Sweet Potato and Quinoa Fritters

I adapted this recipe from the Deliciously Ella cookbook. I amended ingredient quantities and just oven baked the fritters. However, they can be fried slightly to crisp the edges if desired but I found 30 minutes in the oven gave then a crisp outer edge with a soft middle, similar to fish cakes or falafel.

A decent sized sweet potato (around 400g), once baked and the skins removed will equal just under 300g. The skins make a sweet and nutritious snack so I always cook the potatoes in their skins instead of peeling them. I microwave my potatoes to speed up the cooking time whilst the quinoa is cooking on the stove top.

Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory agent, as I've mentioned before in my previous Vegetable and Quinoa Stir Fry recipe. It's an effective treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and a relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The fritters are moist but I usually like to pour a little sauce over the top - either tomato paste, thinned with water to make natural tomato ketchup. Or a cashew sauce which is just some cashews, blended with water and a little soy sauce.

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Fritters
Makes 12 (3 fritters per serving)

Ingredients:
- 400g / 14oz sweet potato
- 170g / 6oz quinoa, dry
- 60ml / 4tbsp lemon juice
- 32g / 2tbsp almond butter
- 66g / 4tbsp tomato paste
- 45ml / 3tbsp water
- 2tsp cumin
- 1tsp turmeric

Method:

• Cook the quinoa in water, with 2tbsp lemon juice, for about 15-20 minutes, until the water has been absorbed.
• Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, cook the sweet potato, peel the skins, then place the flesh in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Blend to combine until smooth.
• Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl of quinoa and stir to combine.
• Spoon the mixture on to a baking tray, lined with parchment, forming round fritters.
• Bake in oven at 190C / 375F for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Eat from the oven or fry each side in a pan to crisp for a couple of minutes.
• Serve on a bed of spinach, kale, or courgette noodles with tomato paste or cashew sauce. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Sweet Potato Brownies

We all know sweet potatoes taste great and are really nutritious. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are just a couple of health benefits.

We also all know that brownies are delicious but traditional ones are full of sugar! That's why I prefer to make versions using natural sugars from fruits and vegetables - like these sweet potato brownies!

The potato skins aren't needed in this recipe but the skins can be enjoyed as a healthy snack. In fact, after reading an article on the internet about sweet potato skins, I learnt that the skins have more fibre than a serving of oatmeal and beta carotene found in baked skins is an antioxidant that is converted into vitamin A in the body, which in turn improves our eye sight and strengthens the immune system.

It is recommended to include some fat in a sweet potato-containing meal if the full beta-carotene benefits of this root vegetable want to be enjoyed. 3-5 grams of fat per meal significantly increases a person's uptake of beta-carotene from sweet potatoes.

I originally saw this recipe for Sweet Potato Brownies on the Deliciously Ella blog. The ingredients are similar but as sweet potatoes contain a lot of natural sugar, along with the dates, I only added 1tbsp of honey. The recipe below still contains 12.6g sugar.

Sweet Potato Brownies
Makes 8

Ingredients:
- 450g / 16oz sweet potato
- 80g / 3oz dates, pitted, soaked and drained
- 20g / 1tbsp honey
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
- 80g / 3oz oat flour
- 28g / 1oz almonds, ground
- 20g / 4tbsp cocoa powder, natural unsweetened

Method:

• Bake the sweet potato in the skins, either in the oven or microwave and then scoop out the flesh. Set the skins aside (use in another recipe or eat as a snack).
• Blend the flesh in a food processor along with the dates, honey and vanilla. 
• In a bowl combine the oat flour, almonds and cocoa powder.
• Add the sweet potato date mixture and stir to combine.
• Spoon mixture into a 9x9 baking tray or loaf pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 175C / 350F.
• Cool on a wire rack and cut into 8 slices. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

It was my first time making gnocchi but I'll definitely be making these again. They are super tasty, perfect to freeze and easy and quick to cook - even straight from frozen. I doubled the recipe quantity below to make extra for the freezer.

I ate my first batch alongside my Poached Egg Ratatouille.

Gnocchi are Italian soft dough dumplings, traditionally made from semolina, flour, egg, cheese, potato, or breadcrumbs. They are often eaten as a first course, as an alternative to soups or pasta in Italian dining. They are a great source of carbohydrates - flour, potatoes etc. plus the eggs and cottage cheese in my version below provides 10g protein.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Makes 4 (32 gnocchi per serving)

Ingredients:
- 500g / 18oz sweet potato
- 112g / 4oz cottage cheese, lowfat
- 1 egg
- 120g / 4.5oz flour (I use whole wheat), plus extra for rolling
- 1/8tsp nutmeg (optional)

Method:
Bake the sweet potato in the skins, either in the oven or microwave and then scoop out the flesh. Set the skins aside.
Blend the flesh in a food processor.
Add the cottage cheese and egg to the food processor and blend to combine.
Transfer to a bowl and add the flour and nutmeg (if desired) to form a sticky dough.
Chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours.
Generously sprinkle flour on parchment paper...

Roll out portions of the chilled dough into long ropes, about 1-inch thick, and then cut the dough into bite-size pieces.
Place the gnocchi on to the floured parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 5 minutes.
At this point the uncooked gnocchi can be frozen. Place the whole tray into the freezer for about 2 hours and then transfer individual frozen pieces into a freezable bag or container...

To cook the gnocchi, boil a pan of water and then add the gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes. Frozen gnocchi can be cooked immediately from frozen but may need a few extra minutes. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface of the boiling water, they'll be done.
Drain the gnocchi and serve with sauce or as a side dish. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Soups

During the cold winter months, there's nothing more I love than a big bowl of homemade soup. Partly because it's so filling and nutritious. Partly because a really big bowl has less than 400 calories!

It's also really easy to make - mainly just boiling a pot of vegetables, adding some carbs like lentils or potatoes (both white and sweet), a few spices and herbs, plus broth for flavour and protein, in the form of fish, chicken or tofu. None of the soups I make have cream or added salt. I always ensure I use reduced sodium broth and no-salt-added canned tomatoes. Natural sugars from carrots, apple and sweet potato are perfect sweeteners. Some of the soups below are thickened with a cup of almond milk or some cashew cream (blended cashews in water).

When making soup at home, a hand-held stick blender is an essential tool. Once cooled, the soup can be bagged up and frozen for future meals.

Soups

Broccoli and Dill Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

Chicken and Potato Chili Soup

Indian Spiced Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Kale and Apple Soup

Miso Green Tea and Ginger Tofu Soup

Miso Soup

Moroccan Lentil Chicken Soup

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

White Bean Soup

Stuffed Sweet Potato

This recipe idea was taken from the Revive Cafe Cookbook step-by-step stuffed veges guide. From their suggestions, they state 2,903,040 different combinations! I guess it's an ideal opportunity to get creative. 

I had a spare sweet potato and instead of simply baking it and topping with tuna or cottage cheese, I took inspiration from their stuffed veges guide and created the recipe below. The crunch of the celery went well with the softness in the potato and oats. Cumin and black beans always go well together and didn't overpower the dish, still leaving the sweetness of the potato.

Obviously this is one of many outcomes (quite experimental) but it tasted good and one potato served two people for a quick and easy lunch.

Other ideas for stuffed vegetables include regular potatoes, aubergines, peppers, squash or courgettes. I could have used rice or quinoa instead of oats but didn't have any already cooked up. I had to be careful not to over do the flavour and texture of the dish - it's probably easy to get carried away with so many options: garlic, onions, paprika, honey, mustard, chili powder, combined with peas, sweet corn, mushrooms, chickpeas, almonds, olives.

I didn't bother with additional toppings like sesame seeds, chopped nuts or any garnishing like coriander, parsley, hummus, pesto. Maybe next time....

Stuffed Sweet Potato
Makes 2
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:
- 350g / 12.5oz sweet potato
- 40g / 1.4oz oats
- 5g / 1tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
- 1/2tsp cumin
- 50g / 2oz / 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 80g / 3oz black beans (no added salt)
- 120ml / 4floz almond milk, unsweetened

Method:
Cook sweet potato in microwave for 5-7 minutes, until soft.

In a bowl, combine oats, nutritional yeast flakes (if using), cumin, celery and black beans.

Half the sweet potato and scoop out the insides. Add to mixing bowl.

Add half cup (120ml) almond milk and mix all ingredients.

Spoon mixture into potato skins, spray with cooking oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 350F / 180C.
ENJOY!

Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Nutritional Information:

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

I love the combination of flavours in this hearty soup. The sweetness from the potatoes go perfectly with the ginger, turmeric and curry powder. It doesn't take long to make - just boil the potatoes (and lentils if necessary) and then blend it altogether!

Try the carrot and sweet potato pancakes if you can't get enough of sweet potato goodness!

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:
- 110g / 4oz onion, chopped
- 110g / 4oz (2 stalks) celery, chopped
- 5g / 1tbsp chopped ginger or ginger puree
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 2tsp mild curry powder
- 840g / 30oz sweet potato, chopped
- 720ml / 24floz boiling water
- 140g / 5oz lentils (pre-cooked)
- 720ml / 24floz boiling water
- 240ml / 8floz almond milk, unsweetened
- 1tbsp lime juice
- parsley (optional garnish)

Method:
Cook the lentils for 30 minutes if necessary.

In a saucepan, cook the onions, celery, ginger for a couple of minutes.

Add chopped sweet potato and 3 cups (720ml) water. Add curry powder and turmeric. Boil for 10-15 minutes until potato is soft.

Add the lentils and another 3 cups (720ml) water and cook for another 5 minutes.

Using a hand-held blender or food processor, blend into a soup, adding the almond milk and lime juice.

Garnish with parsley to serve. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Carrot and Sweet Potato Pancakes

These sweet potato pancakes taste great and are quite versatile. Add any vegetables and spices. The sweet potato is a staple carbohydrate that's sweet, low in fat, and gives you plenty of energy for the day.

When compared with white potatoes, both are packed with fibre and are full of nutrients, especially if you leave the skins on. Sweet potatoes are full of Vitamin A and C. Perfect for cold winter weather!
You can read more about the benefits of sweet and white potatoes online.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Pancakes
Makes 4, 2 pancakes per serving

Ingredients:
- 360g / 13oz sweet potato
- 90g / 3oz onions, chopped
- 120g / 4oz carrots, grated
- 1tsp coriander, ground
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 1tsp cumin
- 40g / 1.4oz oat flour (old fashioned oats food processed)
- 120ml / 4floz water

Method:

• Microwave or bake the sweet potato until very soft and mashable.
• In a pan, sprayed with cooking oil, cook the onions and carrots until soft. 
• Add the spices and mix for 30 seconds.
• In a small bowl, mix the oat flour and water together.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato and onion mixture with the flour/water batter, adding a little extra water to make them just moist, if needed.
• Heat a pan, sprayed with cooking oil, and cook four patties/pancakes. 
• Flip the pancakes after several minutes.
• Serve with green vegetables. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information: