February 13, 2021, 5:43 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Hard-working muscles love carbohydrates–and they are especially healthy in sweet potatoes. Besides their high content of vitamins A, B, and beta-carotene, the tuber has another talent: It makes a wonderful substitute for a snack.
Food blogger Kelsey Preciado from “Little Bits of” ran out of bread at home but had sweet potatoes, which she sliced and toasted raw instead. And just like that, a food trend was born. Sweet potato toast, what a brilliant idea!
Much Healthier Than Toast!
The result is not only super delicious but also has several advantages: Sweet potatoes contain less than a third of the calories of the same amount of bread. They are also much more nutritious: The tuber is packed with beta-carotene, vitamins A, E, C (important for the immune system), minerals like sodium and potassium (needed by muscles), and trace elements like manganese, folate, copper, and iron. No bread can compete with that! Additionally, sweet potatoes are gluten-free, making them a tasty bread substitute for people with celiac disease that can be topped in various ways–whether as a sweet breakfast or a savory dinner option.
Also interesting: Are sweet potatoes healthier than regular potatoes?
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Sweet Potato Toasts in 4 Delicious Variations
Peel a large sweet potato and cut it into 1/2 cm thick slices. (The thinner the slice, the shorter the toasting time.) Toast the slices on the highest setting until they are nicely done (this may take up to four rounds). Then top as desired. As a little inspiration, FITfuttern, the collaboration between FITBOOK and Futtern, has test-toasted two sweet and two savory variations for you. Let’s get started!
1. Banana, Nut, Cinnamon
Spread toasted sweet potato slices with unsweetened peanut butter (or any other nut butter). Distribute banana slices on top, and enhance with cinnamon and honey.
2. Peach, Blueberry, Maple Syrup
Spread toasted sweet potato slices with plenty of cottage cheese. Place peach slices on top, and distribute blueberries. Sweeten with maple syrup.
3. Egg, Fig, Honey
Fry an egg. Spread toasted sweet potato slices with low-fat cream cheese, and place the fried egg on top. Top with blackberries and a quartered fig. Sweeten with honey if desired.
4. Smoked Salmon, Pomegranate
Spread toasted sweet potato slices with cottage cheese and top with smoked salmon. Decorate with pomegranate seeds and chives.
Enjoy your meal!
Fun Facts About Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are not related. Although they grow as tubers in the ground like potatoes, they have little else in common with the popular nightshade family. Even in taste: The sweet potato, also known as batata or red potato, has a slightly sweet flavor reminiscent of pumpkin and belongs botanically to the morning glory family. Originally from Central and South America, Columbus brought them to Europe, where they are grown in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
Sweet potatoes are higher in fiber than regular potatoes, meaning they provide a more lasting sense of fullness. They also contain little fat and have about 90 kilocalories per 100 grams.