Baked Sweet Potatoes with Assorted Toppings

Makes 4 Servings • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: 45 to 60 minutes

I always think of baked sweet potatoes as little rafts of nutritious delight. Unto themselves, they’re quite tasty and full of fiber, a wonderful blood sugar regulator. But what they’re best at, at least when they’re baked and the top is slit open, is carrying numerous other healthy ingredients along for the ride. Chopped herbs, chutneys, veggies, nut creams, yogurt…all are great variations (see below). Many people gravitate towards a sweet potato when they feel like eating but aren’t over-the-top hungry. I like the simplicity with which they can be prepared. Bake four, eat one, put the rest in an airtight container, and they reheat in a flash. A great go-to food!

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ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil or coconut oil
4 orange fleshed sweet potatoes

preparations

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Scrub the sweet potatoes well and dry them off with a clean towel. Brush the skins of the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil. Pierce each potato a several times with a fork or a knife. Place the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until tender.

Make a slit in the top of each sweet potato and add your favorite toppings.

Topping options

  • Basic:  sea salt, freshly ground pepper, with 1 tablespoon butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil or yogurt

  • Add:  1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint, parsley or cilantro

  • Add:  ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon turmeric and/or cumin

  • Add:  2 teaspoons chopped nuts or seeds or 1 tablespoon of nut butter

Other topping ideas

Reprinted with permission from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery. Copyright © 2009, 2017 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA