"Cooking is love made edible"
- Michael Mullan -
Weekends are meant to be filled with joy and happy stomach. Those are the days where “cheat day” hashtags are swarming on the social medias. I want to share to you guys this weekend that eating healthy food does not mean you have to sacrifice your taste buds. You can still fill your weekend with awesome delicious food that is fun to make yet healthy.
This time I experimented with sweet potato and bacon. Yep, bacon, you read that right. Sweet potato is very good sources of beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin B6 (to reduce homocysteine that has been linked to heart attack disease), vitamin C (for immune system and produce collagen for the skin), and many more beneficial nutrients. It is easy to cook and does not take a long time to prepare.
This time I experimented with sweet potato and bacon. Yep, bacon, you read that right. Sweet potato is very good sources of beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin B6 (to reduce homocysteine that has been linked to heart attack disease), vitamin C (for immune system and produce collagen for the skin), and many more beneficial nutrients. It is easy to cook and does not take a long time to prepare.
Meanwhile, the bacon that I used for cooking is from butchery in Melbourne. Got it as a present from my auntie, which she said the butchery has its own farm. I would not be worried too much about the preservatives and additives that may be present but not as bad as factory-made bacon, so I was happy to use this bacon. Many people have questions whether bacon is good or bad for the health. But I tell you what; every real food is good when consumed moderately. The fact is that bacon contains nearly more than 50% of monounsaturated fats and majority of it is oleic acid (Omega-9, same fat that goes in the olive oil). Although the 40% is the saturated fats (cholesterol) and 10% is polyunsaturated (derived from what the pig’s been eating), it is totally good to consume bacon in a wise (a.k.a. small) portion.
For this fun recipe, I prepared the cut sweet potatoes evenly and oven-baked them. Don’t forget to oil the baking sheets and also the sweet potatoes to make sure they don’t burn. Season with some salt, pepper, and herbs to your liking. I used natural sea salt to give me the fresh salty taste. For the topping, I made a less guilty version of Alfredo sauce from cauliflower mixed with sautéed red capsicum. The “top of the top” topping is made from the pan-fried bacon and no need to add oil because the pan will be greasy by the oil from the bacon. Chop into small cuts and you’ll be ready to serve this fun no-cheating-snack for the weekend.
Recipe
4 - 5 servings
Ingredients
2 units of sweet potatoes
2 strips of bacon
half of red capsicum
quarter of cauliflower head
1 tsp of rosemary (optional)
2 tbs of spoon
seasonings
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 210 Celcius
2. Clean and peel off the skin and soak in cold salted water
3. Cut the sweet potatoes to 0.7 cm wide
4. Prepare the cut sweet potatoes on to the baking tray, covered with baking sheets and olive oil
5. Season the sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, and some herbs to your liking
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes
7. Meanwhile prepare the cauliflower to make simple faux Alfredo sauce (see MacQuinoa & Cheese for reference)
8. Sautéed the chopped red capsicum and put it together with the faux Alfredo sauce
9. Cook the bacon strips with frying pan and cook until brownish
10. Chopped the bacon strips for the topping
11. Prepare the sweet potatoes on a plate and top them with faux Alfredo sauce and bacon. You may add rosemary to enhance the herbs' taste
Ingredients
2 units of sweet potatoes
2 strips of bacon
half of red capsicum
quarter of cauliflower head
1 tsp of rosemary (optional)
2 tbs of spoon
seasonings
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 210 Celcius
2. Clean and peel off the skin and soak in cold salted water
3. Cut the sweet potatoes to 0.7 cm wide
4. Prepare the cut sweet potatoes on to the baking tray, covered with baking sheets and olive oil
5. Season the sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, and some herbs to your liking
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes
7. Meanwhile prepare the cauliflower to make simple faux Alfredo sauce (see MacQuinoa & Cheese for reference)
8. Sautéed the chopped red capsicum and put it together with the faux Alfredo sauce
9. Cook the bacon strips with frying pan and cook until brownish
10. Chopped the bacon strips for the topping
11. Prepare the sweet potatoes on a plate and top them with faux Alfredo sauce and bacon. You may add rosemary to enhance the herbs' taste
Sources: Care2, whfoods, authoritynutrition