I am a potato lover. And, although I know that on the vegetable scale, potatoes are on the lower end of nutritious, I do sneak them in every couple of weeks. I would like to share with you some of my favorite potato recipes and also some nutritional information about my beloved potato.

One large potato has 278 calories, 254 of which are from carbohydrate and 3.3 from fat. They are actually high in protein with 20.8 of calories from one large potato coming from protein. Not bad. They are a good source of energy and should be part of a healthy diet.

Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients and lower in calories. They are certainly the preferred choice as you will meet more nutritional needs with a sweet potato versus a white potato. One large sweet potato has only 162 calories, 150 of which are from carbohydrate. Only 2.3 calories from a large sweet potato are fat calories yet 10.1 are from protein.

Here are a couple of easy potato recipes. I have included both a white potato recipe and two sweet potato recipes. All are vegan, delicious and nutritious! All of these recipes will serve 2-3 folks (depending on your appetites!)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

10 cloves garlic
1 pound organic Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 to 1-inch chunks
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Remove outer skins from garlic but don't peel. Pan roast the cloves in a covered skillet over medium heat in the olive oil. Shake the skillet frequently to keep the cloves from sticking or burning. Roast until soft. It takes about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Peel and mince.

Cover the potato chunks with cold water. Add salt. Boil until tender. They take about 25 minutes to cook. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before you drain the potatoes.

Place potatoes, oil, and garlic in a bowl. Mash with a potato masher, adding reserved cooking liquid until you get your desired texture. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh is best but bottled is OK to use)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Dash black pepper to taste
Dash crushed red pepper flakes (depending on your taste, more for added spiciness)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place sliced sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Place potatoes in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes, stir about every 10 minutes to ensure that they brown evenly. Enjoy!

Red Lentils with Curry Sweet Potatoes

1 cup chopped onion
1 inch finely diced ginger
3 tbs olive oil
1 sweet potato cut into bite size portions
¾ cup red lentils
1 tbs curry
Salt to taste
Sauté onions and ginger about 10 minutes over medium heat until onion turns translucent and just begins to brown.
Stir in curry and continue to sauté for about 2 more minutes. Add sweet potato and toss in onion mixture, then add dry lentils. Add just enough water to cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils and potatoes are tender.  You may need to add a little more water during cooking. Stir occasionally. Salt to taste.