Basic Lemon Infused Sweet Potato Dip

My friend and I recently went to eat at The Good Life Eatery on 59 Sloane Avenue in London for lunch and I had their sweet potato dip. It was obviously so simple to make but tasted absolutely d e v i n e! I wanted to make my own so I've started by making a basic recipe which only requires a few ingredients. I've said it before and I'm not ashamed to say again that I'm completely obsessed with sweet potatoes and I'll choose them over ordinary potatoes any day of the week. This dip is perfect appetizer for dinner parties or a fantastic addition to any healthy lunch or salad.

Sweet potatoes: eating your ABC's as easy as 1,2,3. What on earth is she on about you may ask?! Well, just one cup of sweet potato packs an incredible 769% of your daily needs of vitamin A, along with fantastic doses of vitamins C and B, especially B6. These orange beauties are also a complex carb, which means they take longer to be broken down into glucose into your blood, making them a prolonged energy source that will stabilise your blood sugar levels without you craving highly sugary foods. 

Makes 1 small bowl (as pictured)

1 medium sweet potato

1/2 a fresh lemon

a pinch of salt 

paprika or chilli flakes to serve

chopped coriander to decorate

Method

- Peel then chop the sweet potato into small pieces. Steam for about 15/20 minutes or until really soft so you can mash with a fork. 

- Remove the sweet potatoes from the steamer, add the salt and lemon juice into the sweet potato and mash with a fork or a potato masher until smooth. Put into a presentable bowl and serve warm or cold with a sprinkling of paprika or chilli flakes. 

Quick. Simple. Delicious.

Crispy Polenta Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash

Chicken is one of my favourite meats, and after the success of the crispy polenta chicken in my the caesar salad, I just had to make it again. I wanted to make a delicious post-workout meal that would satisfy my hunger cravings and be healthy and nutritious. This meal combines all of my favourite ingredients that I'm loving at the moment. It's full of incredibly nourishing ingredients that work together to boost your health. The creamy, smooth sweet potato mash blends perfectly with the steamed kale and courgettes. They all perfectly combine together to compliment the succulent chicken with a delicious polenta coated crispy outer that has a fantastic paprika kick. 

Serves 4 

4 organic chicken breasts

1 1/2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

dash of milk

4 handfuls of kale

1 courgette, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of polenta 

2 tsp paprika 

salt & pepper

2 spring onions

Method

- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Boil a full kettle and cover the sweet potatoes with boiling water in a large pan.  Leave for about 7 minutes, then add the kale on top to steam. 

- Whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking, cover the chicken breast in the polenta and paprika and season well. You should add the kale to steam about now. Put the chicken into a frying pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, turning after 4-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 

- After you've turned the chicken, add the sliced courgettes to the kale and steam until the chicken is cooked. Take off the heat.

- Strain the sweet potatoes, add a dash of milk, season well and mash until smooth. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning to the kale and courgettes. Slice the spring onions. Put the mash, courgette & kale mix and spring onions onto a plate then add the chicken on top to serve. 

Top tip: To ensure the chicken is cooked properly, pierce a hole into the thickest part of one of the breasts and make sure it's white all the way through and any juices run clear. 

Enjoy!

Steamy Salad

I love a good salad. It fills you up the perfect amount without leaving you feeling stuffed and sleepy. Salads don't always have to be cold and consist of a handful lettuce leaves. There's nothing more annoying for me when I order a salad in a restaurant and all I get is a bowl full of salad, a few tomatoes, shredded chicken and croutons. Worst of all, it can set you back about £8 and really does not seem worth it when you can make something much more fulfilling and delicious at home. 

This steamy salad is quite literally completely steamed! It takes no longer than 15 minutes to make and it is so delicious simply served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This salad is super healthy and packed with health benefits. Best of all, it contains two of my favourite ingredients: sweet potato and avocado. Absolute heaven. Sweet Potatoes are packed with vitamin A, which is essential for strengthening your bodies immunity against infection. By adding the extra virgin olive oil and avocado to the sweet potato, you can get the full health benefits of the antioxidant beta-carotene. I've talked a lot about avocados but they're one of the healthiest foods on the planet containing in excess of 25 nutrients.  Kale leaves are genuinely the kings of nutrition. Did you know it contains more iron than beef and more calcium than milk per calorie?! But it doesn't stop there. Just one cup of kale gives more than 1,000% of your daily intake of vitamin K which supports good blood regulation. It also contains nearly four times your recommended intake of vitamin A and 100% of your vitamin C that together support bone and skin health and strengthen the immune system. I could go on and on, but I wont. It's just amazing and one of the most underrated vegetables on our supermarket shelves today. 

Serves 2 

1 large sweet potato

2 large tomatoes 

1 spring onion

1/2 avocado

1 handfuls of kale

1/2 courgette 

1-2 tsp paprika (to taste)

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Method 

- Put a large pan of water onto boil then simmer over a medium-low heat. Peel and chop up the sweet potato into medium sized chunks. Steam the sweet potatoes for 7 minutes. Add the kale to the sweet potatoes and steam for a further 4 minutes. Slice the courgette and add to the kale and sweet potatoes steaming further two minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the paprika. 

- Slice the tomatoes, spring onion and avocado. Once the courgette is soft and ready, remove the pan from the heat. Add the tomatoes and spring onion and gently mix in. 

- To serve, add the sliced avocado and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Top tip: Add some feta cheese for added flavour. 

Enjoy!