I have a confession to make:  I’m not a huge cooked vegetable aficionado.  Anyone who loves to eat as much as I – and who generally makes pretty darn healthy choices – should, by all logic, love her veggies.  But me?  Not so much.  I enjoy most vegetables in their raw state; but particularly in the dead of winter,  a girl can only eat so much cold, crunchy, squeaky (yes, they squeak!)  broccoli and cabbage. 

In the spirit of fairness to my family who are constantly subjected to my culinary experiments, on occasion I’ll make an effort to cook a new recipe I’m pretty sure they will like, and I’m at least willing to try.  Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes is just such a recipe. While I generally pass that heavily marshmallow-laden dish right on by my plate at Thanksgiving,  Jim, Libby and Alex are all good little squash, yam, and sweet potato eaters, so I thought this recipe might be a good choice….and it was.  After a few hesitant bites (You-all only hear about the successful recipes and they’ve learned to taste before digging in!) the verdict was a unanimous thumbs-up.  The sweetness of the potatoes was enhanced by the brown sugar, then kicked in the pants by the chipotle – yum! 

I served these with grilled, spiced shrimp and simple steamed green beans. The shrimp themselves were fantastic and the sweet potatoes were yummy; but next time I think I’d choose a less opinionated protein so each dish could shine in it’s own right.  Together, they seemed to vie for the tastebuds’ attention. 

Admittedly, you won’t find this recipe on the Weight Watcher’s website; but it’s very rich and a small serving goes a long way.  Plus, the sweet potato is one of the most nutritious vegetables available.  Packed with vitamin C, beta carotene in the form of  vitamin A, and lots of fiber, you can’t  go wrong with this tuber.  When I considered the nutritional density of the dish and served it along-side other low-calorie and low-fat dishes, it was an easy decision. 

If you’re still concerned, I’d suggest the following alterations:

• To increase the natural sweetness of the potatoes, roast them rather than boiling
• Cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup
• Use low fat Greek yogurt instead of half and half
• Cut the butter to 1 1/2 tablespoons

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled, cubed sweet potato
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place sweet potatoes in a sauce pan, and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain and return sweet potatoes to pan.
4. Add half and half, butter and lime juice.
5. Mash to desired consistency.
6. Stir in chiles, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

This post is linked to the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at A Moderate Life,  Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple, Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff and My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory and Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green,  Fat Camp Friday at Mangoes and Chutney, and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, and Prarie Story’s Recipe Swap Thursday

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• Pumpkin Pudding – Year Round Goodness
• Lite Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili

Tagged as: antioxidants, easy, fiber, Mexican flavors, spicy, sweet potato