How to cook Vegan Sweet Potato

[imvegan]

Hello everyone,

I've been a vegan for only 5 days now. I've found a Whole Foods store (2) in my city and a vegan fast food/buffet resturant. The people in the Whole Foods Store was very helpful and I met other vegan there as well. So far, I haven't eaten any animal products since Monday of last week and plan on never eating any more animal products.

I question everything that I eat now making sure that isn't made with any animal products. As I went to the vegan fast food resturant today to order a pepper steak sandwich (Steak-Flavored soy protein with rainbow peppers and Soy Cheese on tomato tortilla) and a side of Yellow Split Pea soup (Split lentils ), I came home to wonderful smell. My mother had baked sweet potato in the microwave.

I thought about it for a minute. Then I began to think that the vitamins in the potato's had to be killed during the microwave process and turn away from it. My mother knows I've become vegan and she supports me although she is still a meat eater. So, when I told her no thanks because I believed the vitamins had been killed in the microwave process, she didn't get upset and asked me how should she cook them for me next time. I told her to boil them.

I guess my long winded question is, How are sweet potato's supposed to be cook so not to kill the vitamins? I know with vegetables, you're supposed to steam them so not to kill the vitamins.

Please go easy on me since I'm new to being a vegan.

Thanks

[Tigerlily]

Hi, first of all, welcome. :) Secondly, was the soy cheese casein-free? Casein is a dairy protein commonly found in soy cheeses, and a lot of new vegans make the mistake of eating casein soy cheese. Just a heads up.

On to the potato question. I know when you boil vegetables, the nutrients are usually left in the water. I am not sure about microwaving but I know a lot of people (not just vegans) don't like using them because of radio activity, I think. :confused:

Maybe you could bake the sweet potato?

[imvegan]

Hi, first of all, welcome. :) Secondly, was the soy cheese casein-free? Casein is a dairy protein commonly found in soy cheeses, and a lot of new vegans make the mistake of eating casein soy cheese. Just a heads up.

On to the potato question. I know when you boil vegetables, the nutrients are usually left in the water. I am not sure about microwaving but I know a lot of people (not just vegans) don't like using them because of radio activity, I think. :confused:

Maybe you could bake the sweet potato?

Thanks for responding Tigerlily,

I called the manager and spoke with the manager of the shop and he told me that the vegan cheese has no animal product in it. I asked him if the vegan cheese was casein and calcium caseinate free and he told me that it was 100% vegan cheese and that there was no casein or calcium caseinate within the vegan cheese.

As far as baking vegatables, my mother has a conventional microwave oven. She did bake the sweet potato's. However, I still do not trust microwave ovens rather they're conventional or not. There simply isn't anything like heating an oven and baking with fire or heated iron vs. microwave heat.

[Kevster]

I tend to bake them in an oven, we don't have a microwave, but i used to microwave them, turned out fine.

Did you not eat microwaved stuff before? Or have you just changed your ideas at the same time as going vegan?

[imvegan]

I tend to bake them in an oven, we don't have a microwave, but i used to microwave them, turned out fine.

Did you not eat microwaved stuff before? Or have you just changed your ideas at the same time as going vegan?

I've never been a fan of the microwave even when I was a meat eater. Microwaved food has this taste that turns me off. If I use the microwave, it's to heat something up for no more than 60 seconds. That's all I've ever used a microwave oven for in the past.

Aside from this, I'm never been a cook before. I eat out everyday which I hope to change in the future. I'm looking forward to many of the vegan recipies that I have seen on this site and other vegan sites. Cooking Vegetables have never been a problem for me as cooking meat.

In my culture, cooking makes a woman or breaks her aside from other materialist views. Microwaved food will never pass for a good down home southern cooked meal. However, I was never able to learn how to cook a good down home southern cooked meal because my mom cannot cook.

I hope that someday, I'll be a good vegan cook. So, I don't want to start by putting things in a microwave.

[harpy]

Not sure that there is much to choose between baking or microwaving in terms of vitamin loss - this report is quite interesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3188558.stm

I tend to do mine in the oven as well, or sometimes in a kind of stew. That probably results in vitamins being lost into the liquid but we eat the liquid too. Never tried steaming them - I expect you could although it might take a little while.

[RedWellies]

As far as baking vegatables, my mother has a conventional microwave oven. She did bake the sweet potato's. However, I still do not trust microwave ovens rather they're conventional or not. There simply isn't anything like heating an oven and baking with fire or heated iron vs. microwave heat.
Hi. Regarding your mum's microwave oven...it could have two or three ways of cooking- by microwaves, by traditional radiant heat or a combination of both. If you cook using only the radiant heat methods then you don't need to worry about the microwaves distorting your food. (Check the instruction booklet for the oven if you have it.)
If you have a steamer, that's great for veg.

[VeganLiz]

My Mum makes the best receipe with sweet potatoes. bake them in the oven for anout 45 minutes. About 15 mins before the end cook the following in a saucepan

1 red onion
i garic clove
1 tin of cannelini beans
Couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes
Couple of handfuls of spinach

Wow it is lovely - enjoy!

Liz X

[kriz]

I usually bake them (ca 45 min. high heat) until soft and put a click of Earth Balance (vegan margarine) on top.:) You can also mashed them after baking and add some nutmeg and cinnamon + margarine of course. Good luck!

[Morna]

Try this from Good Eats on foodtv.com

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
1 whole canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add margarine to potatoes and mash with potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.

[applepie]

sweet potatoes are absolutely gorgeous in the oven cut in half, smothered with horseradish and put back together. A drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of rosemary and off it goes in the oven *drool*

[Artichoke47]

I like to slice the potatoes thinly and then bake 'em til they're done, using olive oil spray.

[speedylemons]

I'm sure this has been mentioned above somewhere.. but the BEST way to eat sweet potatoes is as oven fries. I simply cut them into wedge shapes and put em on a baking pan. I don't like to cook with oil so i pretty much watch them cook so they don't burn. i've made fries sweet before and savory. experimenting is the best part.

I also used to eat them for breakfast mashed up with chunks of apple and raisins with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. I added nuts/seeds too when i could. Warm it all in the microwave, and even add a little soy milk or maple syrup and it's excellent..

[Shmeeeee]

I just started to get interested in sweet potatoes because I saw them on a list my mom has on her fridge as one of the top 10 health foods, so apparently they are great! So far all I ever do is slice them into thin slices, mix them up w/ a little bit of olive oil and some spices and put them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Sadly, I usually eat them in ketchup, which has nasty corn syrup in them, so im trying to find a better dipping sauce. Anyone have any ideas?

I also found this recipe for a spicy sweet potato and black bean stew which looks delicious, but I haven't tried yet:
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=209

[Jane M]

Sweet potatoes and peanut butter are great together. Make a dipping sauce using peanut butter thinned with soy sauce and sweetened with a touch of maple syrup to use for dipping.

Another good use is to make an african stew using sweet potatoes and peanut butter. Vegetibles can vary but add some hot pepper to spice it up.

You can make a sweet potatoe salad pretty much the same as a white potatoe salad too. Just make sure to watch the potatoes so they don't cook too much and will hold their shape when cubed. Or mix the cubed sweet potatoes with cooked brown rice and dress with an italian dressing.

Oh and don't forget my favorite pie! Sweet potatoe pie with maple syrup used for sweetening. Just make like a vegan pumpkin pie but keep in mind the sweet potatoes are much sweeter than pumpkin so less sweetener is needed.

[lozza]

hi & welcome :) well done on turning vegan :D i hope you're enjoying it.

hmm..i would say the best way is probably to bake or roast them in the oven..personally, i never bother as it takes too long. i always boil them with some carrots & then mash them up with a tiny bit of soymilk for a nice mash :)

[maya]

Did somebody say sweet potatoes??? Yum. Sweet potato fries Yum!

[DancingWillow]

Sweet potato fries!!! You just made me crave them...I haven't had them in over a year, and they're so delicious...