A Healthy Chef's Guide to Cooking Gluten Free with (Sweet) Potatoes

I've said it before and I'll say it again: sometimes the easiest - and best - comfort food is a simple baked potato. Luckily for me, there's a holiday made just for potato-lovers like me: today, National Cook a Sweet Potato Day.

What's a girl to do on this potato-riffic holiday? (Besides eat some delicious potatoes, of course). In my case, I thought there would be no better celebration than exploring the health benefits of six different types of potatoes and sweet potatoes - plus plenty of delicious gluten free, vegan and paleo recipes.

Ready to get your potato party started? Then just keep scrolling!

Russet

When it comes to potatoes, you could call russets a cook's (gluten free) bread and butter. These are usually medium or large in size and have a rough, brown skin with a dry, fluffy interior. While russets may have a less-than-stellar reputation, they're also actually quite healthy as long as you don't load them up with all the Steakhouse toppings. One medium russet comes with around 160 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and high levels of vitamin folate, niacin, thiamine and your Vitamin B6 and C.

Here's one tip that can reportedly boost any potato's health stats: simply cook your potato ahead of time and let it cool before eating (or re-heating). This process of cooking then cooling increases the resistant starch in potatoes, which can help prevent constipation, protect against colorectal cancer and improve heart health.

A healthy chef's guide to cooking gluten free with (sweet) potatoes, casey the college celiac, potato nachos

Nacho mama's nachos!

Yukon - Gold or Red

If you need a potato that tastes creamy without having to feature any milk or butter, Yukons are your exceptional bet. These are smaller than russets, which also lead them to a mystery weapon when you're simplest cooking for one. While each sorts have a waxy texture, the gold is often slightly sweeter than the red, so preserve that during thoughts while you're selecting potatoes for a dish.

If it's nutrition that you're worried about, Yukons are another safe bet. One medium gold Yukon potato offers half of your Vitamin C needs (which can also help you absorb more iron from your diet). It's also packed with potassium, which can help lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart and kidney disease. You've probably heard the saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Considering their health benefits and the fact that Yukons are delicious enough to eat like apples, I'd say that cliche could deserve a makeover.

Adirondack Blue

Okay, I'll be honest. Before I typed up this blog submit, I simplest knew those potatoes because the blue-ish, red-ish potatoes I'd every now and then discover at Sprouts and do a happy dance when eating. They seem like standard Yukons in shape and length - or even flavor the same as a Gold or Red Yukon - but with one large distinction: crimson pores and skin and insides that turn blue whilst cooked.

A healthy chef's guide to cooking gluten free with (sweet) potatoes, casey the college celiac

Those blue potatoes!

Besides being an Instagrammer's dream, these blue potatoes are arguably the healthiest of regular potatoes thanks to their antioxidants. Studies have also shown that purple potatoes can lower eaters' blood pressure, help prevent blood clots, reduce inflammation in the body (yay antioxidants!), and improve athletes' endurance thanks to their insoluble fiber. This potato is much more than just a pretty addition to your plate!

(Regular) Potato Recipes:

So how can you do to enjoy all the health benefits of these potatoes? To tell the truth, a better question is what can't you do? Some of my favorite ways to eat potatoes include Butterfly Broiled Potatoes (the perfect way to make the most out of Yukon's creamy centers and crispy skin!), Eat the Rainbow Bowls (roasted potatoes + broiled veggies + avocado = a heavenly mix of different tastes, textures and tones) and Loaded Potato Wedge Nachos (if you want to enjoy a baked potato with a Mexican twist, look no further). And, if you're ready to explore vegan sauces, potatoes and veggies can actually be blended into a killer queso!

A everyday potato roundup!

If the ones ideas aren't sufficient, I've additionally scoured the blogosphere for some potato-best recipes (and, complete disclosure, there's are just a few of the few out of the hundred or so I actually have bookmarked...). Now, let's dig in!

Chunky Potato and Zucchini Soup: yet another addictive recipe for vegan comfort food from one of my favorite bloggers, The Vegan 8.
Kale Mashed Potatoes: what kind of potato lover would I really be if I didn't include some form of mashed potatoes?!?
Turkey Enchilada Pie with Mashed Potato Crust: I will never understand how people think to use mashed potatoes as a casserole crust...but I will be forever grateful.
The 4-Step Potato Pizza Crust: because combining two of my favorite food groups definitely needed to happen.
Slow Cooker Potato, Chickpea and Beet Greens Curry: when you need a cozy comfort food that will cook all day while you work...
Honey Baked Ham Potato Empanadas: empanadas just got a deliciously gluten free (and potato-packed) makeover.
Whole 30 Potato Salad: when you want a potato salad that is about as allergen-friendly and paleo as possible.

Garnet and Jewel Sweet Potato

Okay, first off, the (edible) elephant in the room: the difference between yams and sweet potatoes. I grew up never really knowing (or caring) about the distinction, but a few quick Google searches cleared up my questions. Basically, yams and sweet potatoes are entirely different kinds of tubers. A real "yam" is a starchy root from the Caribbean, and is typically rough, scaly and low in beta carotene. And those red or orange "yams" you've been eating for years (especially at Thanksgiving)? Those are most likely sweet potatoes that American grocery stories have mis-labeled in order to separate them from the "white" sweet potato variety. Who would've thunk?

A normal dinner state of affairs...

Now, I blanketed the Garnet and Jewel sweet taters together because they're both very comparable: they're orange/pink at the interior and out, and have a mildly candy flavor. Garnet candy potatoes are typically extra wet on the inside, even though - which makes them addictively smooth whilst you roast them whole in the oven. Jewel taters, then again, are greater corporation.

As for nutrition, sweet potatoes are, by the numbers,arguably healthier than yams. Sweet potatoes boast lower calories and score lower on glycemic index (meaning that their carbs are released more slowly and therefore cause less spikes in blood sugar). Orange or red colored sweet potatoes like Jewel and Garnet also pack a punch of beta-carotene, which has been shown to improve blood levels of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes' bright color has also been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. Apparently your grandma's mashed sweet potato recipe really can be a little magical.

Japanese Sweet Potato

...In any other case referred to as Casey's favored potato ever. The pores and skin of a Japanese candy tater is commonly a purple-ish shade, however it has a vivid white interior. I genuinely first tasted this range while my mom offered it by using mistake whilst she became seeking out "normal" sweet potatoes - but I'm very glad for her mistake! These potatoes have a far more impregnable texture and, in contrast to Garnet sweet potatoes, these do not caramelize without difficulty whilst roasted inside the oven. However, Japanese candy potatoes' specific taste is simply as top, for my part!

Another kind of buddha bowl!

Despite tasting very different from its sweet tater cousins, it's just as good nutritionally. One medium Japanese tater comes with around 120 calories, 438 grams of Potassium, 2 grams of protein, 202 percent of your daily Vitamin A needs, 30 percent of your Vitamin C needs and 5 percent of your calcium needs. Like the rest of these potatoes, this variety is also free of fat and cholesterol. Talk about a win.

Stokes Purple Sweet Potato

Finally, my latest find out: crimson sweet potatoes! I offered these on a whim when I noticed them in Sprouts, and I had no concept what they might taste like - but, because it seems, quite accurate! Compared to different types, crimson sweet potatoes aren't very sweet, and they're surely the driest. So, be careful approximately overcooking them and, if you bake them inside the microwave, be sure to consist of a some water as nicely.

Thanks to its brilliant color, the purple sweet potato is packed with antioxidants (three times that of blueberries, in fact!) and has been shown to help reduce damage from oxygen and metals in the digestive track. The potatoes' anthocyanins can also have an anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties

Sweet Potato Recipes

When I have sweet potatoes on hand, my usual dinners involve: Loaded Baked Potatoes (the easiest way to use up leftover veggies, beans, or sauces), Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders (which can easily also be stuffed with pulled pork, mashed chickpeas, pulled jackfruit or other kinds of fish!), Sweet Potato Zucchini Patties (a great topping for salads) and leftover sweet potato fries decorating my homemade pizza (trust me: you haven't lived until you've combined fluffy sweet potatoes with a crunchy buckwheat crust).

Allll the sweet tater love!

Need even more ideas? Here are some other sweet ways to enjoy sweet potatoes from around the blogosphere!

Super Creamy Vegan Stovetop Mac & "Cheese": spoiler alert - the "cheese" actually includes blended sweet potatoes. GENIUS.
Healthy Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Granola: you already know that I'm addicted to granola. Adding sweet potato just creates another level of obsession.
Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Red Quinoa Soup: if you're looking for the ultimate winter comfort food, this soup should definitely be in the running.
Vegan Sweet Potato Dates Muffins: because the best thing about sweet potatoes is definitely their ability to be sweet or savory. Double the trouble, double the yum!
Beef and Broccoli Sweet Potato Noodles 2.0: if you've never tried sweet potato noodles, you definitely need to fix that ASAP.
Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Tahini Parsley Sauce: gnocchi has never been so gorgeous!
Sweet Potato Breakfast Pizza Crust: when you want to get your day off to a deliciously (sweet yet savory) start.

The truth is, there are so many different ways to enjoy potatoes and sweet potatoes, it's almost impossible to not find a potato-packed recipe to win over your taste buds. But, this National Cook a Sweet Potato Day, I hope you have some new ideas on what you can really do with one potato...and which potato is right for the recipe you have in mind.