MEXICAN SWEET POTATO POCKETS

This recipe was adapted from one I found in the 'Lookbook Cookbook', a very hip cookbook filled with Vegan & Gluten-free meals. This book was surprisingly given to me by my meat-loving husband for my birthday! I've adapted this recipe to include dairy in the form of feta cheese, however if you wanted to keep it lactose-free and / or vegan, substitute the cheese for 1 medium avocado. Remember that whilst avocados are incredibly amazing, they do contain a lot of fat, so you have a bit of a Sophie's choice decision on hand: either avocado or feta cheese! Or perhaps half half! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into eight even pieces or 4 medium sweet potato, each cut in half, washed and dried (need around 1.2 kilo of sweet potato)
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 of a large red onion, finely chopped 
• 1 x 400g tin of four or five bean mix, drained & rinsed
• 150g green or red capsicum or a mixture of both, diced
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled or finely diced
• 1/4 - 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 large tomato, diced
• the juice of 1 lime 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using a knife poke several holes into each piece of sweet potato (this will speed up the roasting process). Lightly brush the whole of each piece of potato with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the potato pieces are tender. 

2. Meanwhile, make the potato pocket filling. As the potato takes a while to cook, use this time to cut and prepare all the vegetables. Then combine the onion, beans, capsicum, 1 spring onion, feta,  chilli, paprika, tomato, lime juice and a generous sprinkle of ground black pepper. Stir well to combine and place in the fridge to marinate. NB: if you are using avocado do not add to the sweet potato until the last step. 

3. Once the potatoes are tender, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly so that you are able to handle them. Leave the oven on if you want to further roast the potatoes; see step 5. 

4. Once cool, scoop out the potato 'flesh', leaving just the skin of the potato. Take the filling out of the fridge and stir the cooked sweet potato in, chopping up the pieces if they are too big. 

5. You could now serve the sweet potato pockets by filling each potato skin with the filling and topping with extra spring onion and avocado, if using. Or if you would like your potato skin crisper, fill each potato skin with the filling and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potato skin is crispy. Remove from the oven and top with spring onion and avocado, if using. I've eaten these pockets both ways and I honestly like them both ways; it often comes down to how hungry you are!

Serves / 8 

Total Preparation time / just a few minutes as most of the prep is done during the cooking time. 

Total Cooking time / 1 hour - 1 hour 20 minutes 

x Premium Pilates 

FLOURLESS SWEET POTATO BROWNIES

This recipe of the week is coming a little soon after the previous one, however I just had to share these delicious brownies! I brought a few into the studio yesterday and they were very well received! It was my first time experimenting with sweet potato as a brownie base and I was thoroughly pleased at the result. I have opted to make this recipe dairy free however you could use cows milk and I encourage you to if you are not intolerant or allergic. Whilst this recipe isn't uber sweet as the only natural sugar added is maple syrup and vanilla extract it is a very healthy alternative to the classic brownie. If you are a doubter of sweet potato with chocolate I dare you to try this, as the potato adds a level of creaminess that flour does not! Lastly, make sure you READ STEP 6 (the last step) very carefully or your brownies could not turn out properly! You have been warned! 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g sweet potato, peeled & cut into small (around 3cm), even chunks
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for greasing 
• 1/4 cup cacao
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon regular or gluten free baking powder
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, beaten
• 1/2 cup desicated coconut
• 3 tablespoons organic / natural maple syrup (not flavoured)
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

2. Bring a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to the boil over high heat, covered. Whilst the water is boiling, peel & cut the sweet potato. Once boiled, add the sweet potato and boil for around 12-13 minutes or until the potato is tender. Remove from the heat and drain under cold running water in a colander. 

3. Whilst the potato is boiling, grease a baking tray with the oil and then line with baking paper. The baking tray I used was around 29 cm x 20 cm. 

4.  Whilst the potato is boiling, pour all the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to combine. 

5. Once the potato has been cooked and drained, mash well in a large mixing bowl. I don't mind there being a few chunky bits in my brownies, however if you do you can spend a few extra seconds mashing for a smoother consistency. Add the prepared batter from step 4 to the mashed potato and stir well to combine. 

6. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking tray. It will be quite thick! Spread out the batter evenly with a wet spatula. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the top of the brownie has just started to brown. This next part is SO IMPORTANT: remove the tray from the oven and leave the brownies to cool completely before cutting up into individual brownies. If you try to handle the brownies before they have completely cooled, they will fall apart. Remember that there is no flour holding the brownies together! The brownies need this cooling time to continue to cook! 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / around 50 minutes plus cooling time!

x Premium Pilates Studio 

SWEET POTATO CHIPS with LIME

I’ve made sweet potato chips numerous times since I first started cooking. The problem is that I usually make way too many and then proceed to eat the equivalent of 4 servings. This recipe serves 2 as a side dish and is approximately 188 calories per serve. These delicious chips accompanied tomorrow’s recipe, Kale & Quinoa Mix up. I’ve never made sweet potato chips with lime rind before, instead opting to use spices such as ground coriander, cumin, chilli, lemon pepper, etc…I was pleasantly surprised by how well the tangy lime flavour complimented the sweetness of the potato. My poor sweet potato chips look a tad deflated, as they were cooked about 4 hours prior to this photo being taken, however I urge you not to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a side dish by someone’s tardy photography.

Ingredients

• 600g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm-thick chip shapes
• 1 free range eggwhite (33g)
• 1 tablespoon lime rind, finely grated
• pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. In a large bowl, toss the potato, egg white, lime rind and salt & pepper until well combined. 

3. Place the chips in a single layer on the prepared tray. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the chips are golden. 

Serves / 2 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35-40 minutes 

Calories per serve / 188 calories approx. 

x Emily 

SWEET POTATO BOATS with LIME CORN SALSA

This is one of my favourite dinners to eat when I know that I am going to be eating late. I love baked sweet potato and have never cared about the carbohydrate content of these; as they are low in GI (much lower than other types of potato) and therefore keep you feeling fuller for longer. Preparing corn kernels from a corn on the cob can be a little fiddly, but taste much nicer (and have a much smaller sugar content) than using canned. I know this taste article on preparing corn kernels very useful - http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/810/how+to+remove+corn+kernels. I make the salsa and bake the sweet potato during the day so that this meal is ready for me when I get home at 9pm most nights. The sweet potato do not get soggy as I wrap them individually in aluminium foil once they have cooled. And on a side note; this is one of the only vegetarian dishes that my fiancee does not complain about! So that's a win all in itself. I kept the salsa very simple as I wanted to keep the recipe low-fuss, however you could add all types of herbs to it, such as fresh chives, coriander, basil and/or spices such as ground sumac, paprika and/or pepper. 

INGREDIENTS

Sweet potato boats 

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, washed and cut in half 
• coconut oil
• sea salt 

Lime corn salsa

• 4 small to medium corn cobs, husks / silks stripped and kernels removed (see website link above)
• 1/2 large green capsicum, seeds & membrane removed, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium lebanese cucumber, roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• the juice of 1 medium lime
• sea salt

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 220 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 

NB: If you want to decrease the time the sweet potato cooks in the oven place the sweet potato halves on a plate covered with glad wrap in the microwave for five minutes. 

2. Lightly brush the cut part of the potato with coconut oil and sprinkle a small amount of salt on top. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, until the potato is golden and/or a fork can be inserted in the middle of the potato with little resistance. (The baking time will be longer if you do not use a microwave first or if your sweet potato halves are bigger than mine were). Remove from the oven when cooked to your satisfaction.  

3. Whilst the sweet potato is baking, bring a small to medium pot of lightly salted water to the boil over medium-high heat. When the water has boiled add the corn kernels and cook for just a few minutes, making sure to taste the corn every so often. When the corn is tender but not mushy remove from the heat and drain with cold water. Place the corn, capsicum, tomato, cucumber, spring onion and lime in a medium bowl and sprinkle a small amount of salt on top. Toss well to combine. 

4. Leave the sweet potato halves to cool for just a few minutes so that they are able to be handled. Scoop out some of the now soft flesh of the potato and scoop the corn salsa into this hole until overflowing. The scooped out flesh of the sweet potato can be mixed in with the salsa or can be eaten as a side. 

Serves / 4 / 1 sweet potato half per person

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 40 minutes maximum 

x Emily 

SWEET POTATO & COCONUT CURRY

I’m loving the cooler weather we are having at the moment, as it means that I get to use my stove without sweat in profusely. I have had so much sweet potato to get rid of this week that I decided a big curry would be the best way to utilise it. A very simple curry to make, the spices really are essential here as otherwise this dish could be considered bland. Garam masala is a strong blend of spices that is used in Indian cuisine. The spices that are often used to make this fusion are coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. I usually use around ½ a teaspoon of this spice with every 500g of meat or vegetables I cook as it is an intense combination of flavours. You can find ground garam masala, ground turmeric and ground coriander from your local big supermarket.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup brown rice 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped / crushed
• 700g sweet potato, peeled & chopped into even cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground garam masala 
• 2 cups Massel vegetable stock (or 2 cups water)
• 325 - 400ml light coconut milk
• 1 head of broccoli, florets cut evenly and stalk roughly chopped
• extra chopped spring onions & coriander leaves, to serve 

COOKING

1. Place the rice in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer when boiled for 20 - 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Remove from heat. 

2. Whilst the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. After 1 minute add the spring onions and garlic and stir, cooking for 2 minutes or until the spring onions begin to wilt slightly. 

3. Add the sweet potato and stir to coat in with the oil, onion and garlic. Add the ground coriander, ground turmeric and ground garam masala to the pan and stir vigorously to combine so the spices do not stick to the pan. 

4. Pour in the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered for 4 - 5 minutes, then add in the chopped broccoli and cover again for another 5 - 7 minutes. After 5 minutes check the tenderness of the sweet potato and broccoli by sticking a fork into the vegetable (if the fork slides in smoothly, then the curry can be taken off the stove; if the fork meets resistance, keep simmering for another few minutes before checking again). When the vegetables are tender remove from heat. 

Serve the curry on a bed of brown rice, topped with chopped spring onions and coriander leaves. 

Serves / 4 - 6

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes (including cooking the brown rice)

x Emily