Sweet Potato-Feta Rounds

Ingredients:

• 3 long, thin sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1 tbsp.+ 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
•  4 oz. reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 10 Servings (3 pieces per serving)

1. Heat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Cut potatoes into 30 (3/4-inch thick) rounds. With a melon baller, carefully scoop a pocket into each potato piece, being careful not to scoop through bottoms; discard scooped-out portion. 
3. Combine potato pieces, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and garlic in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread potatoes out on the baking sheet, scooped-out side up, and roast until potatoes are just tender and edges are starting to brown, 18-20 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, mash feta, chives, and remaining 1 teaspoon oil together in a small bowl. Season with pepper to taste. 
5. Remove potatoes from oven and fill each pocket with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon  cheese mixture. Return to oven and bake until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. These treats make a delicious snack or hors d'Oeuvre at a party. I like to think of these treats as upscale baked potato chips with cheese. The texture of the sweet potatoes are perfect for roasting and using them as filling cups to fill with herbs and cheese. If you don't have feta cheese on hand, goat cheese will work just as well. The cheese mixture can be prepared up to a day ahead of time, refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use. The sweet potatoes can be roasted (without the cheese mixture) up to 8 hours before you serve them, just cover them and leave them at room temperature and then fill them with the cheese mixture and warm through just before serving. 

Spiced Sweet Potato-Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds 
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can spicy diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 wedges (3/4 oz. each) light spreadable cheese
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings (1 1/4 cups per serving)

1. In a steamer, cook the sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. 
2. Meanwhile, in a small ungreased skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and puffed up a bit, 3-5 minutes. Scrape onto a plate to top the cooking. 
3. Transfer the hot sweet potatoes to a food processor. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the broth, cheese, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. 
4. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls an sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve warm. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. Forget going out for fast food. Make this soup instead and you will be happy and satisfied. This vegetable soup is quick, easy, flavorful and delicious. Who knew the combination of sweet potatoes and tomatoes would make a flavorful combination. I recommend using cream cheese in this recipe to give a soup a creamier texture. I also highly recommend adding minced garlic to the soup mixture in the blender because garlic always makes everything taste better. 

Indian-Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs. (about 4 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Makes 4 (3/4 cup) Servings

1. In a steamer, cook the sweet potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and add the garam masala, salt, cumin, and ginger. Mash with a potato masher (or use and immersion blender) to combine. Add the oil and lime juice and mash again. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook. This is a new and spicy take on traditional mashed potatoes. This recipe uses sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes and it's just as delicious as traditional mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain nutrients such as beta-carotene, calcium, vitamin C, and potassium so they are much more nutritious than traditional mashed potatoes. These mashed potatoes are filled with flavor an spice and are a perfect side dish for any Indian main dish. 

Cider-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs.) sliced into 8 wedges each
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple cider

Makes 8 Servings

 

 

Heat oven to 400 F. Toss together potato slices, oil, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking dish and drizzle with cider. Roast until lightly browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

 

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. Baked sweet potatoes are flavorful and delicious when they are done right. These sweet potatoes are perfect for the fall and winter holidays because they will warm your kitchen and your stomach. The combination of apple cider and ground cinnamon make a delicious combination with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes offer a healthy dose of vitamins B6, C, fiber, iron and potassium you will forget they are good for you. Serve these alongside pork, turkey or chicken and they will help make your meal complete. 

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled
• coarse sea salt
• nonstick cooking spray
• lime wedges (optional)

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 250 F. Line 2 sheet pans with a silpat or parchment paper. Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil in a mister
2. Using a wide vegetables peeler or mandolin, slice the sweet potatoes paper-thin in 1 1/2-inch strips. Lay the strips in a single layer on the silpat. Do not overlap or let the chips touch each other. Sprinkle with salt and spray with nonstick cooking spray or mister.
3. Place the sheet pan in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and slightly golden. Remove from sheet pan and place in a single layer on a clean sheet of parchment.
4. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime over the potato chips.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. These potato chips are a healthy alternative to the regular potato chips you buy at the grocery store. Sweet potatoes are quite tasty when they are seasoned well. These chips make a nice snack during the day whenever you get your hunger cravings. 

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. coarse-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Makes 6 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine the mustard, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes; toss to coat. Gently stir in the cranberries. Transfer sweet potato mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; spread in an even layer.
2. Bake, uncovered, about 1 1/4 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender, stirring once. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or just until sweet potatoes are starting to brown. If desired, garnish with thyme sprigs before serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. This side dish screams to be enjoyed during the fall holiday season. Sweet potatoes and cranberries are in season during the fall and they go perfectly in this side dish. The sweet potatoes and cranberries literally melt in your mouth. Don't forget to cut the sweet potatoes into equal pieces so they roast evenly. This bake goes great with turkey, chicken, pork and even certain kinds of fish.