In honor of yesterday’s post about dragon fruit, I decided to stick with the theme of produce that looks really cool on the inside. If you aren’t familiar with “Okinawan Sweet Potatoes”, I have to tell you, you’re really missing out! Look closely at the photo below….do you happen to notice a hint of color coming through the outer skin of the potato?
Ta Da! Look at that vibrant purple! Have you ever seen such a thing?
Sadly, I’ve only found these deliciously sweet starches in Hawaii, so you can bet I get my fill…so much that I wonder if my skin will start to get a violet hue :) It sure is good for the skin, beta carotene all the way baby! That’s not all, this potato packs a punch in nutritional value when compared to the rest of it’s potato family. It ranked the highest especially when considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. I LOVE this because people can ask me where I get my protein, iron, and calcium from (often the misconception is that I can only get it from meat and dairy), I smile and can say “purple potatoes” :)
Okinawan sweet potatoes can be eaten many ways. In this case, I stuck them in the oven for almost an hour at 375. Too easy! You can tell they’re almost done by the smell that emits, and if you stabbed them with a fork prior to going in the oven, purple will start to ooze out. It almost resembles a thin paint. It’s gorgeous!
My good friend Sooz who hosted the vegan brunch at her home, the Bayer Estate…also “Steve McGarrett’s” house in the new Hawaii 5-0 TV series made me a delicious salad topped with the okinawan sweet potatoes, but before I get to that, let me just also tell you about quinoa….pronounced “KEEN-wah”.
Here is what quinoa looks like in it’s RAW form. When asked where I get my protein, quinoa is actually my first answer. It has a higher protein count than any other grain and contains all eight essential amino acids. Amazing the goodness in such a little grain! If you’re going to try quinoa for the first time, know that NOT all quinoa is the color red, there are other colors out there like cream and black. Most packaging states that the quinoa has been pre-washed. This means that the bitter tasting protective layer known as “saponin” has been washed away, leaving a nutty flavor.
To prepare quinoa, simply boil 2 cups of water and add one cup of quinoa. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. You’ll notice that cooked quinoa looks different from the raw form.
Quinoa is a great replacement to rice. You really can do anything with it. I decided to add it to my salad that had the okinawan sweet potato on top. I’m pretty sure this salad had plenty of protein, iron, calcium, fiber, etc. on it….just incase any of you carnivores were wondering :)
And, if you were counting like I tend to do. In this salad alone, I was able to get 5 of the minimum 7-14+ servings of fruits and vegetables into my body just during lunch….and it’s a rainbow of color, which is so essential to our bodies. Switch it up, don’t eat the same things everyday. If you want to see progress don’t get in a routine of the same old things….it’s just like going to the gym.
What do you do to spice up your rainbow of color?
Lastly I just want to thank my two most recent subscribers….Jackie from “Shack Attack Shave Ice“, Kirsten from “Comfortably Domestic“, she’s a fantastic blogger! And also a big thank you to “Lesley Carter” for “liking” my last post. Lesley has done so many adventurous things, she’s actually asking for people’s input on what to do next so she can continue checking things off of her bucket list! Definitely worth checking out each of these ladies passions!
[…] Comments « Okinawan Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa, and a Colorful Spinach Salad […]
Love the colors in the salad, so pretty :)
Aren’t they beautiful! Today I threw in some orange slices….the colors really popped. So good!
[…] a healthier meal, stir 1 cup cooked quinoa or millet into soup before […]