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Loaded with natural sweetness and over-the-top nutrition, my healthy, oven-roasted sweet potatoes will delight your tastebuds.
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Yes. It’s a carb, but the sweet potato’s creamy orange flesh is the wonderful complex carbohydrate kind, which keeps you full longer.
Since this tuber is easy to digest, it feels relatively light (compared to white potatoes) in your stomach.
For this recipe, the sweeties are combined with a bit of fresh ginger and aromatic coriander powder sizzled in ghee, then cooked to perfection.
What I love about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is to make, either in the oven, or on the stovetop. You may use the oven technique in the cooler season, and the stovetop when it’s warmer. You will love this. The anticipation of eating your sweet potatoes only heightens when the pleasing spice aromatics waft into your nose during the roasting process.
Sweet potatoes nutrition
Sweet potatoes are fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, high in fiber, and low on the glycemic index.
This makes sweeties the perfect substitute for wheat, and other grains, as part of a balanced plate.
HIGH IN FIBER: particularly when you leave the skin on
HIGH IN MAGNESIUM: which promotes rest and relaxation
FULL OF ANTIOXIDANTS: to fight cancer-causing free-radicals
RICH IN VITAMINS: particularly vitamins A, B, C, and E
HIGH IN BETA CAROTENE: which protects eye health
Is sweet potato a carb?
Sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate. About 90 percent of its caloric content comes from carbs.
Carbohydrates include sugars, fiber, and starch.
1 cup cubed sweet potato contains 26.76g of carbohydrates, broken down as follows:
- 5.56g sugar (naturally occurring)
- 4g fiber (with the skin)
- 17.2g starch
Sweet potatoes are relatively low on the glycemic index when boiled, which means they will not spike your blood sugar.
However, roasting greatly increases their sugar content by converting starch to sugar in the process of cooking.
Sweet potato calories
One medium sweet potato (2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long) contains 103 calories, according to Nutritionix.
Sweet potato versus yam
The creamy-smooth, reddish-orange colored sweet potato is actually an American invention that traces its history back to farmers in the 1930s.
Previous than that, sweet potatoes were all white, or yellowish in color.
Slaves from West Africa used the slang phrase “yams” to describe this new type of potato because it reminded them of an African vegetable they were familiar with that had a similar name, according to the Food Network.
This is how the sweet potato came to be interchanged and confused with yams, which are actually a completely different plant family.
Yams have a light beige-colored skin with light flesh, and tend to be much drier and starchier.
You can identify the American sweet potato by its reddish-orange skin, deep orange flesh, and moist, juicy texture.
If you do happen to pick up a yam, or a traditional sweet potatoes, or a modern red or purple sweet potato, I encourage you to just go with it.
Each will cook similarly, and each is guaranteed to be sweet and satisfying.
Ayurveda sweet potatoes
Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine based on the idea that disease arises from imbalances in body, mind, and spirit, and the use of food as medicine.
Healing the digestive tract and supporting gut health is a major focus of Ayurveda, so how does Ayurveda view sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are considered easy to digest, and a superfood that almost everybody can enjoy without digestive difficulty.
Compared to regular potatoes, sweet potatoes feel lighter in the stomach, so consider enjoying them more frequently.
Sweet potatoes are alkalizing, and like most red and orange foods, sweet potatoes are nourishing for the trifecta of blood, liver, and lymph.
Some people may find the skin a little harder to digest though.
Since Ayurveda values digestibility over nutrients, if your digestion is weak or sensitive, consider removing (or partially removing) the skins to enhance your enjoyment of sweet potatoes.
Variations
I love the idea of combining the sweet potatoes with other vegetables for added flavor and nutrition.
Other roots and tubers would combine well, such as celery root, parsnips, purple potatoes, or yams.
I also think that leafy greens would be wonderful, such as kale, collards, dandelion greens, Swiss chard, or spinach.
The beauty of adding leafy greens is that you are getting in the bitter taste, which will enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
I also think that any type of onion would be wonderful, such as yellow onion, sweet onion, leeks, scallions, or shallots.
Roasted Sweet Potato with Ginger & Coriander
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan – 3.5 quart with lid
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ghee, or butter
- 1 teaspoon ginger root, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder,
- pinch red chili, or cayenne pepper
- 1 medium sweet potato, (about 2 cups), washed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon mineral salt
- water, (enough to cover up to 1/4 inch of potatoes)
- lemon, freshley squeezed (optional)
Instructions
Equipment prep steps
- If you will use an oven to make this recipe, pre-heat it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and ensure that you choose a saucepan with a fitting lid that can go on the stovetop AND in the oven. The recipe starts on the stovetop to speed up the cooking process, and then finishes in the oven. You may also cook the entire dish on the stovetop.
Recipe prep steps
- Wash the sweet potato well and dry it with a clean cloth. Cut off the ends and any damaged areas of the skin, or peel it entirely with a potato peeler. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
Start the roasted sweet potato on the stove
- Heat ghee or butter on medium heat in a medium saucepan on the stove.
- Add ginger and sauté until lightly browned.
- Add coriander and red chili, and sauté 10-20 seconds to release the aroma.
- Add chopped sweet potato and salt, cover with the lid, and cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to lightly brown. Once you see the browning, move to the next step.
- Add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish up to 1/4-inch high. Careful not to add too much water. Mix well to coat the potatoes with ghee and spices.
- Cover, and cook for 15 minutes (either in the oven, or covered on medium-low heat on the stovetop).
- Check for doneness. The potatoes will be done when a knife pierced into the flesh comes out easily. If they still need more time, stir to marinade the potatoes in the ghee and spices, and add a bit more water if needed. Continue to cook until soft.
Notes
Variation: add greens
Along with the water, add 4 cups chopped kale, collards, dandelion greens, Swiss chard, or spinach.Variation: add root vegetables
Along with the sweet potatoes, add chopped celery root, parsnips, purple potatoes, or yams.Variation: add onions
Along with the sweet potatoes, add yellow onion, sweet onion, leeks, scallions, or shallots.Nutrition
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