Ever buy a bag of sweet potatoes? I have. I’m currently working on one right now.
I like to rotate foods so I don’t develop allergies. So it’s potatoes and sweet potatoes, rotated.
In addition, sweet potatoes are nutritious. They contain important nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They’re also rich in an antioxidant called beta carotene, which is effective at raising blood levels of vitamin A.
And, they’re inexpensive, especially at Costco and Trader Joe’s, and filling.
Since I’m working on a bag of sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s right now, I was intrigued by an article on Food & Wine on the best way to cook them.
They tried microwaved, halved, wrapped in foil, slow-roaster, frozen, and unwrapped.
The recommendations? Cutting sweet potatoes in half and baking them received top marks.
Baking them whole at 400 degrees F. received second place.
After you bake a half a bag of sweet potatoes, then what? It’s a great way to do batch cooking, but creative ideas are needed.
Here’s a recipe I like from Simple Veganista: Carrot, Sweet Potato + Coriander Soup With Roasted Turmeric Chickpeas:
Ingredients
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
- 1 can (14 oz.) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1/2 heaping teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 heaping teaspoon cumin
- pinch of salt
Soup
- 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, or 1 small, diced
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled, and sliced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled, and cubed
- 1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- mineral salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, a Silpat baking mat, or light grease with coconut or olive oil.
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Gently pat dry, they don’t have to be completely dry. In a medium size mixing bowl, place the chickpeas, oil, turmeric, cumin, and salt, mix well to coat. Place chickpeas on baking sheet in a single layer. Place in oven for 40 – 45 minutes, stirring once. Set aside to cool.
Soup: In a large Dutch oven/pot, heat oil over medium heat, add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, sweet potato, and coriander, cook for 1 minute or so, add broth/water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender. Alternately, you can use either a blender or food processor. It may take two batches to complete. Add extra water as needed to thin. Reheat on low until warmed through if needed.
To serve: Serve topped with roasted chickpeas and chopped cilantro. A small handful of micro-greens are great too. Pair with your favorite artisan bread.
Serves 4
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five to six. For longer storage, freeze for up to two to three months.
Try it, you’ll like it. You can leave out the cilantro, which I don’t like, and it’s just fine. Also, since you’ve already baked the sweet potatoes in your batch cooking, you don’t need to cook them but just whir them up with the immersion blender along with the carrots.
Also, one time, I didn’t get the chickpeas roasted, but I enjoyed the soup.
