Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Curry Sweet Potato Skins

I am in love with this recipe. The curry sauce is from Trader Joe's but you can also make your own if you prefer. I don't like sweet potatoes the traditional way, with sugar, butter and cinnamon, so this savory dish is right up my alley and sweet potatoes have amazing health benefits like:


1.  They are high in vitamin B6.  Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies.  Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including the prevention of heart attacks.

2. They are a good source of vitamin C.  While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essen­tial to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.

3.  They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year.  Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.

4.  Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper im­mune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

5.  Sweet potatoes are a good source of mag­nesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the popula­tion in North America may be deficient in this important mineral.







Recipe

Curry Sweet Potato Skins

2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup peas
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/8 cup onions or less, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 jar Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce


Preheat oven to 375
Bake sweet potatoes in oven for about 45min or until soft.
Set aside to cool.
Saute onions for about 4 min, add tomatoes, bell peppers and peas.
Add curry sauce to mixture and let simmer for about 3-4min. Remove from heat
After sweet potatoes have cooled down, scoop out the inner sweet potato, leaving nothing but the skin.
Mash sweet potatoes in a bowl and  add curry mixture.
Fill potato skins with mixture and put back in oven for about 15-20 min.
Serve hot.

Love and Cookies

Jennifer


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