There isn’t anything quite as comforting as a big pile of, filling, tasty carbs.
Sadly carbs have gotten a bad rep recently which is understandable since a plate of pasta with cheese on top may be tasty but it is going to lack nutrients. Mix nutrients and carbs however and there is no reason it can’t be as nutritious as it is satisfying.
Personally, I’m fond of carbs, especially as an evening meal. Yup, I know, this is probably the polar opposite of what you’ve been reading about nutrition for a while so let me just leave this one here:
- Protein takes a long time to digest, carbs do not.
- A protein-heavy meal at night is likely to keep you awake because your digestive system is trying to shift what’s in it. Would you leave a pile of chewed protein on your kitchen table? No, your digestive system doesn’t want it to sit in there either, hence, less sleep after a protein-based meal.
- Carbs digest way quicker so sleep isn’t disturbed
- Carbs may help with the production of serotonin and tryptophan - these are big terms but they are basically natural chemicals that your body produces that make you feel good. Carbs make you feel good. Who knew.
So in a nutshell, if you are going to eat carbs, add nutrients. Vitamins and minerals come from vegetables, which we need a lot of, so try and incorporate 3 different types in each meal.
This baked sweet potato & beetroot hummus recipe is the kind of nutrient-dense but satisfyingly carby dish that’ll keep you going back for more. It was a total hit at last weekend’s yoga & nutrition retreat and given that 22 ladies can’t be wrong, I’m sure you’ll love it too.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 medium sweet potatoes
a handful of sprouts such as alfalfa
1 bunch of beetroot (around 4 medium to large beetroots)
2 teaspoons of tahini (this is a sesame paste, found in most supermarkets)
the juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves of garlic, left unpeeled
rapeseed oil to roast
olive oil to finish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Wrap the sweet potatoes in tin foil, pop them in the oven and bake until they are soft in the centre, around 1-hour dependant on the size of the potato. It’s hard to overcook these so you can pretty much forget about them while you get on with other tasks.
Peel & quarter the beetroot. Pop them on a baking tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves, season well with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with rapeseed oil then transfer to the oven. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour until they start to soften.
Peel the garlic cloves when they are cold enough to handle. Put these in a blender with the beetroot, juice of a lemon, a big pinch of sea salt, the tahini, a couple of tablespoons of water and a big splash of olive oil.
Blend until completely smooth. You may need to add more olive oil to get a smooth texture, this is perfectly normal and good for you.
To serve, cut the sweet potatoes in half, top with the hummus and sprinkle some sprouts on top.
Putting some additional salad on the plate will get you extra bonus points.