Vegan Sweet Potato "Mac & Cheese"

We've had a few sweet potatoes sitting in the bottom of my fridge since just after Thanksgiving (when my love for sweet potatoes became fully realized) just waiting to be experimented with.

As I was searching for recipes, I came across a lot of information about the nutritional benefits that come from eating sweet potatoes. The beta-carotene and vitamin C, in orange sweet potatoes especially, help to prevent many types of cancer. According to this article from Livestrong, a medium-sized sweet potato "contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium."  Wow!

Sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron. In fact, Whole Foods considers sweet potatoes one of the healthiest vegetables we eat. A medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2702-facts-health-benefits-sweet-potatoes/#ixzz2CjEPxOZG

Sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron. In fact, Whole Foods considers sweet potatoes one of the healthiest vegetables we eat. A medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2702-facts-health-benefits-sweet-potatoes/#ixzz2CjEPxOZG

Sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron. In fact, Whole Foods considers sweet potatoes one of the healthiest vegetables we eat. A medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2702-facts-health-benefits-sweet-potatoes/#ixzz2CjEPxOZG

vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2702-facts-health-benefits-sweet-potatoes/#ixzz2CjEHbzUF

vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2702-facts-health-benefits-sweet-potatoes/#ixzz2CjEHbzUF

Patricio and I decided to adapt one of our favourite butternut squash "Mac & Cheese" recipes, with sweet potatoes instead. I won't pretend that sweet potatoes taste anything like cheese, but that doesn't make this dish any less delicious! It's a little bit tangy, sour, and sweet all at once. We'll be repeating this recipe many times over in the future.

Vegan Sweet Potato "Mac & Cheese"
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked pasta of your choice
• 3/4 or 1 whole baked/boiled sweet potato
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil or your oil of choice
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard of choice
• Juice from half a lemon (or lime, if you're out of lemons)
• Pinch of salt to taste
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• For crust: 1 and a 1/2 tbsp of nutritional yeast and 1 tbsp of oil

Other Suggestions:

• Add paprika or cayenne powder for a spicy twist!
• For a tangier taste, add more mustard (experiment with types of mustard too!)
• For a creamier dish, add more sweet potato or vegan margarine.
• If you buy organic sweet potatoes, leave the skin on (non-organic may have pesticides in the skin) to add to the texture!

Directions:

1. If you choose to bake your sweet potato, then preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel (optional) and dice the sweet potato into cubes, and bake in a foil-lined dish for 20 minutes or until soft.

OR

Boil the sweet potato by peeling (optional) and dicing into cubes. Cook in a small pot of boiling water until soft (5-10 minutes).

2. In a medium-sized pot, cook your pasta of choice according to the instructions on the box, drain, and put aside for later.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. In a medium to large-sized bowl combine the garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Add the sweet potato, mustard, juice from half a lemon/lime, and oil of your choice. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

5. Add in the 2 cups of cooked noodles into the sweet potato mixture until combined.

6. Put your "cheesy" mixture into a baking dish.

7. Don't forget to add that additional sprinkle of nutritional yeast and oil over the top for a crispy crust when it's finished baking.

8. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the top starts to look brown. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Not the greatest photograph, but we were just too eager to gobble it up!

Gross photo, yummy food!