Golden roasted sweet potatoes and charred asparagus spears, perfect for topping a salad, or eating by themselves. This combination packs a huge amount of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and honestly so many other nutrients I won’t have space to list them all. Both sweet potatoes and asparagus are nutritional powerhouses.
Asparagus tends to be a spring vegetable so it’s likely you won’t have access to it year round. At least, not for anything close to a reasonable price. So make sure to take advantage of it in April-May when it’s most abundant!
And something interesting about sweet potatoes: we all know that it’s not a true “potato”, but did you know that it’s actually part of the morning glory family? Yup, those pretty funnel-shaped flowers that brighten up window boxes. Totally cousins.
Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritionally dense foods available. You should aim to buy a variety that is?darker orange inside, because that colour indicates the level of beta-carotene inside. You can’t break them open in-store, obviously, so just remember when shopping if you notice that a certain store sells darker yams (which is the same thing as a sweet potato, btw).
Beta-carotene is a pigment that is partially converted into vitamin A in the stomach. It’s found mostly in orange-coloured veggies – think carrots, pumpkin, and of course sweet potatoes. It’s also responsible for people turning orange if they eat excessive quantities of these veggies. Totally not just an urban legend! It’s a harmless side effect, but really, you shouldn’t do that.
This recipe is a simple way to make your veggies taste like candy. Much like my garlic roasted cauliflower recipe, these veggies start to slightly caramelize in the oven and become a real treat to eat. Even picky eaters will be tempted to try them when they smell how good they are coming out of the oven!!
Roasted Sweet Potato and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 8-10 stalks asparagus
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash the asparagus and cut off the tough ends. Cut into 2-inch sticks.
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Cut off any short pointy ends that won't roast evenly.
Cut the potatoes into equal 1/2 inch thick slices. Make sure to use a very sharp knife and an abundance of caution. Cube the potatoes from these slices.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Stir together. Toss the asparagus and sweet potatoes to coat.
Put a non-stick mat or bake-o-glide (my favourite) on a baking sheet. Evenly distribute the vegetables across the sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes. Take out and flip the veggies, and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
