I've always enjoyed cooking. As a kid, I remember watch Justin Wilson plate up cajun inspired dishes on TV that looked almost as good as grandma's (almost). Over the years, I never lost the passion for cooking. As I got older, I started to gravitate towards the science of cooking, food and the role it played in athletic performance. That's why I became an instant fan of the show Good Eats with Alton Brown. To this day, I still DVR the old episodes, and play them while I'm doing office work. (An old episode has actually inspired a potential product in the NBS line.)
AB had a rule on his show. He didn't believe in having uni-tasker equipment in the kitchen. If it didn't serve multiple purposes, it wasn't worth having. While I'm not that passionate about kitchen equipment, I do feel similarly about food being multi-purpose. In today's society, our time is spread thin. When time is short, the first thing that usually suffers is our nutrition. One of the ways we can combat this is by creating meals that can be repurposed. Essentially we cook a dish that starts out as one thing, but later in the week we turn it into something else.
If you have ever participated in one our coaching programs, or if you have downloaded our Short Course Nutrition plan, you have experienced our feature recipe. Today we are going to explore the possibilities of Sweet Potato Hash!
All by Itself, the Humble Sweet Potato Colonized the World
Carl Zimmer, NYT Article - 2018
If we were doing this blog in true Good Eats fashion, we'd dissect the sweet potato six ways to Sunday. There would be puppets, diagrams and maybe even some history on the sweet potato from a nutritional anthropologist. We won't do all that since we are here to help you save time, but if you really want to delve into the sweet potato, watch the Good Eats episode, Potato, My Sweet, or read this article from the New York Times.
While the sweet potato may be humble on the outside, it is a powerhouse of nutrition on the inside. It is readily available, easy to store, super cheap and versatile in its uses. You could make a valid argument that it is THE perfect food. Either way, it definitely deserves to be put into your weekly nutrition rotation.
Let's look at a couple of uses for the star of our show.
Sweet Potato Hash
Ingredients
5 sweet potatoes, medium sized (about 5 in. long), cubed into half inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, medium sized, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. olive or coconut oil
Seasonings of your choice*
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Steam** the sweet potatoes for about 5 - 7 minutes, or until a fork will penetrate the surface, but not the middle. You want them slightly under cooked.
2. Place a large non-stick skillet, or cast iron if you have it, over medium-high heat and bring to temperature.
3. Add the oil to coat the pan.
4. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Keep it moving in the pan.
5. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Keep stirring.
6. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes***. It's ok to let the items sit for a minute and brown on the outside.
7. Add your salt and pepper and seasonings.
Notes
* Seasonings are listed as your choice as it will depend on what you intend to do with it later in the week. I gravitate towards southwest and creole flavors, but that's just me. I normally add garlic and onion powder, paprika and a little chili powder.
** Steaming the potatoes will cut down on cooking time in the pan. An interesting fact...steamed and boiled sweet potatoes have less sugar than baked sweet potatoes.
*** Don't overcook your hash. You want the vegetables to still have some snap to them since you will be reheating and repurposing the dish later in the week.
So the hash is cooked. Now what? Well, you can...
- Top it with fried eggs and avocado (my favorite)
- Add some black beans for a vegan, protein-packed meal
- Add some lean ground meat with your favorite sausage seasoning blend (I like Adkins Farm Style Sausage Seasoning)
- Roll it in a corn or flour tortilla with some scrambled eggs for a breakfast burrito (these freeze really well for those time crunched mornings when breakfast is a challenge)
All of these options make a perfect any-time meal, even pre or post workout.
I Guar-Ron-Tee (see what I did there? If you are lost, just Google Justin Wilson) that later in the week, you will come home tired, stressed and lacking the motivation to cook dinner. Never fear, you have some hash in the fridge. This is where we get to turn our breakfast superstar into a quick and delicious dinner.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili*
Ingredients
2 cups sweet potato hash
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of crushed, red tomatoes
1 cup of vegetable broth
1 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)
Directions
1. Place a large pot on medium heat.
2. Dump everything into the pot.
3. Stir until it simmers.
4. Reduce the heat to low for 10 minutes.
Now you've got dinner in less than 20 minutes, and maybe lunch for tomorrow.
Notes
*I know...people from Texas are cringing. Don't worry, once the fall gets here, we will do a special blog just for true Texas Chili.
**You can top this with Greek yogurt, sour cream, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, scallions, really just about anything.
So go ahead, give these a try and explore the rabbit hole that is sweet potato hash. It's seriously good...well you know the rest.
