Sweet potato toast topped with courgette hummus and avocado
Sweet potatoes sliced, toasted and topped. It’s as simple as that. If you’re aiming to add more wholesome foods into your diet simply, this is one way to do it. Using sweet potato is super easy meal to change up your breakfast, lunch or brunch!
Sweet potato toast is also a brilliant choice for anyone who looking for a gluten-free option.
Sweet potatoes are full of nourishment and support the regulation of blood sugar levels. They’re low on the glycemic index which makes them a good option for anyone who is reviewing how they fuel their body effectively. They’re a strong source of vitamin E which supports the health of our skin as well as potassium which regulates our fluids and helps us to prevent water retention in our body.
How to make sweet potato toast
Peel the skin of the potato or scrub it in water. Sweet potato skin can be treated with wax or chemicals so make sure you remove any nasties before eating.
Wash the potato before slicing the potato length-ways, you want the toast to be long and thin. They should look like rectangles with a rounded edge and have a thickness of around 0.5cm – just under 1cm.
Dry the potato, patting it with kitchen towel before popping it in the toaster.
Everyone’s toaster is different so the first time you make sweet potato toast make sure you keep an eye on it. I pop it down on a medium to high heat and repeat a couple of times. It’s ready when it starts to caramelize and brown slightly.
Watch for the edges so they don’t burn.
Top with your favourite flavours.
I love zesty food for breakfast so I’ve topped mine here with avocado smash (mashed avocados with fresh lemon juice) and homemade courgette hummus, with cherry tomatoes and walnut. This tasted like the most delicious bruschetta.
Anything goes, try any nut butter with banana, a favourite pesto with fresh spinach leaves and pepper, fresh hummus with chargrilled artichokes, a salsa topped with tofu. Anything goes!
I made this smoothie for the first time on Christmas Day morning, keen to get as much of the green stuff in me as possible before all the feasting began. To make it even more tempting I added some goji berries and coconut to make it look a little festive.
This smoothie isn’t just for Christmas though; I’ll be adding it to my post-workout drinks, as well as being super nourishing, both goji berries and cucumber can provide vital natural nutrients and minerals to our bodies which help them recover quicker.
Ingredients
One apple
Handful of spinach
Two sticks of celery
A third of a large cucumber
Fresh mint
Handful of goji berries
Water or a nut milk of your choice
Goji berries
Forget blueberries, goji berries have ten times the amount of antioxidant power – add this super berry to your list this winter, naturally supporting your immune system and heart health.
They’re also known to give our muscles a helping hand in two ways – providing the nutrient betaine to help our muscles grow and beta-sitosterol which helps to alleviate muscle soreness.
Celery
If you want to feel full after eating, celery makes a great addition because it is high in water leaving you feel comfortably full after your meal. It’s low in calories and high in fibre. Its water content has diuretic properties which can help to balance hormones in the body including the stress hormone cortisol – much needed if you’ve been rushing around all of the festive season. Surprisingly it’s also full of calcium and potassium which support the health of our bones, nervous system and blood pressure. In Eastern medicine celery stalks & roots have long been used to manage high blood pressure, through their coumarin content. I’d never heard of coumarin so I did some research. It’s a natural phytochemical found in some plants and is a natural blood thinner; it can support the body to reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes.
Apple
The apple adds a little sweetness to this smoothie but unlike some other fruits it is low on the Glycemic Index (GI) and in calories so it won’t send your blood sugar levels rocketing. I just decore my apple and pop it straight in to my NutriBullet with the skin still in tact because this part of the apple is full of nourishing plant chemicals.
Peeling an apple can remove more than 50% of its fibre, vitamin C and iron content!
Apples also contain excellent levels of pectin which is a soluble fibre which helps regulate and support a healthy digestive system. Amazingly it can also give our bowels a helping hand depending on the problem, soothing both constipation and diarrhoea. Pectin can also help our bodies to manage any unhealthy cholesterol and help to actually reduce it.
Mint
Mint is brilliant at rescuing an upset or unbalanced stomach. At this time of year it’s easy to consume lots of rich and acidic food and drink. Mint is one way of soothing your tummy.
Similar to apples, mint can adapt its super powers depending on our internal needs. To assist our body in re-balancing it can soothe by acting as a sedative or act as an energiser.
Spinach
I add spinach to a lot of my smoothies – even the chocolate ones, it doesn’t have a strong flavour so it’s an easy one to add with a ton of health benefits. It’s super high in antioxidants and also has anti-inflammation super powers. Because it’s raw I add half a lemon which helps our bodies digest and absorb more of the vital minerals like calcium and iron. It’s also rich in carotenes and vitamin K which is good news for our eyes and bone health.
Cucumber
Not many people know that cucumbers are a good source of electrolytes which you should try to replace after a workout. As well as being a good source of B vitamins, it’s also hydrating as it’s full of water – save yourself a fortune on energy drinks and add cucumber to your smoothie or juice instead. Read more about cucumber in my Scrumptious Green Juice post.
This smoothie is super rich in the plant-based vitamin H (or B7) commonly known as biotin. Biotin helps to strengthen our hair and nails and also helps our body to create natural energy through converting food into fuel. It also helps us to metabolise fatty acids and protein.
I originally created this for a lovely friend who I met through work when she told me she was having trouble with her hair. Over a couple of evenings I sourced the best fruits, vegetables and nuts that were naturally high in this vitamin. It took a couple of attempts to get it right, now I think it’s spot on. Its consistency is like a creamy thick shake so it’s definitely worth topping with water otherwise you’ll be eating it out of a bowl! If you do want to eat it out of a bowl you can add granola and top with fruit. If you want an extremely healthy chocolate thick shake try adding some raw cocoa.
Ingredients
handful of spinach
2 teaspoons of flaxseed
half an avocado
100g berries
2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
1/5 cucumber (about 100g)
300ml whole bean soya milk
5 almonds
3 brazil nuts
Top with water
To make this I use a large Nutribullet cup.
Nourish
Not only is the smoothie high in vitamin H and complex B minerals but the avocado, sunflower seeds and almonds also mean it’s a good source of vitamin E and protein. I used a combination of frozen mixed berries which have a range of health benefits including helping to maintain a healthy gut, lowering blood pressure and being high in antioxidants.
I chose whole bean soya milk because this is one of the richest forms of biotin you can get. If you don’t use soya, an almond milk would be a good alternative. If you eat dairy then you can also use milk or a liquid yogurt which is also high in biotin.
Everyone who tries this delicious plant powered potato gratin comments that it’s just as creamy and delicious as the dairy version but feels a lot lighter. This is really simple and quick to make and can be a scrumptious side dish for a stew, a pie or Sunday dinner. If you’re like me, you’ll want to eat a whole bowl of it when you’re snuggled on the sofa one autumnal evening – this is the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
600g potatoes
400ml coconut milk
1 onion (around 100g)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Half a cup of nutritional yeast
1 spring onion (optional)
Salt and pepper
Method
Turn the oven on to 200 degrees (fan).
Slice and dice the onion (red or white) and pop it in the frying pan with a drizzle of oil – I use rapeseed oil. Cook it on a low to medium heat while you slice the potato into really thin rounds.
As you start to smell the rich sweetness of the onions and they become nice and soft add the can of coconut milk to the pan and stir.
When the coconut milk is warm add the garlic powder and the nutritional yeast. Continue to stir until the nutritional yeast has dissolved into the mixture.
Add the salt and pepper.
Lightly grease the bottom of the baking dish with a little oil and then pour a little of the mixture in. Add the first two layers of potato slices.
Then pour more of the coconut mixture in, make sure all of the potato is covered before adding two more layers of potato. Keep on doing this until you come you have used up all of the potatoes, making sure you have a little bit of mixture to coat the final layer.
Add the slice spring onions and sprinkle more nutritional yeast on top.
Cook for 50 minutes and then serve.
Nourish
What is nutritional yeast?
It’s a deactivated yeast and is a complete protein while being super rich in B vitamins. The one I use is also fortified with B12 which is usually only found it animal products. It has a natural cheesy flavour which is why I add it to anything which is intended to imitate cheese. You can find it in most health food shops or online. I use the Marigold health foods version.
This version of potato gratin is totally approved of by my family and friends who eat dairy. I hope if you’re lactose intolerant or vegan you find this recipe – I think it will make your autumn. Let me know 🙂
I choose to eat vibrantly. The more colour on the plate, the happier I am. If there is anything I have learned over the last ten months; it’s that you eat with your eyes first. This dish is beautiful on the eye, with citrus-coloured noodles topped with a golden cream sauce which is set off perfectly with a deep pink plant-powered ‘chorizo’.
I created and cooked this for my friends last night who are all fans of meat chorizo and they loved it. I hope you love it too.
This serves four people.
Ingredients
‘Chorizo’
120g sweet red pepper
120g sun dried tomatoes (rinsed)
100g walnuts
50g oats
0.5 tbsp paprika
0.5 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp mild chilli powder
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5g ground garlic
Cream sauce
600g squash
Drizzle of rapeseed or olive oil
150 cashews (soaked for in cold water for two hours)
half cup of nutritional yeast
300ml plant milk (i.e. almond, oat, soya)
150ml water
Noodles
2 standard courgette
2 standard sweet potato
tsp coconut oil (or rapeseed or olive oil)
Equipment
I use a Nutribullet to blend the sauce, a Magimix 3200 food processor to make the chorizo and a spiralizer to make the noodles. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can use pasta or gnocchi.
Method
Set your oven to 200 degrees.
Peel the squash and cut it into bite-size cubes. Place it in a bowl and drizzle a little rapeseed or olive oil. Top with salt and pepper. Use your hands to move the squash around the bowl to ensure it is well seasoned and covered with a little oil.
Spread the squash out evenly on a baking tray and cook for 50 minutes at 200 degrees. My fan oven is a little old – if you have a healthier, happier oven 180 degrees may be more appropriate.
De-seed the red pepper, rinse the sun dried tomatoes (if kept in a jar with oil) and pop them in the food processor along with the walnuts, oats and spices. Pulse the mixture until comes together. Although it should be relatively smooth it should still have some texture.
Roll the chorizo mix into sausages, place on grease-proof
paper and pop in the fridge for 40 minutes or so to chill.
Once the squash is cooked let it cool on the tray before blending. It should be soft, but hard enough to still hold it’s shape and not mushy.
Blend half of the squash, cashew nuts nutritional yeast and 200ml of the plant milk until smooth. Gradually add more of the squash, milk and water. Add salt and pepper to taste. When all blended together this will be quite thick, if you want it to be thinner, add more plant milk or water when you come to heat it later.
Peel the sweet potatoes and spiralizer. Wash the skin of the courgette and then spiralize, place in a wok with the coconut oil and gently heat. When you serve the noodles they should still be firm and a little warm – the bonus of eating these relatively raw is that they retain so many more nutrients.
Remove the chorizo from the freezer and slice into rounds. It should be firm but still easy to cut.
Warm a frying pan with half a tsp of coconut oil and place the chorizo in. Cook at a medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side. When you turn it you should notice that that it has darkened and looks a little grilled.
In the meantime pour the cream sauce in to a saucepan and heat, continually stirring at a medium heat to ensure it doesn’t stick or burn.
Serve up the noodles and top with the cream and chorizo.
This chorizo is a lot softer than the mean version but the use of paprika and other traditional chorizo spices give it that very familiar smell which wins over everyone who is doubtful that the plant-based version will ever compare. If you like your chorizo hot, add more chilli powder and if you love the smokiness of paprika load it up.
Overall this meal is surprisingly fulfilling and you may be surprised at how comfortably full you feel relatively quickly. If you want to add in even more veggies, try stir-fying the noodles with sliced chestnut mushrooms and peas.
Nourish
The nuts in this meal are well-known for their heart boosting powers, strengthening our bodies against cardiovascular disease as well as cancer. Walnuts are rich in anti-oxidants and omega-3, while cashews are rich in zinc and iron which supports a healthy immune system.
Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients but low on the glycemic index which helps stabilise our blood sugar levels, keeping any cravings and hunger at bay. They also support our bodies to lower bad cholesterol and are also high in anti-oxidants and vitamin E.
🌟
I really hope you enjoy this recipe this Autumn and do let me know what you think.
Is there anything better on a cold and dreary autumnal evening than waiting to tuck into creamy coated soft potatoes hidden by a rich bubbling sauce; the top golden brown and caramelised, the rich aroma wafting through the oven door…..
Definitely not. And it’s even better when you know the tatties you’ve lovingly prepared are homegrown from your mini home-based veggie patch. As tonight was my first time cooking with them, I decided to try and get inventive and create a traditional gratin but without the dairy.
Purely plant-based potato gratin
I used to adore potato gratin, I was an absolute cheese monster so I used to overload it, bake it, eat it and then suffer from a foodie ‘hangover’.
This very handsome looking gratin is still just as creamy and rocks a similar richness to dairy-based gratin but is so much lighter. No ‘hangover’ for me tonight, yet I feel delightfully full and satisfied. This potato-based dished is totally fueled by plants – no dairy and no soya. It’s easy and deliciously comforting.
I ate it tonight with an Italian seasoned tomato, spinach, aubergine and kidney bean stew and they complimented each other perfectly.
I’m going to make this for friends on Monday and get down the recipe. Tonight I just threw a whole lot of ingredients into the dish and made a little wish that it would pay off. It did and I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s going to be my ‘go to’ dish this Autumn.
This smoothie isn’t just for Christmas though; I’ll be adding it to my post-workout drinks, as well as being super nourishing, both goji berries and cucumber can provide vital natural nutrients and minerals to our bodies which help them recover quicker.
Mint
I originally created this for a lovely friend who I met through work when she told me she was having trouble with her hair. Over a couple of evenings I sourced the best fruits, vegetables and nuts that were naturally high in this vitamin. It took a couple of attempts to get it right, now I think it’s spot on. Its consistency is like a creamy thick shake so it’s definitely worth topping with water otherwise you’ll be eating it out of a bowl! If you do want to eat it out of a bowl you can add granola and top with fruit. If you want an extremely healthy chocolate thick shake try adding some raw cocoa.
the star beyond 