For the love of Potatoes!

Those of you who know me are aware of just how much I love Potatoes! I can eat them in any form, except raw. When I came to the US my biggest weakness was “French Fries”! I just couldn’t help but eat them with every meal.

When I started my journey to good health I really wanted to figure out ways to keep potatoes in my life! I learnt that there are about 100 varieties of edible potatoes of various shapes, sizes, colors and tastes.

Even now I have potatoes on the dinner table at least twice a week. I use everything from Yukon Potatoes, Fingerling Potatoes to Sweet Potatoes in my cooking.

So what’s changed is the way I cook them. I have learnt to take away the extra fat and deep drying and still eat this delicious vegetable. I mostly keep is very simple, I either stir fry them in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and garnish with salt, pepper, cilantro and lime juice or bake them and then drizzle olive oil and a pinch of salt on them. I usually keep the skin on, as it adds to the fiber of the meal.

If you cook your potatoes right they are actually one of the lower calorie, high fiber carbs that can be a great substitute to bread or rice.

They are an excellent source of Vitamin B6 and also contain Potassium, Copper, Vitamin C, Manganese, Phosphorus, Niacin and Pantothenic acid.

Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity.

Here is one of my favorite potato recipes:

Potato Raita:

Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
3 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
salt – a pinch
2 large Yukon potatoes
1 finely chopped green chili
1 tablespoon cumin seed powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
½ cup finely chopped coriander
1 teaspoon Agave nectar or honey

Directions:
Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Then put them in boiling water for 10 minutes or until they are fully cooked and tender. Keep them in the colander after cooking.

Blend the yogurt to make it smooth and thick. You can use a spoon and just whip it in a cup if you don’t have a blender.

Add salt, red chili powder, the green chili, cumin powder and Agave Nectar to the yogurt.

Once the potatoes are at room temperature add the potato cubes and coriander to the yogurt and gently stir them in.

Garnish with a pinch of cumin powder.

Keep refrigerated for an hour before serving.

This makes a great side dish with Indian curries or roasted chicken, but I often serve it as a dip with pita chips or crispy Nan bread.