Sweet Potato Muffins

These Sweet Potato Muffins are simply delicious. The sweet potato lends itself well to a muffin recipe, providing bulk and sweetness. The flavour and aroma are reminiscent of the Caribbean.

Sweet potatoes can grow in various settings and conditions, allowing small and subsistence farmers to produce crops on inferior land for good margins and improving food security in the Caribbean. The largest producers of sweet potatoes are Jamaica, Haiti, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and Barbados, and up to a million tonnes are produced in the Caribbean annually.

This savoury muffin is suitable to freeze once cooled and will keep well for around 5 days in an airtight container.

Serves: 12

Dietary: Suitable for vegetarians and nut-free diets.

Contains; gluten (flour, baking powder), eggs, milk (yoghurt) and sesame (mixed seeds)

Preparation time: 35 minutes (including time to cook the sweet potato; however, this may be done ahead of time)

Cooking time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (325 g) cooked, mashed sweet potato
½ and 1/8 cup (150 g) 0% fat Greek yoghurt
⅓ cup (80 ml) water
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups (210 g) wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 red chillies, finely diced
4 Tbsp mixed seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 175˚C/155˚C Fan/ 350˚ F/Gas Mark. Line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except the seeds, and mix well.
Fill the paper cases ¾ full with the mixture.
Scatter seeds on top.
Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

This recipe has been donated by Angela Thorpe, a Student Dietitian at Winchester University.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Per serving:
Total calories: 127 kcal
Fat: 3.6 g
of which saturates: 0.7 g
Carbohydrate: 16 g
of which sugars: 3.5 g
Fibre: 2.6 g
Protein: 6.3 g
Salt: 0.37 g

NUTRITION FACTS

Each muffin is an excellent source of Vitamin A, necessary for healthy, teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails. Sweet potato is the primary source of vitamin A.
This recipe is low in saturated fat and sugar. The sweet potato contributes all the sweetness to the muffin, so there is no need to add any sugar or other sweeteners.
Each muffin is also a good source of fibre and protein.

VARIATIONS

This recipe would work well with other root vegetables, such as carrots or pumpkins.
Dairy can be swapped for plant-based substitutes, allowing milk allergy sufferers to enjoy it.

Consumer tested by Alice Cullinane, a Nutrition Student at Atlantic Technological University.

Checked by Sarah Foster, RD and Kathy Lewis, R.Nutr.,