We know that creating healthy dishes can be difficult, so the dietitians and chefs at bistroMD partnered up to create this healthy Cinnamon Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe, suitable to serve any day of the year!
Did you know sweet potatoes are a root vegetable available in a variety of colors? The lighter white or pale yellow flesh tends to be less sweet than the varieties with red, purple or orange flesh. This recipe features sweet potatoes with orange flesh that provides an excellent source of beta-carotene, which our bodies use to make vitamin A. This recipe also includes olive oil and pumpkin seeds. These are great sources of healthy fat to help your body take full advantage of the beta-carotene found in sweet potatoes.
Nutrition per Serving (Serving size: 8, Serving includes: ½ cup portion with pumpkin seed garnish)
Calories: 120
NET Carbohydrate: 20 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Ingredients
2 lbs Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½” portions
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon Cloves, ground
2 tablespoons Pumpkin Seeds, roasted (optional as garnish)
Instructions
1. Fill the bottom of a steamer pot with about 2 inches of water and place on your stove over high heat. When the water is boiling, place potatoes in the steaming basket and steam for approximately 7 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the flesh.
2. Transfer sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients with the exception of pumpkin seeds. If potato lumps are preferred, mash manually or for a whipped version, use an electric mixer.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with pumpkin seeds.
Dietitian Tip: Steaming sweet potatoes as opposed to baking aids in maximizing their nutritional value by deactivating peroxidase enzymes, which may degrade the integrity of anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant. It also preserves leeching of water-soluble nutrients that occur when the potatoes are submerged in boiling water.
