Food Focus: Sweet Vegetables

From our fearless food warrior and nutrition counselor, Samantha:

Cravings for sweets can be greatly reduced by adding sweet vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, beets, squash, turnips and rutabagas to your daily diet. Root vegetables elevate blood sugar gently rather than with the jolt delivered by simple refined carbohydrates, so there’s no energy crash after you eat them. At the same time, heartier vegetables, such as deeply rooted carrots and squashes, grow more abundantly in the wintertime, and are going to add to the warmth of the body. It’s good to maintain a balance of eating seasonally as well as locally, as much as possible, to stay in harmony with the natural order of things. When you eat seasonal, locally grown produce, the body is more able to maintain balance from the inside out.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredient List
Serves 6
Sweet Potato Topping

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (1/4 lb.)
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk or plain soymilk
• 1 Tbs. nonhydrogenated margarine or butter
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Filling

• 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 leek, white part thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 2 turnips, diced (1 cup)
• 1 carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (2 tsp.)
• 1/4 cup white wine or water
• 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions
To make Sweet Potato Topping:
1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potato, cover, and boil 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and return to pot. Mash with milk, margarine, cinnamon, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.
To make Filling:
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and leek, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, or until leek is soft. Add turnips, carrot, thyme, and rosemary; cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until carrot begins to soften.
3. Add wine, and cook 30 seconds to deglaze pan. Stir in beans and broth. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until carrots and turnips are soft. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Remove thyme sprigs from Filling, and discard. Pour Filling into 2- or 3-qt. casserole dish. Spread Sweet Potato Topping over Filling. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking pan. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover casserole, and place on baking sheet. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until filling bubbles and top is golden. Remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information
Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 129, Protein: 4g, Total fat: 3g, Saturated fat: <1g, Carbs: 20g, Cholesterol: <1mg, Sodium: 176mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 5g