Sweet potatoes are low in fat, rich in fibre and high in Vitamins A and E.

They can be used for every meal, from breakfast through to dinner, from snacks to desserts – these trendy tubers are the ultimate versatile veg!

International Sweet Potato Week is an initiative from The American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute, to encourage everyone to get creative in the kitchen and incorporate more sweet potatoes into their diet.

Find some recipes below!

Breakfast-wise…

· Sweet Potato Pancakes

Lunch-wise…

· Speedy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Dinner-wise…

· Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Curry

And for Dessert…

· Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

Sweet Potato Pancakes

A delicious combination of sweet potato, walnuts and cinnamon, these easy-to-make pancakes are the perfect dish to start your morning right – and get one of your 5-a-day in before lunch!

Serves: 4

Prep time: 25 mins

You’ll need:

2 medium US sweet potatoes

2 tsp. olive oil

360ml milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

150g Greek yoghurt

110g wholegrain flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped

2 tbsp. date syrup

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175°C.

2. Use a fork to prick the sweet potatoes. Place into the pre-heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft.

3. Once soft, remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to touch. Peel off the skin and discard, then place the sweet potatoes into a blender and purÃƒÂ©e. Set the purÃƒÂ©e aside to cool.

4. Mix the sweet potato purÃƒÂ©e with the oil, then add 120ml of the milk, the eggs, vanilla extract and yoghurt, and mix until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and then add the remaining milk, stirring to mix.

5. In a second large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, the salt and cinnamon. Add the liquid and mix, then add the chopped walnuts and stir through.

6. Place an oiled frying pan over a medium to high heat until hot. For each pancake, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan. Fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned, then remove from the pan and serve with a drizzle of date syrup.

Speedy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 mins

You’ll need:

4 large US sweet potatoes

250g asparagus

1 garlic clove

100g cherry tomatoes

50g walnuts

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large handful of rocket

Salt and pepper, to taste

125g mozzarella

Method:

1. Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly, prick several times with a fork and microwave on high until soft, turning multiple times.

2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, slice the asparagus lengthways and cut in half, then peel and finely chop the garlic, cut the tomatoes in half and coarsely chop the walnuts.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the asparagus for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, tomatoes, and walnuts and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes. When cooked through add the rocket leaves to the pan.

4. Cut the cooked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out some of the potato, then mix this with the asparagus filling and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the asparagus mix, then cut mozzarella into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Microwave for another 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

Nutritional values per serving:

Energy: 678.5 kcal / 2815 KJ

Carbohydrates: 123.7 g

Protein: 11.2 g

Fat: 13.4 g

Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Curry

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients

2 American sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 head of broccoli

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, cut into quarters

1 tbsp yellow thai curry paste

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cm fresh ginger, in thinly sliced

1 red pepper, cut into narrow rings

200 ml coconut milk

400 ml vegetable stock

1 stalk lemongrass, roughly chopped

Pinch of salt

Juice of half a lime

Handful fresh coriander, chopped

Method

· Steam or blanch the broccoli until al dente, then rinse with cold water.

· Dry the broccoli and lightly char in a very hot pan and set aside.

· Heat the coconut oil in a large wok or frying pan and brown the sweet potato cubes.

· Add the onion and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the curry paste and stir well. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper and stir gently.

· Next, add the coconut milk, stock and lemongrass and bring to a gentle simmer for around 10 minutes.

· Add the broccoli to the pan and season with a pinch of salt.

· Split the curry between four plates, sprinkle with the lime juice over the plates, and scatter over the fresh coriander.

· Serve with fragrant Thai rice.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

Makes: 12 cupcakes

Prep time: 35 mins (plus cooling time)

You’ll need:

For the cupcakes:

400g US sweet potatoes

200g butter

3 eggs

100g caster sugar

100g brown sugar

10g vanilla sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2tsp baking powder

230g plain flour

For the frosting:

100g butter, room temperature

200g cream cheese, room temperature

100g icing sugar

50g blueberry jam

Handful of fresh blueberries for decoration

Method:

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into medium-sized chunks, place into a large pan, cover with water and boil until tender Ã¢â‚¬â€œ for around 10-12 mins. Blend in a food processor until smooth and leave aside to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C, then fill the holes of a cupcake or muffin tin with cupcake cases.

3. Next, melt the butter, allow to cool slightly, then whisk together with the eggs. Add the sugar and cinnamon, continuing to whisk the mixture, then stir in the cooled sweet potato puree.

4. In a separate bowl mix the baking powder and flour together, then add this to the cake mixture, stirring until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the cases and bake in the oven for 18 minutes. Once cooked, place on a rack to cool.

5. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Whisk the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and blueberry jam together until smooth. Pour the frosting into a piping bag and ice the top of each cupcake. Decorate with the fresh blueberries and chill for at least two hours before serving.

Nutritional value per serving:

Energy: 645.3 kcal / 1930.5 kj

Carbohydrates: 45.7 g

Protein: 5.5 g

Fat: 27.5 g