simplicity.
March 26, 2010 While I am still sick, that doesn’t mean I am going to drown myself in saltine crackers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although depending on what kind of “under the weather” feeling you have, a diet of saltine crackers + ginger ale might be the only thing you can eat.
This bowl of oats was the best [by far] this week. I could just dive in + swim around.
banana –> perfect ripeness
pnut butter –> creamy + melted
coconut butter –> pillowy + sweet
cacao bliss –> chocolate + coconut creaminess
homemade granola –> crunCH!
steel cut oats –> thick.creamy.fabulous.
Please. JUMP in my mouth. Now.
I love food. It surprises me ALL of the time. I love when something so simple + basic can just blow you away. Simplicity is often taken for granted in the food world. Sometimes, the most amazing thing is staring right at you…in it’s purest, simplest form…just waiting for you to see it and gobble it up.
Enter –> sweet potato
I have never had a sweet potato quite like this. Recently, Kath posted on the “low + slow” method for cooking sweet potatoes. She read about it in a Cook’s magazine. If you aren’t familiar with Cook’s magazine [long time subscriber!! love it!] it can be summed up like this:
- Each issue highlights a handful of recipes that they test + re-test and perfect. It is usually a well known recipe that everyone has tried to make at one time or another.
- Product reviews. They rate + test identical products from different companies and let you know where each one falls with the reasoning behind it.
- Pages of handy kitchen tips, ie: how to store certain foods, how to best cut certain foods, etc. Super helpful!
This method of cooking, is definitely what I would call Simple Perfection.
Here is what I did:
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Slice sweet potatoes ~1/2” thick
- Lightly coat with olive oil + a sprinkling of salt
- Bake for 20min [turning once]
- Turn heat to 400*
- Bake for ~15-20min more [turning once]
You won’t even believe what you have just done. As you puncture through the slightly crunchy browned skin, the center oozes with creaminess. It is like you puree’d sweet potatoes and infused them back into the potato. The flavor is equally as amazing. No extra salt was needed. No cinnamon. No maple syrup. They were sweet + caramelized + delicious.
You really must try this out.
Can’t get much better. Can’t get much simpler.
2 farm fresh eggs + kale chips + 1 sweet potato –> lunchtime perfection
My how my lunches have changed SO much in just ONE year! :)
…
I worked up the nutritional info for my protein packed Make You Go CRUNCH Granola!
Yields appx. 3c –> 1/2c serving size
cals: 230
fat: 11g
sugars: 9g
sodium: 102mg
fiber: 4g
protein: 6.5g
So what do you think? I was pretty happy with this. While it does seem calorie dense, I’m not eating this as cereal. Although 1c would be about equal to my morning bowl of oats and probably packed with more protein. I love that the sugar content is SO low. Calories from sugar add up to 41. Not too shabby. I was really excited about the protein + fiber being so high and this REALLY was tasty. If you are looking for a super low calorie granola, it will be hard to fill it with protein + fiber, unless you’re just adding protein powder [but not sure how that would taste]. If you don’t remember, I used unsweetened applesauce in place of most of the oil, taking the oil down to only 1/2T. I’m not sure I would do anything different next time. If you are looking for a sweeter granola I would suggest adding more applesauce or adding pureed banana like I did with the Banana Coconut granola.
If you are looking for some granola crunch, but just don’t want all those calories, I would suggest JUST using oats + applesauce + a tiny bit of oil + maple syrup or honey.
…
Time to watch a movie with the huz. I am getting cabin fever in the house…must get out tomorrow!!
~Ashley
Reader Comments (49)
I just bought a few sweet potatoes yesterday to cook for my Mom and Dad - neither of them has ever had a sweet potato IN THEIR LIFE. I can't even imagine that. I'll definitely be trying this method when I cook them up tomorrow. It looks delicious! And those eggs... I'm not a super huge egg eater but I always end up craving them after I read about the farm freshness of those babies. Yum. Enjoy your movie night with the Hubby!
i really REALLY like that way of cooking sweet potatoes...although sometimes i'm impatient and cut them REALLY thin so they cook faster! more of a chippy texture that way :)
i'll take a run for you tomorrow! hope you continue to heal and feel MUCH better!
Okay, you have me DROOLING, and not even from just the photos - but your DESCRIPTIONS of the food!!!!
Wow.
And, yes, I must try that sweet tater method - they sound fantabulous!!!
I have been drooling over those low and slow sweet potatoes. I just haven't had the time yet! As soon as I do, though - they are in my oven roasting away :P
All your eats look killer. And gorgeous photos, as always :)
You totally nailed all of my favorite parts about "our" oatmeal :) We love all the same things!!
That meal looks delicious!! I want to try sweet potatoes that way.
mmm, looks delicious!
Great... now I want another bowl of oats!!!
I love cooking sweet potatoes that way!! They really are the best... though I peel mine because someone else in our house won't eat potatoes w/peels... hmph. boys.
Ok, now I definitely have to try those sweet potatoes with the low+slow method (I wonder if that works with other veggies / squashes... :o )!
I've also started making my own granola lately and I use 1 tbsp sweetener (I've found maple syrup to be the best out of syrup, honey and agave, but the agave batch I burnt :x) 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1tbsp+2tsp applesauce (3 tbsp liquid total) per cup of oats. Have you made any oats without oil at all? If you have, can you tell the difference? Like, does it add more crunch? More flavor?
I think it tallies up to about 5 - 1/4 cup servings meaning that there's about 2.4g added sugar per 1/4 cup but sometimes I can't taste much of it... maybe I need to add a bit more sweetner, lol.
I just found your blog and I LOVE it. All of your recipes look amazing!
oh my - that all looks so good!!!! Especially the oats!
Hope you feel better soon :)
Brilliant way to cook sweet potatoes; I can't wait to give it a try. While I love sweet potatoes, I only like them 'savory', and I really despise it when they start to caramelize at high temps--just too sweet for me.
looks soooooo good...
describing the bliss is
almost as fun!
is that the WF pnut butter?
i love sweet potatoes too
(altho here we call 'em yams)
and i've actually taken to
roasting them in coconut butter
and vanilla or cinnamon
then mixing the chilled puree
into my fruit and yogurt
or morning oatmeal.
yummmmmmy!
great way to use up the leftovers
that suffer a night in the fridge.
;)
I just added sweet taters to my grocery list. Guess I need to actually go to the store now huh?
Thanks so much girl. These are a MUST make if you like sweet taters!!
:) hehee
Bahahahaa...sorry ;)
Sweet taters are one thing chris isn't too big on...he might like them this way...yeah... boys!
Oh wow, I will definitely have to use coconut butter instead of olive oil next time!!! Thanks!
yes, get your bootaaay to the store!
That is the perfect dinner in my book! Love the bowl of oats too. YUM! I just ate and now I am hungry again!
I recently found your blog and love it!
I just started making my own granola and have never added any oil. I adapted my recipe from the Laurel's Kitchen cookbook - 4 cups of oats, half a cup of sweetner (I have used agave, applesauce and banana in separate batches), half a cup of chopped nuts, half a cup of dried fruit and cinnamon. It has always turned out super tasty and cruchy!
I made the sweet taters last night just as you described and they were AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing the recipe and giving me a new way to bake 'em. My sweet potatoes were pretty small so I'd like to try this out with a bigger variety, but overall they were fantastic. :)
-Lisa
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Just found your blog....Loving it!!
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Interesting article. Were did you got all the information from... :)
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mmm, that sounds wonderful! i always do a fast & furious approach--clearly the low and slow is superior! i am also envious of your green little spoon--where did you find such a charmer?
crate + barrel
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Aw...to sweet! Sweet taters with those flavors sound amazing!!
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In regards to the mention of Cook's Magazine: Is that the *full* name, or is it Cook's ILLUSTRATED Magazine? I am not finding a Cook's Magazine anywhere. Does anyone know the answer to this question?
Yes! It's Cooks Illustrated. Sorry for the confusion.
Ashley--> First, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Second, thanks for letting me know!!
Ashley--> So glad you enjoyed it!