Aside from being one of the most delicious and versatile vegetables you can choose from to eat, potatoes are packed with nutrition. If prepared in the right way (not deep fried, for example) potatoes offer many wonderful health benefits.
Below are several recipes to encourage your continued consumption of potatoes, in ways that will be most beneficial for your health and well-being. Enjoy!
Easy-Peasy Potatoes1
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup Herb Gravy (below)
- Salt to taste
Steps
- Pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake them at350ºF for 1 hour.
- Scoop out the potato into a bowl, leaving 1/4 inch of potato next to the skin. Mash the potato with the Herb Gravy to a chunky filling. Add the peas and mix. Add salt to taste.
- Stuff the potato shells with the filling, and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. Broil the last 1 minute to brown slightly.
Makes 8 halves
Herb Gravy2
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rinsed raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- 4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil (or 1tbsp. fresh basil)
- Pinch of rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. parsley flakes (or 1 sprig fresh parsley)
Steps
- Bring 1 cup of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Blend remaining ingredients, except parsley, until very smooth in the blender.
- Pour blended mixture into the boiling water and stir with a whisk until thickened. The will gravy thicken further as it cools. Garnish with parsley.
Aussie Potato Bake3
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 medium white potatoes
- 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Steps
- Peel and slice potatoes in rounds
- Layer in an 8”x 8” casserole dish, lightly sprinkling the layers with salt.
- Poor the coconut milk over the potatoes.
- Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Makes 6 servings
Oven-Baked Hash Brown4
- 1 pound russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes), peeled and shredded
- 1/4 white onion (1/2 cup) diced finely
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp. Mckay’s Chicken Style Instant Broth and Seasoning (or other chicken-like seasoning)
- 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel the potatoes and use a mandolin to shred them. Add the cashews, water, McKay’s seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Combine the mixture with the diced onions and shredded potatoes and mix.
Place everything on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serves 5-6
Roasted Herb Potatoes5
Ingredients
- 3 pounds small red potatoes, halved widthwise
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt to taste
- 4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried rosemary)
- 4 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
Optional Flavorful Additions
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. granulated garlic
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Distribute the potatoes and onions evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with oil and salt, and then toss to coat (it helps to use your hands for this).
Place in the oven and roast for 35 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with herbs, toss to coat, then return to oven and roast for 20 minutes longer. The potatoes should be brown and tender.
Serves 4-6
Roasted Root Vegetable Medley6
Ingredients
- 4 carrots, peeled, quartered, and chopped in 2-inch lengths
- 5 red potatoes, chopped in large cubes
- 1/2 large onion, chopped in large pieces
- 1 sweet potato, chopped in large cubes
- 1 celery stalk, chopped in 2-inch lengths (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- Handful basil, chopped
- 6 stems fresh thyme (or 1/4 dried)
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill
- 1tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
- Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place all of the chopped ingredients in a larger bowl and toss together with the seasonings and olive oil until the vegetables are well coated.
Transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then carefully turn the vegetables over. Roast again until the vegetables are tender on both sides, about 20 minutes. Salt to taste and serve.
Serves 8-10
Potato Spinach Soup7
Ingrediens
- 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 8 cups water
- 1 bag (approximately 8-10 cups loosely packed) fresh spinach, chopped
- 3 tbsp. McKay’s Chicken Style Seasoning
Steps
- In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in a small amount of water. When softened, add potatoes, water and seasonings. Cook until potatoes are tender, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook a few minutes more until spinach has wilted down.
- Blend soup in small batches in blender and pour into another pot or serving dish.
Makes 10-12 cups
Scalloped Potatoes8
- 8 potatoes
- 1 onion, sliced and broken into rings
- 1 cup cashew meal
- 1 tbsp. McKay’s Chicken Style Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 bay leaves, ground
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Scrub, peel and slice potatoes. Blend all ingredients, except the potatoes and onions. Place potatoes and onions in large bowl. Pour blended mixture into bowl and mix well. Pour into a large rectangular, oiled casserole dish. If liquid doesn’t come to the top of the potatoes, add a little more water. Top with parsley flakes or dried chives. Bake at 375ºF for 1 1/2 hours. You may want to cover casserole dish while baking.
Serves 12-15
Sources:
- Amazing Health Cookbook, Barbara Watson, p. 94, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2012.
- Ibid., p. 101
- Ibid., p. 96
- From Plant, Tami Bivens, R.D., pgs. 70-71, Life and Health Network, 2013.
- Ibid., pgs. 82-83
- Ibid, pgs. 214-215
- Cooking for Life, Stephanie Bergsma, p. 68, Stephanie Bergsma, 2013.
- A Taste of Nature Cookbook, LaVonne Hoover, p. 93, Hoover, LaVonne 1992.
Photo by: Jess Ho