Are you staring at those Sweet Potatoes you bought for turkey day? Are you thinking they have to be laden with butter, sugar, and marshmallows to be good? Well, I want to give a quick alternative called Sweet Potato Whip. It is truly a luscious side dish or dessert much lighter but still oh soo tasty.
Sweet Potatoes are naturally well sweet. You don’t need to cover them with ten pounds of butter and sugar to enhance that. Try these simple switches to lower the calories while maintaining that luscious taste.

• Steam the Sweet Potato instead of boiling to preserve nutrients
• Try some natural sweets like honey, dates or try using something like blackstrap molasses and Grade B maple syrup.
• To achieve that oh so creamy taste that we crave without all that butter try fat free Greek Style yogurt or hemp/Almond/soy milk.
• To boost flavor without the marshmallows, add 1 tablespoon of real Vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness already there.
• If no one is allergic to nuts… chop some walnuts and throw them into the mix. It will help slow the absorption of the sugar.

Sweet Potato Whip

2-3 Large Sweet Potatoes
1/4 cup of Black Strap Molasses or Grade B Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup of honey or Date sugar/or ground dates
1-2 Tablespoons of real Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Clove (optional)
Pinch of Salt
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup fat free or low fat greek style yogurt (can substitute hemp, almond or soy milk)
1/4 -1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1) Steam two large sweet potatoes. This preserves more of the nutrients over boiling them.
2) Scoop out the soft fleshy meat of the sweet potato when done steaming..place into a bowl
3) In a separate pan bring 1/4 cup black strap molasses 1/4 cup honey to a low boil. when boiling and sugar begins smelling sweet sweet sweet add 1-2 tablespoons of real vanilla extract. 1/2 -1 tablespoon of nutmeg and 1/2 -1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Plus a pinch of salt.
4) If no one is allergic to nuts add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts to the liquid mixture.
5) Add 2 tablespoons of water to dilute mixture a little before pouring over the sweet potatoes.
6) Stir all the ingredients together, add 1/4 cup of low fat or non fat greek style yogurt to make it extra creamy.

Bon Appetit!

Nutrition Tidbits

Sweet Potato: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, Copper, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Iron. These root vegetables are often over looked as healthy treats but the Sweet Potato possesses powerful phytonutrients and pigments, anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals, and help control blood sugar controlling. Vitamin A: preserves and improves eye sight and helps immune system fight off viral infections. Potassium: helps muscles and nerves function, keeps your electrolytes and acids in the body balanced, lowers risk of high blood pressure, and helps fight fatigue. Potassium, sodium and chloride comprise the electrolyte family of minerals. Called electrolytes because they conduct electricity when dissolved in water, these minerals work together closely.

Cinnamon: Manganese, Iron, Dietary Fiber, Calcium. Yes, it’s a spice but, did you also know it can help control blood sugar, may help improve brain function, keeps your heart and colon healthy, and is useful as an anti-inflammatory and has anti-microbial ability? Cinnamon slows the rate at which your stomach empties (slowing the rate in which sugars go into the blood stream and maintaining a steadier blood sugar level) and also stimulates your bodies insulin receptors (making it more efficient at utilizing the insulin in the body and therefore metabolize sugar better).

Cloves: Manganese, Omega 3, Vitamin K, Dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Calcium. Manganese is a little known trace mineral that does A LOT to keep us healty. It is vital to absorption of key nutrients (biotin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and choline), keeps your bones strong, helps body utilize fatty acids and cholesterol, helps maintain healthy blood sugar, helps keep thyroid gland functioning properly, protects cells from free-radical damage, and helps keep our nerves healthy.

Nutmeg: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Choline, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6, folate and selenium. Nutmeg cures stomach aches, diarrhea and helps to detoxify the body, reduces blood pressure and increases blood circulation. It is also good for digestion, reducing acidity, relieving vomiting, flatulence and is used as a medicine for respiratory problems. Choline: keeps cell membranes (the walls that allow nutrients into cells and waste to leave cells) functioning normally, helps nerves and muscles communicate properly, keeps homocysteine levels from building up in blood stream (high levels linked to cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis ), reduces chronic inflammation. Thiamin/ B1: helps maintain energy, coordinates activity between nerves and muscles, supports heart function.