SWEET POTATO “ESCABECHE”

I love sweet potato…what a delicious way to add sweetness to a meal. With a little motivation from Kimberly Snyder’s Sweet Potato Beauty Detox Salad, I started to work in my lab and created this yummy sweet potato marinade. I call it a sweet potato escabeche, because we have a similar dish in Puerto Rico.The green banana escabeche or “guineito en escabeche” which is a common dish during family gatherings.

Sweet potatoes have many health benefits and are a smarter choice than the regular potato. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kidneys. This health benefit caught my attention since dehydration is a common ailment in Florida due to the heat. Personally I’ve seen my father battle severe cramps after a day of hard outdoor work and possibly his potassium level going down, so eating foods with high potassium such as bananas and also sweet potatoes have definitely helped get those potassium levels up and prevent cramps. Always visit your doctor if you have suffered severe cramps or have other symptoms that are new to your body and they can diagnose and treat you accordingly. I have also had bad leg cramps, so drinking plenty of water is important to keep our body hydrated.

This fun and easy recipe will benefit your family’s health and will also be a fun new meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 Sweet potatoes diced
• 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 small onion sliced
• Handful of green olives chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

1. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes
2. Bake your sweet potatoes in a spray coated pan in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until they are lightly crisps on the outside and cooked on the inside
3. Meanwhile, add your olive oil in your pan and sauté the onion, garlic, olives and pepper. Sauté until onion is soft, add the bay leaves and salt.
4. When the sweet potatoes have been baked, place in your nice dish and add the sauté mix and toss.
5. Enjoy!

You can eat it with a hearty salad or some steamed veggies or just add it to one of your meals this week. Let me know if you liked it!!