Creative Way To Prepare Sweet Potatoes For Their Anti-Inflammatory Properties
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When I was growing up, one of my favorite foods was baked potatoes. We would load it up with sour cream, green onion, and homemade bacon bits. Nowadays, I’ve been drawn to baking sweet potatoes instead. Here are some reasons why you should make the switch too!
Health Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes
When compared to potatoes, sweet potatoes are much more nutrient dense. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6.
Rich source of nutrients and antioxidants: They are a good source of potassium, fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and phosphorus. As a result of its high beta-carotene content, sweet potatoes are rich in free-radical fighting antioxidants.
Anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer: Studies have found that its unique colour-based phytonutrients give sweet potatoes anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
Regulate blood sugar level: One of the most interesting health benefits of sweet potatoes is its ability to regulate your blood sugar. Despite their sweet taste, they’re considered lower than regular potatoes on the glycemic index. This means the natural sugars in sweet potatoes are released slower, preventing your sugar from spiking.
Regulates insulin metabolism: A medium-sized sweet potato contains 6.6 grams of dietary fiber that is instrumental in reducing your cholesterol and controlling your blood sugar. Research has found that extracts derived from sweet potatoes can increase your blood’s levels of the protein hormone adiponectin. When someone is low in adiponectin, they tend to have low insulin sensitivity. Adiponectin works to regulate your body’s insulin metabolizing processes.
Baking sweet potatoes is as simple as baking regular potatoes, but provides many more health benefits. Rather than making the regular French fries, try preparing your sweet potatoes with this food hack that is simple and sharable!
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Hasselback-style potatoes are potatoes that are partially sliced across the short-edge along the whole length of the potato. At first it might be difficult to slice the potatoes without cutting through.
When you’re just starting out, I recommend placing chopsticks on both sides while you’re slicing. This will serve as a guide to stop you from cutting your sweet potatoes all the way down.
When buying sweet potatoes, choose those that will sit well on a flat surface. To make them sit steady when you’re cutting them, just cut a thin slice off the flattest side. You can do this with carrots too!
When you bake your potatoes hasselback-style, the skin comes out French fry crispy while the inside comes out soft. The best part about preparing hasselback sweet potatoes is being able to load them with herbs, and any of your favorite toppings!
How To Make Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make a series of ¼-inch slices along 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, slicing 2/3 of the way through (see tip above).
- Stir together in a small bowl:
> 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
> 1 teaspoon coconut oil
> 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
> 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
> ¼ teaspoon seasalt
> ¼ teaspoon pepper - Rub the potatoes all over with the mixture, getting in between the slices.
- Place on the baking sheet and roast until the center of the potatoes are tender and the outside is crisp, approximately 50-60 minutes. Halfway through the roasting time, remove the potatoes from the oven and run a fork gently across the tops of the potatoes, using light pressure, to fan the slices and separate them from one another.
- Meanwhile, mix: 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and chopped scallions with a pinch seasalt and a pinch of pepper. Serve this sauce with the potatoes.
Now you have a new way to eat sweet potatoes, try it! I’m sure you will love it!
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