Sweet Potato Puree With Apples

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon mild flavored honey, such as clover
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Pierce the apples in a few places. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the potatoes and apples on top. Bake for 40 minutes and remove the apples. Continue to bake the sweet potatoes until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until cool enough to handle.
2. Turn the oven down to 350ºF. Remove the skins from the potatoes. Peel and core the apples, scraping all the flesh from just inside the skins. Chop the potatoes and apples coarsely and place in a foot processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a lightly buttered 2- or 3-quart baking dish.

Heat the puree in the 350ºF oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until steaming. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves 6

Advance preparation: This can be made through Step 2 a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheating will take 30 to 40 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

another recipe sent to me by p that he wants to try.

This silky fall/winter puree tastes rich, though there is no cream or butter in it. This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Published: November 20, 2008

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced
• 6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.
2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.
Yield: Serves 6
Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 189; Calories from Fat: 29; Total Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium,776mg; Total Carbohydrates,38.6g; Dietary Fiber, 5.7g; Sugars, 3.6g; Protein: 3.5g; Vitamin A 163%; Vitamin C 61%; Calcium 7%; Iron 8% (Approximate nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)

from new_york_times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/nutrition/20recipehealth.html.