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SWEET POTATOES WITH PINEAPPLE AND PEPPERS

The Complete Vegan Kitchen
Peanuts were not the only concern of nineteenth-century botanist George Washington Carver. In addition to his 'How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption', he also published a treatise devoted to the sweet potato. In this pamphlet are recipes for sweet potato doughnuts, biscuits, flour, and candy. Carver was drawn to the tuber's high nutrient content and great flavor. One serving of cooked sweet potato is high in vitamins A, C, and E; folate; copper; and iron.
   Sweet potatoes can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted. However, they have a higher moisture and sugar content than white potatoes, making them more difficult to fry. Before frying sweet potato slices, allow them to air-dry in a well-ventilated spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the slices feel dry to the touch and are slightly white. Sweet potatoes for chips should be sliced as thinly as possible on a mandoline or the side of a box grater. Try lightly brushing the slices with oil, and drying them in 250° to 350° oven. The resulting chips will be crisp and fairly low in fat. Sprinkle the dried chips with salt or chili powder.
   Serve this as an accompaniment to beans and rice, or mix it with black beans and serve on top of a crisp corn tortilla.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup 1-inch chunks of fresh pineapple
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°. Fit 2 standard baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl and mix well. In a mixing bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with half the oil. Add the spice mixture a little at a time until the desired degree of hotness is reached.

Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on one of the baking sheets.

Combine the onion, peppers, pineapple, and garlic in the mixing bowl and toss with the remaining oil.

Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the other baking sheet. Roast the vegetables in the oven to 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and onions are soft. The sweet potatoes may take more time than the other vegetables. Rotate the pans and turn the vegetables once or twice during cooking. If the pans do not fit on the same rack in the oven, alternate the pans between racks every 10 minutes. This may add to your roasting time.

Serve immediately or reserve in a warm oven.