Sweet (potato) Milkshakes & Creamsicles

Big thanks go out to Red Wagon Plants and Family Cow Farmstand, neighbor farms in Hinesburg, Vermont for sponsoring a recipe contest which sucked me right in. Last weekend, Red Wagon Plants was offering sweet potato slips (or sprouts) for sale while Family Cow Farmstand held an “Open Farm” day inviting all to see their raw milk operation, and meet the lovely “ladies” including the newest member of the family, a beautiful four-day old calf.

The contest guidelines were straight-forward: submit a recipe using sweet potatoes and milk. This is what I suggested. And, they liked it.

Sweet Potato Milkshakes….. and then Creamsicles

Sweet potatoes

milk (I used raw milk with a generous layer of cream on top, but feel free to substitute any vegan “milks”, such as soy, rice, almond, oat, or, what I imagine would taste really good, coconut)

ice cubes

Bake, washed but unpeeled sweet potatoes in a 400º oven for approximately 45 minutes or until soft on the inside.

Allow to cool, and remove skin (this will slip right off).

In a blender or food processor, combine for each medium-sized peeled sweet potato, 2 cups of milk, 3-4 ice cubes, juice of 1/4 lemon or lime and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add any additional flavors you like. I put in a few pieces of crystalized ginger. Puree mixture until smooth. Adjust for desired consistence by adding more milk or more ice cubes.

Pour into glasses. Garnish with a sprig of mint (optional), sit back and enjoy.

If you can resist drinking it all at once, pour the remaining milkshake mixture into popsicle molds and freeze. You’ll have a mighty fine “creamsicle” – made with only real food ingredients and all the nutritional goodness of the sweet potato “superfood”.

Today, I planted sweet potato slips. Looking forward to harvesting them already….

A Little More on Sweet Potatoes:

Contrary to what their name suggests, sweet potatoes are not potatoes, but rather roots of a member of the morning glory family. For a vegetable, they are ridiculously high in sugar. They are so satisfyingly sweet, that they offer an excellent strategy for reducing your sugar intake. Enjoy more sweet vegetables during your meals, and you will greatly decrease your cravings for something sweet afterwards. They are even known to balance blood sugar and help with insulin resistance.

They are exceptionally high in the carotenoid antioxidants (such as beta-carotene) and vitamin A, and also a good source of vitamin C, vitamins B5 and B6, manganese, potassium, iron and fiber. In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest gave the sweet potato the fine distinction of the “most nutritious vegetable.” Natural News recently published this nifty list of 9 reasons to eat more sweet potatoes. So make some room in your garden and/or pantry, and certainly on your plate for the nutrient-dense, insanely delicious sweet potato.