CHEF’S BITES Baked sweet potato with guacamole SERVES 2 MEDIUM SIZE SWEET POTATOES AVOCADO *UICE OF LIME SMALL CHILLI DICED OPTIONAL 3ALT AND PEPPER TO GARNISH SHALLOTS TBSP OLIVE OIL BAY LEAF TSP AGAVE SYRUP TSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR TBSP CRÒME FRAÔCHE
1 Preheat the oven to 200C. Wash the sweet potatoes, pat dry and wrap them in aluminium foil. Bake the potatoes for around 30 minutes. 2 In the meantime, peel the shallots, slice them and braise them on low heat in olive oil with agave syrup and bay leaf until they are golden brown. Season with salt, pepper and balsamic and keep aside. 3 Mash the flesh of the avocado with lime juice and salt. Add some diced chili to taste. 4 Finely slice the chives. 5 Remove the hot sweet potato from the aluminium foil, open the skin and top the soft potato with guacamole, crème fraîche, shallots and chives.
WHY IT’S HEALTHY Sweet potatoes are a very good source of Vitamin A ,C, and D, B6 and B5. They contain manganese, triptophane, potassium, dietary fibre and can truly help preventing oxidative damage to our cells.
T TASHIS GRETES WIT AT H Raspberry lavender punch SERVES 2 Blend 25g RASPBERRIES with juice of 1 LIME and 2tbsp AGAVE SYRUP. Strain the liquid finely to remove the small RASPBERRY SEEDS. Pour into a carafe, add another 25g raspberries and the leaves from 2 stems of LAVENDER and leave it in the fridge overnight to infuse the flavors. Serve chilled.
WHY IT’S HEALTHY This light, low-calorie drink is great for staying hydrated in the summer. Raspberries and lavender help to cool down in the heat and are rich in antioxidants. Serve this with any of the dishes shown here, or simply sip on it throughout the day as a refreshing, nutrition-packed thirst quencher.
54 BBC Good Food Middle East August 2012