Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
(thanks to Nela and Keith at SFL for this recipe!)

2 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water

Peel and cube sweet potatoes; toss with half each of the oil and salt. Roast on baking sheet in 450-degree oven, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 min.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat remaining oil over med-high heat; sauté onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, pepper and remaining salt until softened, about 8 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.

Let cool slightly. In batches in blender, puree soup until smooth, strain and put into a large clean pot. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
(thanks to Nela and Keith at SFL for this recipe!)

1 or 2 large sweet potato (or regular potatoes)
1 or 2 eggs
1 or 2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of paprika

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the potatoes and cut in very small “fries” (the smaller and thinner, the better) and place in a large bowl. Separate the eggs and discard the yolks. Whisk the egg whites until just lightly frothy. Pour egg whites into the bowl and mix evenly to coat the potatoes. In a large plastic bag, mix the flour with the spices. Add the potatoes and shake to coat. Place potatoes carefully on the baking sheet, shaking off any excess coating. Leave as much space between potatoes as possible. Try not to overlap any or crowd the sheet. Cook on two sheets, if necessary. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until cooked. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fries, but keep an eye on them as they can burn very quickly. If you are baking two sheets, place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and switch their position half way through baking.

Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potato Quesadillas
(thanks to Nela and Keith at SFL for this recipe!)

2 cups shredded leftover turkey
¼ cup salsa
4 large whole wheat tortillas
½ cup sweet potatoes, mashed (or squash)
½ cup light mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, sliced

In a large bowl combine leftover turkey and salsa. To construct quesadilla, place one tortilla on work surface and spread with half the mashed sweet potato. Then add half turkey mixture, green onion and cheese. Top with tortilla and brush with a bit of olive oil.

In a large skillet over medium high heat add quesadilla oil side down then brush the top with oil. Cook for about 3 minutes until bottom begins to brown and cheese starts to melt. Flip and repeat.

Remove quesadilla from pan, cut into wedges and serve with salsa and a yogurt based dip.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns
(thanks to Nela and Keith at SFL for this recipe!)!

2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated coarsely
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and fry onions over medium high heat until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and sweet potatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through and crispy. You may stir the potatoes as they cook to keep them loose and separate, or allow them to form a cake, then flip halfway through cooking to ensure even browning. Both ways are good. Serves 4.

Fresh Cut Shoestring Fries
(from Bridget’s Green Living Recipe Book)

* The key to making these oven-baked fries crispy is to cut them as thinly as possible

one sweet potato
3 medium potatoes
2 T olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Peel potatoes or just give them a good scrub if they’re thin skinned (sweet potato will have to be peeled).

Slice them as thinly as possible and toss in a bowl with oil and salt and pepper.

Spread in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (Oil the sheet lightly if you don’t have parchment paper).

Bake at 450 for about half an hour (or until they’re crisp to your liking), moving them around the baking sheet every 10 minutes or so.

Remove from oven and serve.

Great variation:
- in addition to the salt and pepper, toss with ¼ tsp Chili powder and ¼ tsp oregano.

Chicken Balti
(thanks to Nela and Keith at SFL for this recipe!)

400g chicken, cut in big chunks
zest and juice of 1 lime
500g yogurt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 large sweet potato, cubed
200g green beans, snapped in half
400-500g jar of balti sauce
300ml vegetable or chicken stock

For the raita:
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
200ml plain yogurt
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh coriander

To make the balti, marinate the chicken in the lime zest and juice and yogurt for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the sweet potato cubes until just golden. Throw in the green beans and pour in the jar of balti sauce and the stock. Toss in the marinated chicken pieces and cook for 15 to 20 minutes over a moderate heat until cooked through.

To make the raita, mix the chilli, cucumber, lemon zest and juice with the yogurt, and season to taste. Serve the balti garnished with a sprig or two of fresh coriander, and a bowl of raita on the side. It’s also delicious served on some basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions. Serves 4

IF YOU DONT HAVE BALTI SAUCE:

3 tbsp Vegetable (or olive) oil
2 onions, chopped
small piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
fresh chopped coriander (handful)
salt to taste

Fry the onions, ginger and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato and stir-fry, breaking it up with the spoon. Pour in 300 ml water, and stir in the other ingredients. Bring to the boil. Add coriander towards the end.