Sweet potatoes with their vibrant orange interior and savory/sweet flavor are an awesome part of an everyday diet plan, but a lot of people forgo these potatoes for most of the year. Sweet potato flour, which is made of dried and milled sweet potatoes, makes it super simple to eat sweet potatoes any time you choose. Let's take a look at how to use sweet potato flour so you can get the nutritional benefits of this root vegetable in your daily regimen.
1. USE IN PLACE OF WHEAT FLOUR TO AVOID GLUTEN
Some research suggests that about 18 million people in the U.S. have some level of sensitivity to wheat gluten, which is why there has been so much interest in making good foods that are gluten-free. If you need to use flour for a recipe but your body can't handle the wheat gluten, sweet potato four can make a viable replacement.
For things like thickening and gelling, you can go with all sweet potato flour, but for baking or heavy-flour recipes, you can replace about 25 percent of the wheat flour with sweet potato flour without compromising the end result of the recipe.
2. MAKE FLAVORFUL SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
Who doesn't love pancakes? With the addition of sweet potato flour, your tastebuds and your body will love your favorite morning treat even more.
3. USE AS A BREADING FOR MEAT
Sweet potato flour is light and fluffy, so it crisps up nicely when fried or when baked in the oven and works out amazingly well when you need a coating base for chicken or fish. Plus, the nice orange color can really give your finished foods that golden-goodness appearance you always want with a table-ready entree.
Best of all, you can easily season the relatively basic flour with just about any seasoning you choose and create a flavorful outcome. So, go ahead. Punch up your breading recipe with garlic, paprika, onion powder, crushed red pepper—so many spices pair well with this flour that you can get exceptionally creative.
4. ADD SWEET POTATO PROTEIN TO A SMOOTHIE
Getting your day off to the right start for a lot of people involves whipping up a quick smoothie with the nutrients they need to get through the day. If you want to add just a dab of added natural protein to your morning smoothie or afternoon pick-me-up smoothie, add a bit of sweet potato flour. The flavor is generally mild, so it won't overpower the most desirable ingredients in the mix.
5. THICKEN SAUCES AND ADD PROTEIN
Tomato sauce a little too thin? Need to beef up your Alfredo sauce? Reach for the sweet potato flour. This nifty trick will not only give you thick, devourable sauces, it will also add a punch of extra protein to your favorite recipes without interfering with the flavor. The sweet potato flour is light enough that all you really catch is a hint of sweet-potato sweetness when you use the flour as an additive.
6. INJECT ADDED FIBER INTO YOGURT
Yogurt is really good for the microbiome of your gut, but yogurt is not so great if you need some added fiber in your day with about 0 to 1 grams per serving. If you want to keep your yogurt but are trying to stay away from the carbs and need some added fiber, stir in a tablespoon or two of sweet potato flour.
One serving of this alternative flour gives you a full 13 grams of fiber. And, the flour will make your yogurt a little richer and thicker so it will be even more fulfilling.
7. WHIP UP SOME BISCUITS FOR A FUELING BREAKFAST
Your usual breakfast not delivering enough punch to hold you over until lunch? Your usual biscuits may be lacking the protein and fiber to keep you satiated, but that is not a problem with sweet potato biscuits made with sweet potato flour.