Healthy Sweet Potato & Parsnip Quick Bread

I even fooled my dad into thinking this snack was pumpkin bread!

Last week, I was in Nebraska visiting my family; and of course, I couldn’t help but whip up a few healthy recipes in the kitchen. I always like to leave a few different things in the fridge or freezer before I leave.

See, my mom tends to make the same recipes over and over. There’s very little variety. When I was a child, you could count on Sunday meatloaf, Tuesday tacos and Friday pizza practically like clockwork. Today, things haven’t changed much except now the sodium, butter and fat content is almost nil.

When I’m home, I try and spice things up a little bit.

I’ve made this heart-healthy pumpkin quick bread recipe a couple of times. This time, I decided to make a mash or puree from some withering sweet potatoes and parsnips that mom had in the pantry. Then, I’d use this mixture to substitute for the pumpkin puree in the original recipe. When I worked in NYC, we once made a parsnip and maple cake. I knew the flavors would be good, but mom was skeptical – as always.

“You know dad won’t eat that,” she told me while I was in the kitchen.

See, I’m an optimist – the complete opposite of my mom. I figured if I added enough cinnamon and nutmeg, my dad really wouldn’t taste the difference. Both sweet potatoes and parsnips contain natural sugars. I like them both roasted with savory spices or sweetened for desserts.

Just to be safe, I also made one batch of normal pumpkin bread.

Once the smell of spices and baking permeated the kitchen, I sliced up the sweet potato and parsnip quick bread version, buttered it with heart-healthy margarine and served two slices on a plate to my dad.

“This is good,” he told me.

“Dad, did you know you’re eating vegetables?” I asked.

He shook his head no as he ate another bite of my sweet potato and parsnip quick bread.

Afiyet olsun!

Note: if you are reading this post in Istanbul,  I know it’s difficult to find sweet potatoes, and parsnips simply don’t exist. Save this recipe for the next time balkabak is in season. Also a 1/2 cup of egg substitute equals 2 large eggs, or you could sub 2 egg whites for one of the eggs to reduce the fat content.

For more sweet potato and parsnip recipes, please check out: Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday.

Healthy Sweet Potato & Parsnip Quick Bread

(Adapted from the American Heart Assn. Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2          c.                     all-purpose flour

2          tsp.                  baking powder

1          tsp.                  ground cinnamon

1          tsp.                  ground ginger

¼         tsp.                  freshly grated nutmeg

1/8       tsp.                  salt

1          c.                     cooked, mashed sweet potatoes and parsnips OR canned pumpkin puree

½         c.                     egg substitute such as Egg Beaters

1/3       c.                     fat-free milk

2          T.                     heart-healthy margarine, melted

1          T.                     canola or vegetable oil

½         c.                     chopped walnuts

½         c.                     granulated sugar

½         c.                     brown sugar

1. If you want to make a sweet potato and parsnip puree, first peel 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes and 2 parsnips. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a small pot with an inch or so of water. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Drain off any extra water. I used a fork to mash the sweet potatoes and parsnips together. Alternatively, use a food processor and puree together. (Note: you will have extra “mash,” but it easily can be frozen in a plastic bag or placed in ice cube trays to make cubes and used for another recipe.)

Sweet potato and parsnip mash

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. Lightly grease a large metal loaf pan or use two smaller loaf pans.

3. In a large bowl, combine and sift the first six, dry ingredients together.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Then, add the wet ingredients – puree, egg substitute, milk, margarine and oil. Mix together.

5. Lastly, add the walnuts and two sugars. Mix well together until you no longer see the flour.

6. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake the two loaves for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown and the center is done. If you are using a large loaf pan, the baking time should be increased to about 60 minutes.