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Trend alert: Sweet potatoes are the new cauliflower

The distinctive orange tuber is facing off with cauliflower for the title of healthiest ingredient substitution.
Modern baked potato
Modern baked potato. (Photo, Roberto Caruso.)

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fibre and beta-carotene (the precursor to Vitamin A), low in fat and high in antioxidants (particularly in their skins), and they're about to dethrone cauliflower as everyone’s favourite superfood. Like cauliflower — whose price fluctuations last winter sent everyone into a tailspin — sweet potatoes function as a wholesome starch substitute, but they're even more versatile: they can be used to replace fats, starches and sugar. Popular examples cropping up include:

Toast: Throw a sweet potato slice in the toaster (cooked twice for an extra crispy texture), and use it as a base for trendy toppers like avocado, eggs, nut butters and other sources of fat that help the body absorb the veg’s abundant supply of beta-carotene.

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Rich crusts: Sweet potatoes mixed with cheese and your preferred nut flour take pies, quiches and pizzas from fatty and simple-carb laden, to protein-packed, gluten-free, fibre-filled and nutrient-rich.

A photo posted by Cecilie Lykke (@cecilielykke) on

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Ice cream: Social media is rich with wild flavour trends, and sweet potato may just be one of the tamer ones. At Toronto's The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles, they serve it up between two mini waffles, topped with crushed candied pecans. (Okay, so it's not exactly a health food…but it sure looks delicious.)

A photo posted by Tiffany (@leftbanked) on

Interested? Start sweetening things up at home with Chatelaine’s savoury sweet potato yogurt (it will knock your socks off).

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