in other words
november3
2016
9
An Unusual Culinary Column: Some Fun Sweet Potato Recipes
By Karen Kain
I have a funny relationship with
sweet potatoes. As a child I was raised
eating regular potatoes, which were a
big staple in my diet. I have had a bit of
a struggle with the sweet variety simply
because they are sweet. I love sweet po-
tato fries and on occasion, a sweet potato
dish at Thanksgiving, but that is about
it. When I came across these recipes I
thought that they looked fun and wanted
to give them another try. My husband
is not a fan either but we both enjoyed
these recipes and I would make each of
them again.
There are more than a few good
reasons to eat sweet potatoes; they are
high in beta carotene and vitamins A,
E and C. They are healthy, fat free and
cholesterol free. They are full of anti-
oxidants and help to prevent heart dis-
ease and cancer. They boost the immune
system and are said to slow the signs
of aging by promoting good vision and
healthy skin. Sweet potatoes have been
recently labeled as an “anti-diabetic”
food. They are considered to be a super
food and they taste great.
There are also some fun facts
about sweet potatoes. George Washing-
ton developed 118 products using sweet
potatoes; a few include glue for postage
stamps and starch for sizing cotton fab-
rics. North Carolina is the leading pro-
ducer of sweet potatoes in the United
States.
I had fun cooking with the Alex-
ia Sweet Potatoes puffs. The Sweet Po-
tato BBQ Chicken Pizza was really tasty.
The pizza was not too sweet and as I was
eating it I thought that regular potato tots
would also work for this recipe keeping
the pizza gluten free.
If you have been reading my
column for any time you know how
much I love to add some kind of Mexi-
can twist on every dish, this is no dif-
ferent. Although I was highly skeptical
before I made this Sweet Potato Chorizo
Nachos recipe, I am happy to report that
I loved it! The sweet potatoes are gluten
free which may be important for a few
of you. I really enjoyed this meal and the
combination of ingredients totally work
together. This was a great snack that was
eaten up pretty darn quickly.
I love making quiche. I make it
often usually using the left overs in my
fridge. I am not sure why Americans
don’t eat more quiche? It is easy to make
and can be eaten hot and it is also great
when served cold. For those of you who
are staying away from gluten I think this
sweet potato crust is a great substitute
for a flour crust. This is just one way
to enjoy sweet potatoes but I think that
many, many different versions could be
made from these recipes.
Have a great month folks and
thank you so much for all of your com-
ments and recipe ideas.
Sweet Potato BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
1 20 Ounce bag of Alexia Sweet
Potatoes Puffs
½ Red onion, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
3 Chicken thighs or 1 large breast,
chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
½ Cup feta cheese
½ Cup BBQ sauce
1 Avocado, diced
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Pour a bag of
Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs onto a pizza
pan and bake for 10 minutes. While the
sweet potatoes are cooking heat up the
coconut oil in a large skillet and sauté
the onions and chicken until the chicken
is almost done and the onions are soft.
Once you have cooked the potatoes for
10 minutes smash them with a spatula
making the crust. Pour the BBQ sauce
over the potatoes making a thin layer of
sauce. Top with the chicken, onion and
sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake at 400˚
for 20-25 minutes.
Sweet Potato Chorizo Nachos
Ingredients:
1 20 Ounce bag of Alexia Sweet Potato
Puffs
1 9 Ounce package of chorizo, pork
or vegan
1 Avocado, diced
¼ Cup cilantro leaves
3 Green onions, chopped
½ Cup of black beans
½ Cup fresh corn
Jalapeno slices, to taste
½ Cup diced tomatoes
Directions:
Peel then slice the sweet potatoes into
thin slices, a mandolin slicer works great
for this recipe but I used a sharp knife.
Grease a pie pan then lay the sweet po-
tatoes into the pan with the edges over
lapping to make a thin crust. Cut the
slices in half to make the edges. Coat
Directions:
Cook the potatoes as per the
directions on the package. In a
large skillet cook the chorizo.
In a separate pan heat up the
beans and corn together un-
til heated through. Layer the
potatoes, chorizo, beans and
corn on top of each other on
a large plate and then sprinkle with the the sweet potatoes with cooking oil and
bake at 375˚ F. for 30-40 minutes. The
remaining ingredients and serve.
required time will depend on the thick-
ness of your slices. While the crust is
Sweet Potato Quiche
baking slice the onion as thin as you can
Ingredients:
and heat up the coconut oil then sauté the
2 Sweet potatoes, depending on size
onions on medium for about 10 minutes.
Oil to grease the pan, or cooking spray
Add the spinach, salt & pepper, cooking
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
until the spinach wilts. Add the spinach
½ Red onion
mixture to the pie. Beat the eggs and
Salt & pepper to taste
milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper
8 Ounces of fresh spinach
together then pour into the pie. Gently,
5 Large eggs
top with the feta cheese and bake for
½ Cup milk
about 40 minutes, or until the egg is fully
Dash of cayenne pepper
cooked in the middle.
¾ Cup feta cheese
can contact Karen Kain at karen-
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