Ode to the humble sweet potato!

Don’t judge a vegetable by its cover. A sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable that grows in the ground and to be honest, it is not the most attractive vegetable, with its odd shape, imperfective skin, and dusting of dirt. But whatever you do, don’t let the appearance stop you from incorporating them in your meals.

Sweet potatoes are true superfoods, filled with beneficial nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium, folate, and manganese, which make them one of the healthiest complex carbs around.

Try this week’s featured fall inspired recipe, Sweet Potato Hummus, for a football Sunday dip with vegetables and pita chips OR use as a nutrient-rich creamy sandwich spread.

The low fat recipe of sweet potato hummus contains zero cholesterol that makes it a heart healthy food and reduces cholesterol levels in body.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Are you in the mood for a sweet or spicy hummus? Change up your basic hummus by adding spices to create a unique flavor, depending on your taste preference.

Yield: 16 servings (1 Serving = 2 Tablespoons)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet potato, washed
• 1-15 oz of garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 Tbsp of tahani (optional)
• Choose your spices: Sweet or Spicy
• Sweet: 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of pumpkin spice
• Spicy: 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 ºF. With a fork, poke holes in the sweet potato all over (both sides). Place the sweet potato on a baking sweet and bake for 45-60 minutes until you can squeeze it. Once the baked potato is cooked, remove the skin and chop it into pieces. Add the chopped sweet potato and the other hummus ingredients into a blender and mix the hummus until it becomes a smooth consistency with no visible chopped pieces of sweet potato. Taste the hummus and add more spices as needed.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 60 kcal
Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 8g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 2 g
Sodium: 85 mg