Sweet potatoes are a staple ingredient in our postpartum nourishment meals, and we're sharing three of our favorite sweet potato recipes.
During the postpartum rest, Ayurveda encourages the birthing person to consume warm, well-cooked, and well-seasoned meals as they rest and heal from the birth experience. Sweet potatoes are grounding, nourishing and considered a sattvic food, meaning they invite rest and peace to the mind. They also aid in digestion, and offer a rich supply of antioxidants and nutrients, and well as being high in fiber.
To celebrate the birth of Christine's daughter, we're showcasing sweet potatoes in sweet, savory, and pureed form. We can guarantee all three recipes have made it into her postpartum nourishment rotation. Happy cooking!
Sweet Potato Cocoa Pudding
recipe inspiration from Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows Every Day
adapted by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp almond butter, or nut butter of choice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
optional 1/2 tsp nutmeg or cardamom
Topping ideas: toasted sliced almonds, crushed pistachio, coconut whipped cream, crushed lavender or rose petals
Instructions:
Bring a medium pot of water to boil and set a steamer basket on top. Steam sweet potato in the basket, covered, 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Turn off heat and let sit until mostly cool.
Transfer sweet potato to food processor or high speed blender, add maple syrup. Process until smooth. Add rest of ingredients, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness and spices as desired.
Portion into 2-3 airtight containers, refrigerate for a few hours, adding a bit of almond milk to thin out if desired. Remove 1 portion from refrigerator 15-20 minutes before consuming. Garnish as desired.
Sweet Potato Dal
recipe inspiration from Kate O’Donnell, Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm Clear Mind
adapted by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
4 cups water or broth
1 medium sweet potato, skinned and diced into ½ in pieces (1 ½ cups)
3/4 cup almond or oat milk
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Warm coconut oil or ghee in large saucepan on low heat.
Saute ginger and spices (except hing) in the oil until you can smell the spices. Stir gently so the spices don’t stick to the bottom.
Add lentils, saute 1-2 minutes, stirring until coated.
Add the water or broth, diced sweet potato, and hing, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer 20-30 minutes.
Turn off heat, add milk and salt.
After soup has cooled, puree soup in high speed blender, or use immersion blender, until smooth. Finish with desired amounts of lime juice and black pepper. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or almond slivers.
Sweet Potato Kidney Bean Corn Tacos
recipe by Christine Anderson
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
2 small or 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 16 oz can of cooked kidney beans, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 pinch of hing
1/2 tsp salt
4-6 fresh corn tortillas
salt and pepper to taste
Topping Ingredients:
1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1/3 cup plain full-fat greek yogurt
Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ghee or olive oil, sweet potatoes, and spices, including hin. Coat sweet potatoes evenly, and spread onto a baking sheet. Place in over for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked and browned.
Meanwhile, rinse kidney beans, and pat dry with a towel. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the beans and dry-toast them, turning occasionally, until beans are crisp. Remove from heat.
Add cooked sweet potatoes to toasted kidney beans , and fold gently. Add salt and black pepper as desired.
Heat corn tortillas in an un-oiled frying pan until warm and cooked all the way through. Scoop sweet potato and kidney bean mixture into warm tortillas to serve. Top with yogurt blend and chopped cilantro. Optional: Add diced avocado.
Yogurt Topping
Mix yogurt, lime zest, lime juice and black pepper. Season with salt and more black pepper if desired.
Blog post published by Christine Anderson of Woven Postpartum.