good. Soooo good.

Coming soon...Souper and I prepare dinner for friends. And we blog about it.