If you are what you eat, I am well on my way to looking like a famous purple dinosaur! I found these amazing purple sweet potatoes at Whole Foods and have been hooked. I like the mix of traditional and purple because the color contrast is amazing. The flavor is very similar to a traditional orange sweet potato but the appearance is a show stopper.
Chances are the purple potatoes come from North Carolina because of the proximity and the dark purple skin. The Okinawan sweet potato are originally from Japan and commonly grown in Hawaii. However the skin is very light, and my new addiction has a significantly darker skin.
From a nutrition standpoint, they truly are a super food. No fat, very low in sodium, great source of fiber and loaded with anthocyanins which are the phytochemical that give them their incredible color. These antioxidants are so good for you, and this purple sweet potato has better antioxidant activity than Vitamin C or Vitamin E. They are cancer fighters, diabetes fighters, good for your skin and bones and did I mention they are yummy?
My favorite way for any sweet potato is peeled and sliced, tossed in olive oil and roasted in a hot oven (400°) and seasoned with either sea salt, lemon pepper or my favorite Zatar found at Penzey's spices. They are also delicious well scrubbed and baked, and the skin is delicious crunchy and salted. I'm not sure what would happen if I made them at Thanksgiving and topped them with marshmallows, but I think we'll find out. Maybe sweet potato pie...how cool would that be purple?! For now, oven fries are on the menu and no one is complaining. So, get in there and cook!
Thanks for the Zatar suggestion. It sounds very interesting and I think I'll have to pick me up a jar!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful chips those potatoes made. Yum!