Tempeh Loaded Sweet Potato with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

In last week’s Newsletter I addressed lowering high blood pressure and along with a whole range of suggestions including lowering your sodium intake I mentioned increasing foods high in potassium. So this week’s recipe is a potassium rich meal idea. It’s delicious; I enjoyed making it and loved even more eating it. I did add salt as I have low blood pressure and my partner who lowered his blood pressure significantly following the guidelines I shared last week is now fine to have salt in moderation too.

To increase potassium in your regular meals ensure you add foods from the potassium rich list every time you eat.

Here is the list for those who missed the newsletter and if you didn’t receive the newsletter on high blood pressure please let me know and I will send it to you.

Foods high in potassium:

Soy beans/tempeh

Adzuki beans

Lentils

Kidney beans

Brazil nuts

Almonds

Pepitas

Flax seeds

Hempseeds

Seaweed

Bananas

Potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Avocadoes

Dried apricots and figs

Pumpkin

Spinach and leafy greens

Oranges

Tempeh Loaded Sweet Potato with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

If you don’t like tempeh you can use tofu and if you don’t like tofu you can use lentils or kidney beans instead, be sure though to add more tahini sauce and crush up 3 brazil nuts to get enough complete protein. If you would like more information on complete protein on a vegan diet, book in for a Nutrition Consult.

An additional note is if you have high blood pressure omit the salt, there is enough sodium in the other ingredients to keep your electrolyte balance and you want to reduce your sodium intake to try to get your blood pressure down.

Ingredients

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 block of soy tempeh

8- 10 kale leaves or silverbeet leaves or other leafy greens finely shredded

pepper to taste (for those with high blood pressure omit the salt or just add a few sprinklings

4 cloves garlic minced

1 small onion finely diced

2 splash of olive oil

For the salsa

2 spring onions chopped finely (scallions)

2 medium tomatoes diced fine (or equivalent in cherry tomatoes)

1 cup coriander or other herbs

1 avocado diced fine

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 chilli finely chopped(optional)

salt for those with low or regular blood pressure and pepper to taste

For tahini sauce

¼ cup tahini

up to ¼ cup water

lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Method

Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them with a fork. Place them on a baking tray and bake for up to 45 minutes or until they are soft when you pierce with a skewer.
Crumble the tempeh and place on a baking tray with a splash of olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until it browns a little
While the sweet potatoes are cooking add a splash of the oil to a frying pan and fry the onions and garlic (adding a few sprinkles of salt if you don’t have high blood pressure) and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes then add the kale and cook for 5 minutes or until completely wilted.
For the salsa add all of the ingredients together. For the tahini sauce mix all the ingredients together adding more water if its too thick.
Once the sweet potato is cooked let cool for 5 minutes then cut them in half and scoop out the flesh leaving the skin in tact. Mix the flesh with the kale and onion mixture and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Spoon the mixture back into the sweet potato skins and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to warm up.
Serve with the tempeh sprinkles on top of the sweet potatoes a drizzle of tahini sauce and a side of the salsa.