sweet potato and Quinoa

My family and I love potatoes in all forms, but since they are usually fried or mashed, they have a high Glycemic Index, which is how quickly the food raises your Insulin. That being said potatoes that are baked with the skin or made into a vegetable do have lots of vitamin C and the skin has fiber.

The star root vegetable is the sweet potato.  The Vitamin A , fiber and potassium are amazing as my earlier post noted, we are  usually   low in potassium and fiber and that’s due to the processed foods which have more Sodium.

Since, I had no meat at home, I decided to use the sweet potato with quinoa.   1/4 cup of quinoa has 6 grams of protein. It was a quick on the spot meal, but Amir loved it. I added Zucchini and green chilies and cilantro to add color. Here is the  recipe and below  are the actual nutrition facts of a sweet potato taken from the Nutrition Data website.

Ingredients

• 2  sweet potatoes peeled and cubed( this took the longest time)
• 2 green zucchini chopped with the skin on
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 2 cups water or chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 green chili, either whole, slit
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Method

In 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and then half the spices, then add the sweet potato and saute till the potatoes absorb the flavors and get caramelized. For the sweet potatoes not to stick or burn add a bit of water and let them cook in some steam. The sweet potatoes should be soft but not mushy. Take it out in a dish. In the same pan saute the zucchini in the left over oil and  the same left over spices in the exact same way, they should be crisp not soft.

Cook the quinoa according to the directions, I added chicken stock instead of water for added flavor.

When your ready to eat the meal, in a large skillet drizzle some olive oil add the quinoa saute for a few minutes then add the sweet potatoes and zucchini. Mix it all up, then add the  green chilies and cilantro a few tablespoons of water and let it steam in a covered pan for a few minutes.

Before serving add some lemon juice. Beware of the quinoa sticking to the pan.

Amount Per