Sweet Potato mash with chives

I consider my health a gift. I consider weight loss as a happy side effect of being happy and healthy. So I was put off by a friend of mine who gushingly commented "ohh your life must be sooo different now. Everything changes once you slim down. Be careful, your WHOLEEE life is about to change."

Dear friend who subscribes to superficiality, your claim is warranted and some what true. But not entirely so let me explain:

I admit we live in a world the subscribes to the aesthetically pleasing. I am certainly one who may gravitate towards something pretty. However it has not necessarily rocked my world . I am truly convinced that your life is what you make of it. I use to go to the Glam Hollywood parties, and I never felt left out. Confidence and self assurance can take you just as far. I asses what is the core components in my life and no, being slimmer has not made me more God fearing. It has not made me more charitable, patient or kind. It has not made me love my family and friends more. It has not made me more driven or happy. I think I was always these things. The thing that it has done is make me more and more grateful for everything.

What my "new" life has taught me is to appreciate simplicity. So inspired by this I made this simple "go to recipe" on days I don't know what to eat but I want something simple and good. This recipe is an ode to the hidden super food. The sweet potato! Once I spotted this amazing food, I knew instantly it needed to become apart of my life. It's not as starchy as the regular potato. However it still has a higher carb count then a head of broccoli, therefore 1/2 a small potato per serving is more then enough. Accompany that with some grilled asparagus with salt, olive oil and red pepper flakes and you have yourself a healthy fun meal.

Sweet potato has more nutrition then spinach and is ranked higher then most green veggies. I serve this mashed and add 3-5 grams of butter for two reasons. One because it taste yummy. But you'll never guess that in order to better absorb the certain nutrients that are in the potato such as beta carotene you need some fat mixed in with the food.

Sweet potatoes don't have to take a long time to prepare. Cutting them into ½" slices and Healthy Steaming them for just 7 minutes not only brings out their great flavor but helps to maximize their nutritional value. And you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cloves for extra flavor and nutrition.

For more nutritional queries refer to WHFoods

Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

2 Medium to large sized sweet potatoes
1 bunch of fresh chives
1 dollop of butter
pinches of sea salt

Directions:

• Peel the potatoes and slice into quaters

• boil in water or steam for about 10 mins. When you stick your fork into it and it goes in smoothly it's ready to go. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Don't over cook, it'll be stripped of its goodness.
• Chop chives and add to the potatoes, pinches of salt, add the butter and mash until smooth.
  

Tips:

If you are eating this as your main course like I am. You might want something to give your mash some funk. I took out one quarter of a potato while it was undercooked. I minced in to cubes. It retains a slightly crunchy texture. Therefore when combined with the soft mash, it gives it some contrast. Almost as if I added crunchy bacon to it. Yum!

Honestly you can serve this warm or cold its all good! enjoy. Yamas!