Sweet Potato Toast with Nut Butter and Berry Chia Jam

Gluten-free foodies rejoice! There’s a new trend dominating the foodie world.  Be prepared to replace your bland, lackluster, mundane breakfast toast for.... *drumroll*  Supercharged Sweet Potato Toast!  Step aside cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles, it's time to discover the best thing to hit the toaster since sliced bread.

Sweet potatoes are very versatile vegetables, and it seems that their uses are infinite.  They can be added to baked goods, mashed and coupled with steamed vegetables, baked as a healthy alternative to fries and now they can even be used as a nutritious and delicious gluten-free alternative to bread.

Sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate, meaning that the natural sugars that give it that rich, sweet flavor will release a consistent flow of energy into the body all morning long.  They are also beneficial as a facilitator in digestion and have anti-inflammatory properties primarily due to the presence of beta-carotene, vitamin-C and magnesium.

These inexpensive, orange-hued root vegetables are high in fiber and overflowing with essential vitamins and minerals; and best of all, you won’t get that afternoon bloat after overindulging on bread.

When choosing the right sweet potato for you, look for a good size that will slice evenly so you will be able to place it in the toaster.  Choose ones that feel heavy for their size and have no bruises, cuts or blemishes, soft spots, or signs of sprouting. The skin should be firm to the touch, smooth, and evenly toned. Look at the color, too.  The deeper the color of the potato, in general, the richer it is in the antioxidant beta-carotene.

There are many different varieties of sweet potatoes, originating  from the morning glory family. Their skin color can range from yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, and beige. On the inside, the colors can range anywhere from beige through white, red, pink, violet, yellow, orange, and purple.

When storing, keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dry place - perhaps the pantry - and they will stay fresh for up to two weeks. It’s not recommended to keep them in the refrigerator.

Despite being cooked in the toaster, sweet potatoes maintain their soft, moist and creamy texture, and they can be toasted with their skin on or off, depending upon your preference.

When making sweet potato toast, one of the tricks to ensure success is to toast each slice long enough so that it is completely cooked through.

Remember not to slice your potato too thickly as it can take too long and burn in places.  There’s nothing worse than raw, crunchy sweet potato, either! Because every toaster is unique, play around to find the best setting that works for you.  And if you have a toaster where you are able to turn the temperature up or down, a higher temperature for a shorter period of time works best.  Another option is to pop them in and re toast them once or twice to get them to the desired texture or you can also cook the slices under the grill, if you prefer.

That way, while you are toasting your sweet potatoes, you can go ahead and prepare your favorite toppings.

When it comes to what to sprinkle on top, the opportunities are endless, too, with both sweet and savory options pairing nicely with these golden, guilt-free and gluten-less slices of goodness!

Supercharged Tip: try to buy a nice round sweet potato, as they’re easier to cut into ‘toast’ shapes.  Just have fun with it and enjoy making something new.

Sweet Potato Toast Recipe

Method

Slice sweet potato length-ways into slices about 0.5-1cm ( ¼ - ½ inch) thick (this will depend on how much knife control you have as well as the quality of your knives !)
Put in toaster 2 -4 times on high, making sure it doesn’t burn.
Tip: use chopsticks to maneuver them out of the toaster if they get stuck!

Cinnamon Swirl, Nut Butter and Berry Chia Jam for Sweet Potato Toast

Ingredients

3 tbsp nut butter of choice
Cinnamon
2 tbsp toasted coconut
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup fresh strawberries or raspberries
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp rice malt syrup, stevia or raw honey

Method

To make the jam, mash berries with a fork for a more chunky jam, or blitz quickly in a blender. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and rice malt syrup, stevia or honey. Stir in the chia seeds and let sit for 15 minutes.

To make the nut butter, add a good pinch of cinnamon to your favorite nut butter and swirl in.

To assemble the toast, spread on the nut butter, drizzle with chia jam and top with fresh berries, toasted coconut and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon

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