A much needed new trend after the avocado frenzy, sweet potato toast is taking over our Instagram feeds just in time for summer.
We’ve made mash, jackets, roasties, fries, wedges… but now we’ve moved on to toast. The theory? Replace bread, and all those carb things we love to hate, with a thin slice of sweet potato.
Esteemed food blogger Kelsey Preciado has brought this craze back into the current culinary conversation, and foodies all over the world are eating it up (pun definitely intended).
How do you make sweet potato toast, then?
Kelsey gave us a step by step account of how to make this beauty - chop it into 1/4 inch a slice, chuck it in the toaster for two/three turns, and cover it in all your favourite things.
Side note here: although not a ‘hard’ thing to make in the slightest, we’ve tried it a fair few times now, and it took a couple of goes to work out the ‘thickness vs cooking time’ ratio. The heat of your toaster might come into it too.
What are the benefits?
Sweet potato is one of the most nutritious foods making the rounds, so this simple swap may be more beneficial than you realise. High in Vitamin C, B6, D, B1, B2, Magnesium, Iron, Copper and Potassium - it covers most grounds.
B6 reduces the chemical Homocysteine in our bodies, which has been linked to degenerative diseases and heart attacks.
**Vitamin D **keeps our bones healthy and our immune systems strong - it even heightens our mood. (In fact, our body produces vitamin D as a direct result of getting sunlight - so you’re basically consuming sunshine! Sort of...)
Vitamin C’s benefits are widely known too - fighting off flus, keeping digestion flowing, healing wounds and produces collagen which keeps our skin looking young.
Iron also supports our immune system, and the mineral magnesium focuses on de-stressing us after those long hard days.
In short - if you need a pick me up, in any way shape or form, sweet potato should be your go to food.
What about toppings?
Don’t forget, what you pair it with is another opportunity to get some rich whole goodness in you. Go for avocado for some healthy fats or a couple of poached eggs for something high in protein. Fancy something a little sweeter? Try some really colourful chopped fruits such as strawberries and blueberries - and if you’re really pushing the boat out, sprinkle on a few dark chocolate chips. In fact WHFoods tells us ‘It can be helpful to include some fat in your sweet potato-containing meals if you want to enjoy the full beta-carotene benefits of this root vegetable. Recent research has shown that a minimum of 3-5 grams of fat per meal significantly increases our uptake of beta-carotene from sweet potatoes.’ - You heard them!
Still searching for some inspiration? These food bloggers have their own preferences….
Amanda Bootes favours fresh strawberries with dark chocolate chips, mashed up raspberries topped with blueberries and honey, and peanut butter and apple.
Jasmin White keeps it simple with avocado rosettes.
Valerie Fidan nails it with mashed avocado, caramelised onions and mushrooms.
Chispa bought back 2013’s trend of chioggia beets, with hummus and water cress.
Georgia is a fan of organic peanut butter and and strawberries.
Kelsey Preciado goes for almond butter, chopped dates and a drizzle of coconut butter.
Taylor Barclay goes sweet with almond milk yoghurt, blueberries, banana and granola.
Kat gets her Omega 3 levels up with smoked salmon, seed mustard and avacado.
Personally, I went for a little tuna mayo and a poached egg - delicious! Don’t forget your seasoning...
Inspired? Let us know how you get on by tagging us on Instagram or Twitter...
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