But after watching my roommate microwave the vegetable and top it with everything from tofu to beans, I decided to experiment with it.
Now, sweet potatoes have become my go-to vegetable for lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast.
How I prepare my sweet potato
I buy a whole potato at the grocery store, wash it, poke holes all around it with a fork, and then stick it in the microwave for a total of eight minutes (four minutes on each side). Depending on how big your potato is and how strong your microwave is, you might need to cook it for a little longer.
Once it's done, I cut the potato in half. Sometimes I eat the skin, sometimes I don't, but that's really all there is to it.
Of course you can also bake or roast your sweet potato, but I'm a fan of the microwave method.
What I eat it with
Sweet potatoes are a great base for pretty much anything and everything, and for every meal of the day.
For breakfast, I like to add sweet potato to scrambled eggs, spinach, tomatoes, and cheese. It pairs really nicely with avocado too, which is good for any meal.
For lunch, I love adding sweet potatoes to salads and wraps, just to give the meal some added texture and taste.
A common dinner formula for me is sweet potato plus meat plus another vegetable. Some of my favorite proteins to mix it with are salmon, chicken, tuna, tofu, and veggie and turkey burgers. For additional veggies, I like mushrooms, black or garbanzo beans, and broccoli.
Why I love it
Even though they're vegetables, sweet potatoes have always tasted more like a carb to me. And there's nothing better than eating a vegetable, but feeling like you're eating something more decadent. And because I love the taste of sweet potatoes so much, I never feel the need to load it with butter or sauce, which keeps the tuber healthy.
Even better, it is healthy: the root veg has 438% of your daily value of vitamin A, and is packed with calcium, potassium, and iron.