Ah the Sweet Potato! As the name suggests these tubers are super sweet making them a kid favourite. They are relatively inexpensive and pair really well with lots of different flavors. All of these recipes are staples in my house, and the sweet potato fries are a perfect recipe for moms who are choosing to introduce foods through baby led weaning. I know soup doesn’t seem like the first choice when searching messy eaters but this one is thick enough that it makes for excellent practice with spoon skills! Some recipes might be first time winners and some might take more time with your family. Don’t be afraid to make these recipes your own, tweaking flavours and spicing to your individual tastes!
Sweet potato fries
Ingredients:
2-3 sweet potatoes peeled or unpeeled (your choice) cut into match stick sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Instructions:
Fill a large bowl with cold water
Slice sweet potatoes and soak in the bowl for 1-2 hours.
Drain bowl and pat potatoes dry with a papertowel or dish cloth until very dry
Toss sweet potatoes with remaining ingredients and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
Bake at 400F for forty minutes until fries are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside!
Oniony sweet potato mash
Ingredients:
1 large onion sliced into half moons
2-3 large sweet potatoes peeled and diced
2 tbsp olive oil or butter (Personally I live by the rule that everything is better with butter!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Instructions:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan, and sauté onions over medium heat, cooking them slowly for maximum flavor (you can also do it over high heat to cook them faster, but you don’t get the same caramelization)
Add the potatoes to a large pot of boiling water and cook until they are fork tender
Drain potatoes reserving 1 cup cooking water
Transfer potatoes to the skillet with the onion and mash with a potato masher. The cooking water retains a lot of the starch, so adding some will result in a creamier mash, add 1-2 tbsp at a time while mashing ( too much and it’ll end up as sweet potato water) until you achieve your desired texture.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Spicy Sweet Potato Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 clove of garlic
3 medium sweet potatoes cut in 8
1 heirloom tomato quartered
1 tbsp paprika
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (great way to use up leftover chicken broth)
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bag pre-washed spinach (or 1 package frozen)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the sweet potato, onion and tomato on the cookie sheet along 2 tbsp olive oil
Roast for 25 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and caramelize
**you can skip the roasting step but it really helps develop the flavor
Add the vegetables to a large stock pot along with spices and stock and being to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables and completely soft
Puree with an immersion blender and add spinach to soften 2-5 minutes before serving
**if using frozen spinach defrost in the microwave first and squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the pot
