One Ingredient, Three Ways: Philly Food Bloggers Share Their Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes
Welcome to our new occasional series, One Ingredient, Three Ways. This series — in which three Philly food bloggers take on one ingredient and come up with three unique, fun and healthy ways to use it — is all about helping you expand your cooking horizons. So soak up the kitchen inspiration, then get to cooking!
What do you get when you ask three healthy food bloggers to name their favorite ways to eat sweet potato? Three answers that you’ll definitely want to take notes on. Grace Dickinson, Lindsey Kane and Emily Watson, three of our must-follow healthy-foodie Instagrammers, bonded over their love of cooking and eating good-for-you foods. Here, they each share a recipe for a fun, delicious and creative (no mashed sweet potatoes here!) way to eat the fall favorite.
Recipe: Sweet Potato, Greens and Beans Burrito
Photo by Grace Dickinson
I love how sweet potatoes compliment the earthiness of young fall greens. Here, these two star ingredients are given the majority of the attention so that the preparation of the beans can remain quick and simple. Spices infuse the veggies, while the beans are simply tossed with a spritz of citrus to complete a weeknight meal that comes together in no time.
Sweet Potato, Greens and Beans Burrito, makes 5 burritos
By Grace Dickinson
Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
Olive oil, to drizzle
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
Salt, to season
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
3 heaping cups collards, chopped
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 small lime
Goat cheese
5 whole wheat tortillas
Salsa, optional
Cilantro, optional
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place sweet potatoes on top, and toss with olive oil to lightly coat. Continue to toss with chili powder, and sprinkle with salt. Bake 20 minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño. Saute until onion is translucent. Stir in coriander and cumin, and saute for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant. Add collards. Reduce heat to medium. You may want to add a splash or two of water, if the collards aren’t wet. Cook for 10 minutes, or until greens are tender.
Drain beans, and place in a bowl. Squeeze lime juice into bowl. Season with salt. Nuke in microwave to warm.
Once sweet potatoes are soft, begin to assemble the burritos. Place a spoonful of sweet potatoes on your tortilla. Add greens and beans. Finish with a crumble of goat cheese, and cilantro, if using. Fold in the sides, and roll up into a burrito. Add a dollop of salsa to the plate, and serve.
About Grace: Grace Dickinson is a freelance photographer, journalist and author of FoodFitnessFreshAir.com. Her work has appeared both locally and nationally in publications such as Food & Wine, Draft magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and more. When not getting creative in the kitchen, you can catch Grace cruising by bike through Philadelphia with a camera almost always strapped to her back.
Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato Falafel
Photo by Lindsey Kane
This falafel recipe is a winner in so many ways. A lightened-up version to the traditionally fried chickpea cakes, this falafel is baked, avoiding the messy kitchen and excess calories that normally come with frying. When mashed up, leftover baked potatoes are a great binder for DIY veggie burgers. With that same concept in mind, this recipe uses sweet potatoes to marry the flavors you normally see in falafel while adding a subtle sweetness that takes it to a whole new level.
Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato Falafel, makes 4 to 5 servings
By Lindsey Kane, MS, RD, LDN
Ingredients
For falafel dough:
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, juice and zest
~1 c. chickpea flour *see notes in recipe
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
For tahini drizzle:
1/4 c. tahini + 2 tbsp. water
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp. pomegranate molasses
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and rinse the sweet potatoes. Using a fork, poke a few holes and bake until just tender (about 45 minutes to one hour). Allow to cool, then slice in half lengthwise. Scoop the orange flesh into a large bowl (save the potato skins and use them tomorrow to make stuffed potato skins for dinner). Add the cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, and lemon juice. Then, begin to add the chickpea flour in quarter-cup increments. *Assess the texture of the dough; you may need to add a bit more or less chickpea flour depending on the moisture level of the sweet potatoes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Store the dough in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up the dough.
Meanwhile, set the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using two spoons, shape the dough into uniform balls and arrange them on the baking sheet. Spray the balls with olive oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with Tahini Drizzle and garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
For the tahini drizzle:
Set aside 1/2 cup of cilantro for garnish. Whisk all remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
About Lindsey: Lindsey is a registered dietitian and culinary enthusiast local to Philadelphia. Her nutrition consulting services span from individual counseling, to corporate wellness, guest speaking, cooking classes, media appearances, nutrition blogging, and more. Her passion is guiding clients through a personal transformation that embraces realistic habits, celebrates real food, and delivers real results.
Recipe: Sweet Potato, Kale, and Wild Rice Soup
Photo by Emily Watson
The soup is super easy to make and so perfect for these chilly fall evenings. It has soft cubes of sweet potato, earthy kale, and chewy wild rice, all of which soak up the slightly smoky broth. For extra creaminess without the heft, some of the white beans are pureed and stirred in close to the end. Feel free to substitute chickpeas or cannelini beans for the navy beans if you wish.
Recipe: Sweet Potato, Kale, and Wild Rice Soup, makes 4 servings
By Emily Watson
Ingredients
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 c. wild rice
4 c. vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water, divided
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can navy beans, drained and divided (or 1 1/2 c. cooked white beans)
1 c. kale leaves, stems removed and leaves cut into thin strips
1 tsp. salt
Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add dried thyme, smoked paprika, and wild rice. Stir everything together to coat. Add three cups of broth and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add cubed sweet potatoes, 3/4 cup navy beans, and kale and cook for 15 minutes more or until sweet potatoes are cooked.
In a blender, puree 3/4 cup beans with one cup broth, one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and one teaspoon salt until smooth. Add mixture to pot and heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
About Emily: Emily is the creator and author behind Nourishing-Matters.com, a food blog featuring recipes with whole foods. As both a holistic health coach and yoga instructor, she loves making being healthy fun, beautiful, and delicious.
Like what you’re reading? Stay in touch with Be Well Philly — here’s how:
- Like Be Well Philly on Facebook
- Follow Be Well Philly on Twitter
- Follow Be Well Philly on Pinterest
- Get the Be Well Philly Newsletter
