Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Two ingredients…Bam! Yah, I said it.

This recipe uses coconut milk and before you write it off because of the bad press coconut milk gets as far as calories, let me tell you how healthy coconut milk actually is. Coconut milk is loaded with magnesium, potassium and selenium, all great for relaxing muscles and nerves and preventing joint inflammation. This is wonderful for those extra hard workouts and sore muscles. It also contains high levels of Omega 3, 6, a 9 and is high in phosphorous which helps to build strong bones. Potassium is also helpful in keeping blood pressure lowered. Coconut milk is also easier to digest than cow’s milk, and has been shown to heal digestive tract ailments like IBS and Crohn’s. Coconut milk is also used to prevent anemia due to its high iron amount. Countries around the world have used coconut milk’s benefits to heal people for centuries! Don’t even get me started on its benefits for hair and skin…

I loved this flavor combination with the sweet potatoes, it was just a hint of a different flavor and I served it with ham steak; a really great accompaniment. If you really wanted, you could add pineapple to the ham and really make it Island-y.

If you are NOT a fan of coconut milk, you can use regular milk, too! Just adjust your cals.

Ingredients:

3 med/large sweet potatoes

½ cup light coconut milk (I used the Thai Kitchen canned milk located in the Asian section of my grocery store)

Preparation:

Note: I’m giving you TWO options for cooking the potatoes this time because depending on how much time you have, you can bake the potatoes, or for a super quick fix, microwaving is an option. I’m not a huge fan of this, but in a hurry, it works.

Wash the skins of the potatoes but do not peel.

Option 1 – Baking: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke some holes in your spuds with a fork and bake on a baking sheet for 45-60 minutes, depending on how large the potatoes are. You know they are done when you poke them and they are soft inside.

Option 2 – Microwave: Poke some holes in your spuds with a fork and place them on a paper towel-lined microwaveable plate. I estimate about 4 minutes for the first potato and 3 minutes each for the additional potatoes. So, roughly 9-10 minutes…About halfway through, turn the potatoes over.

Remove the potatoes from your cooking vessel of choice. Give the potatoes a few minutes to cool; long enough to handle them without burning your little fingers. Then cut them and remove the inner goodness by scooping into a bowl (microwave option) or medium saucepan on low heat.

Add the coconut milk and stir. I only had the full fat version on hand and it does add a few more cals to the serving (about 33 more cals…not enough to make that big of a difference if this is what you have/find).