sweet potatoes – Vegan Babymama

Curry Sweet Potato Stew

In my last blog post, I shared Jack’s food allergy diagnosis. It forced us into a wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and cashew-free diet. I am have been avoiding most of nuts—besides peanuts, he tested negative for those–until more testing is done too. The other day I realized Jack won’t be able to eat most Indian foods now because they contain ghee. My little Fijian baby loves going to Indian restaurants! So I decided to make my own little curry creation that he could eat.

Curry Sweet Potato Stew

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tbs coconut oil

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1 clove of garlic, mince

1/4 inch of ginger root, peeled and minced

1 tbs curry powder

1/2 tbs mango powder

1/2 tbs ground coriander

1 tbs gram masala

1/2 tbs paprika

Red chili flakes, to taste

1 can of coconut milk

2 cups spinach, chopped

Salt to taste

Add the quartered sweet potatoes to a large pot of cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until tender.

While that’s going, add the coconut oil to a large skillet over medium heat.

Once it the oil is heat, add the bell pepper. Cook until tender.

Add shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook until the shallots are soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the curry powder, mango powder, ground coriander, gram masala, paprika, and chili flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Once the potatoes are ready, drain and return to the pot.

Mash them slightly. A few chunks left over are fine, we aren’t making a soup.

Add the spice and veggie mixture to the pot.

Add the coconut milk to the pot and mix well.

Season with salt as desired.

And there you have it! A tasty pot of sweet potato stew!

The boys are pan-fried chicken and I had lentils. Jack decided he wanted lentils later too. A lovely warm dish for the fall!

Sweet Potato and Squash Pizza

I was too lazy to go the store to get ingredients for my friday night pizza, so I decided to use the random veggies I had in the fridge and freezer. Some frozen yellow squash, purple sweet potatoes, onion, and olives. Bit of a random assortment, so I decided to first sauté everything (except the olives) in olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Sweet Potato and Squash Veggie Pizza
1 ball of pizza dough (try mine)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (try my mushroom sauce)
1/2 cup frozen sliced yellow squash
1-2 purple sweet potatoes (normal potatoes if you cannot yet purples), peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs Italian seasoning
Handful kalamata olives
1/2 cup vegan cheese (I used Daiya)

Pre-heat the oven to as high as it will go.

Cut the sweet potatoes into fairly thin slices. Slice the onions and chop the garlic too.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and some red rappers flakes if you want some kick. Add the onions and cook until they start to brown slightly.

Next add the sweet potatoes and cook until they start to brown too.

Add the squash and cook until no longer frozen.

Add the Italian seasoning and mix together well, then remove from the heat.

Next, roll the pizza dough out and shape into desire pan.

Spread on the tomato sauce.

Then the vegan cheese.

Next add the sautéed veggies and top with the kalamata olives.

Cook for 10-15 minutes or so, until the crust is golden.

I love the texture contrast between the sweet potatoes and cheese. It paired nicely with a glass of merlot.

Purple Sweet Potato Hash

I talked about purple sweet potatoes, or ‘uala in Hawaiian, in my Purple Sweet Potato Salad post. But I have fallen more in love with them since. They are cheap at the Hilo Farmers Market so I buy them often. My new favorite breakfast is a purple sweet potato hash. A little sweet, a little salty, and very easy to make. A hash is usually just chopped or julienned ingredients pan-fried until golden brown. Most common kind is hash browns, which usually consist of white potatoes. While I have nothing against traditional hash browns, purple sweet potatoes have more nutrients too. You might as well get more vitamins and minerals in your food if you are going to cook them in fat.

This is the most basic way to make this hash. You can add in veggies, beans, tofu, or even top them with some vegan cheese. I had shortening left over my from birthday cupcakes so I fried them in shortening but olive oil is great too.

Purple Sweet Potato Hash
1 cup purple sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tbs vegetable shortening
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

Wash, peel, and dice the sweet potatoes. Mince the garlic.

Heat the shortening in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the shortening is melted, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook for a minute or so, just until you can smell the garlic. Don’t let it brown or burn.

Next add the sweet potatoes. Stir to coat every piece.

Next pour in the water and cover with the lid so the potatoes can steam. Keep it covered for 3-5 minutes until the water is mostly evaporated.

Remove the lid and turn up the heat a little so the potatoes can brown. Cook to desired color and crunchiness. It hard to tell because of their dark color, but I like mine lightly golden.

Remove from the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This hash makes a wonderful main dish or a nice side dish. Try it with a tofu scramble and some soy bacon strips. I ate mine as is with a dash of hot sauce. I love a good Sunday morning breakfast.

Here Comes Summer: Brats, Fries and Coleslaw

The semester is almost over, which means soon it will be summer. I am staying for summer classes so I will miss the lovely summer back home in Oregon. So I decided to bring a little of an Oregon summer to me with a Tofurkey brat, sweet potato fries and an light coleslaw.

Tofurkey is made by the Hood River, Oregon-based company Turtle Island Foods Inc, —and one of the best vegan brands out there. Not only is their name-sake product, Tofurkey amazing (even my carnivorous dad and brother look forward to some every Thanksgiving), they also make delicious brats and sausages too. Their Beer Brats are my favorite. They make me think of home because they are made with Full Sail Ale (another fine Oregon product). The texture and taste are perfect, and they are even juicy and sizzle on the grill. I put mine in a whole wheat bun, and topped it with ketchup and mustard. Doesn’t get much more summer-y than a big juicy brat. And you will live to enjoy more summers since this brat has zero cholesterol.

Sweet potatoes are not only sweet, but super as well. They are a superfood, which means they have a lot of vital vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties. I love them in curries and stews, but they make great fries. I have always liked them better than regular fries, especially when seasoned with herbs. They are easy to make, but I had a few Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries in the freezer that needed to be eaten.

I had some cabbage and apple that needed to be eaten as well, so I made a simple light coleslaw. I hated coleslaw as a kid because they were the traditional “more-mayo-than-anything-else” style. I like mayonnaise, just in moderation. Veganaise is hands down the best mayonnaise ever, vegan or otherwise. Please try it, it’s soooooo creamy. I sadly don’t have any Veganaise so I used Annie’s Goddess Dressing. I also suggest adding raisins, nuts, and carrots to the coleslaw for some sweetness and crunch.

Not only is this meal delicious and healthy, it is also easy. The only hard part is waiting for the coleslaw to chill. This is proof that healthy food can be fast food.

Here Comes Summer Dinner:
Light Coleslaw:
2 cups cabbage, shredded (any kind is fine, I used Chinese)
1 large red apple, chopped (I used golden delicious)
1/2 to 1 cup, depending on taste, Annie’s Goddess Dressing
1 tbs sesame seeds
1/2 tbs mirin
salt and pepper to taste

Brats and Fries:
Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
Garlic salt
Tofurkey Beer Brats
Whole wheat hoagie rolls (the brats are too big for a simple hot dog bun)
Plenty of ketchup, mustard or other condiments

Sweet, crispy, and a little tangy.

To make the coleslaw, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the cabbage is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. I made mine the night before. Makes about 4 servings.

Actual serving size. Don’t let your eyes fool you, it was plenty.

Cook your fries according to the directions on the package. Or, you can always make your own. To cut down on fat, use cooking spray instead of oil to grease your cooking tray. Sprinkle with garlic salt for a nice contrasting flavor to the sweetness.

I fed one of these to an ex once and he had no idea it was tofu.

I microwaved my brat for one minute, but they do come out better on the grill. See the package for proper cooking instructions.

Pop the brat into the bun and top with as much ketchup, mustard or any other condiments you like.

Plate up your brat, a serving of fries, and generous scoop of slaw and enjoy a little taste of summer (and Oregon!)

Glass of Reed’s Cherry Ginger Brew and Animal House
to re-live my UO days, can’t believe it’s almost been a
year since I graduated!

After I left the store, I realized this would have been a perfect Oregon summer dinner if I made a marion berry pie for dessert, but I didn’t feel like going back to the store. I will make it for another post soon.