These roasted sweet potatoes over salad highlight the no-oil roasting method I have been loving lately. If you’ve peeped other recipes on the blog, you may have noticed I’m a fan of no-oil sautéing too! My transition to a no- to low-oil lifestyle has been gradual and my health and food are better for it.

Oil is a highly processed food. I used to do laps of it around my pans when sautéing veggies, and I used it heavily when making salad dressings. Despite how it’s marketed, I do not believe oil is a health food.

The following is from The Forks Over Knives Plan by Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, and it gives more insight into this.

We are baffled that certain oils are presented as “health” foods. Olive oil is not a health food. Neither is coconut, grape seed, flaxseed, or any other oil you’ve heard you must endeavor to add to your diet because it’s good for you. Sure, if you replace some or all of the butter in your diet with vegetable oil, you may do a little bit better, but that’s not at all the same as doing well. Oil is a bad idea because it is highly refined and its nutritional package is inadequate.

How is it that we know that processed sugars are junk foods, yet we’ve allowed ourselves to be convinced that certain oils are somehow good for us? Oil follows essentially the same model as processed sugar, which is also pressed from plants. Think about what oil is: fat—and nothing but fat. All the nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water, have been thrown away. Oil of any kind has more calories per gram than any other food we know. And without any fiber or water in it, oil lacks the bulk to convey to your senses how many calories you have eaten; this virtually guarantees you will consume more calories at the meal than you need. So we ask you: Why would you waste calories on something that has no nutrients in it other than fat? And why would anyone believe that highly concentrated fat is healthy?

Understanding how refined and processed food were negatively affecting my health helped connect me to the reason to choose whole foods. Additionally, there are many ways to add flavor to your food without added oil.

Try these roasted sweet potatoes over mixed greens for starters. While the finished product is a bit drier than it would be with oil, it's refreshed and flavored by a simple, flavorful dressing. And check out this blog post for more no-oil cooking tips!

Makes 4 servings

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 475°F.

2. Toss the sweet potatoes with the vinegar, freshly-ground black pepper, and cinnamon.

3. On a non–stick sheet pan, or one lined with parchment or a silicone mat, spread out the potatoes evenly. Place in the oven and roast, turning vegetables over once, for 15-20 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.

4. Let the potatoes cool until they are near room temperature.

Note: After 10 minutes of roasting the potatoes, I brushed them with more balsamic vinegar to keep from drying out, then turned and finished roasting for 10 more minutes.

White Balsamic Dressing

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp liquid sweetener (like agave or honey)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp fresh chives, minced

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, cinnamon and chives.

Finishing the salad

1. In a large bowl, gently toss together spring mix or arugula.

2. Add the potatoes, drizzle with dressing and toss.

3. To serve, place salad on a plate. Sprinkle with my newest seasoning Mmm Moroccan and toasted seeds or nuts (I used walnuts) for an added crunch.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCTS (affiliate links)

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• How you roast your vegetables matters. Heavy duty pans are ideal since they allow for even heat distribution and circulation. These Chefmade pans roast my veggies to perfection and clean up is quick and easy.

• I keep white balsamic vinegar on hand in my kitchen. It pairs well with white sauces, vegetables, salads, rice and more.

Made this recipe?

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