Sweet Potatoes: The Other Orange Vegetable

The sweet potato has been a part of my diet since childhood. Who doesn’t remember at least one Thanksgiving dinner with candied sweet potatoes (marshmallow topping optional!). Sweet potatoes are often given to babies as their first taste of solid food. These earthy beauties are universally appealing with their stunning color, luscious texture, and sweet taste.

When I first began studying macrobiotic cooking, I was shocked to discover that potatoes, America’s “perfect” food, where considered among the worst foods for health. Potatoes are stem tubers, so technically speaking we cannot even call them the “root of all evil".  All joking aside, they are one of most acidifying plant foods and for optimum health it is better not to include them as a regular or even semi-regular part of your diet. Being the young enthusiastic macrobiotic student I was, I took this information to heart and pretty much avoided all kinds of potatoes, white, orange, and even purple, for many years.

Missing the wonderful, comforting texture of potatoes, and a favorite veggie bar snack (the french fry), I decided to occasionally include sweet potatoes in my diet. Sweet potatoes are very relaxing, and sweet potato fries make a delicious (but rare!) treat. Fortunately, for all of us who like to indulge, they are classified as tuberous root vegetables and besides being delicious have a number of health benefits. 

I encourage you to enjoy “the other orange vegetable”, a less-dense alternative to the winter squash. 

Today I am going to share my recipe for candied sweet potatoes. While they don’t have marshmallow fluff on top, you are sure to appreciate them even more than the original, sugar-filled recipe. You will also feel great after eating them! 

Sweet, orange and delicious!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes- Peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch thick slices
2 Tablespoons of Brown rice syrup
1 Tablespoon of Barley Malt
1 teaspoon of Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 inch of water to cover the bottom of the pot
A small pinch of Sea salt - 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon

Preparation:
*Note: this works best using a wide, saucepan; ideally a cast iron pan with a lid.
Place Sweet potatoes in the pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
Lower the flame and steam on low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and drizzle a little olive oil over the sweet potatoes.
Add a pinch of salt, cover and continue to steam for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix all of the sweet ingredients together.
Pour the sweet mixture overtop of the sweet potatoes and continue to
cook until they become tender.
As the potatoes cook the sauce will reduce forming a sweet glaze.

Thanksgiving Thanks!

What does the word “thanksgiving” really mean? Try reversing the order of the words to get “giving thanks,” which implies something that goes beyond just saying “thank you.” Giving thanks means demonstrating appreciation. While the words “thank you” are mannerly and polite, appreciation goes deeper than words as it implies action.

Some acts are small, and others are larger. Macrobiotic Philosophy teaches us that the small shows the large, or the part shows the whole. What can we do to demonstrate our appreciation?

Thanksgiving is also a time when families come together. Who is our family? In a sense, our family is larger than just our blood relatives and close friends. What about the food that we eat? The food that we eat creates the quality of our blood, establishing a connection between people who eat similar foods. Food also carries a vibrational quality, which means that food creates our spiritual quality and influences our dreams and goals.

What do I mean by all of this? Well, we are all in this world together. While we may have our separate differences we also share the commonality of the food that we eat. We need to unite and work together to make the world a better place. This is the only way to get what we want, a healthy society, good quality organic foods, and a healthy environment. Together we have a voice and a bright future.
And remember, everyone feels good when they are appreciated.

To show you my appreciation, here is a haiku that I wrote 20 years ago, when I first started practicing macrobiotics:

Brothers and Sisters
all from One Infinity
Love One another

I would also like to share a holiday recipe for Walnut Rice. This grain dish is so simple to make and loved by all. The combination of the walnuts together with the brown rice provide a rich, satisfying, and nourishing quality.

Please follow my recipe for cooking brown rice from my previous post.


Preparation:
Place 1 cup of walnuts in a bowl and rinse with filtered water.
To begin toasting, place the walnuts in a skillet.
Turn on the flame to a lower setting and begin toasting.

*Note: When toasting nuts or seeds it is helpful to be patient and take your time. 

Use a wooden spatula to move and turn the walnuts to prevent them from burning.
The walnuts are done when they are lightly toasted. Place the nuts in a bowl and allow them to cool. When the nuts are cool, they are ready to be chopped. My preference is to chop them by hand.
To serve, place a layer of rice in a bowl and a layer of  walnuts on top of the rice. Continue to layer, with the final layer being walnuts.