Don’t Throw Away the Sweet Potato Leaves!

Recently, at a farmer’s market in California, I noticed sweet potato leaves for sale. Since this plant actually thrives like a weed in my AZ yard, I did a little investigating and was excited to learn that I could actually put it to good use!

A wonderful Asian lady at the market told me how she prepares the leaves. The funny thing is that she prepares them the same way most Americans prepare spinach or kale. When I mentioned this, she was surprised. Maybe most Asians don’t eat spinach and kale as often as I do. Who knows?   Anyway, I followed her advice and sautéed the leaves with olive oil and a few other things. I was pretty happy with the results. It tasted similar to cooked spinach, light and not too overpowering. The leaves were nice and tender, surprisingly!

Sautéed Sweet Potato Leaves w/Garlic

1 pd. sweet potato leaves, stripped from thicker parts of the stem

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (healthier version of soy sauce)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Saute the garlic for about two minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Cook down for about five minutes, until desired tenderness is reached. Enjoy!

After a little research, I discovered some other great ways to use the sweet potato leaves:

-Omelets

-Salads

-Soups

-Stir-fries

According to NutritionData.com, sweet potato greens are extremely high in vitamin K and a good source of vitamin A. With a mere 22 calories per cup of steamed leaves, you can hardly make a dent in your daily allotted calories! So get creative and try some today! Let me know what you come up with…

Sweet Potato Leaves Nutrition Facts
Calories 22	(91 kJ)
Calories from fat 2
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	0.2g	< 1%
Sat. Fat	< 0.1g	< 1%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	8mg	< 1%
Total Carbs.	4.7g	2%
Dietary Fiber	1.2g	5%
Sugars	3.5g
Protein	1.5g
Calcium	15.4mg
Potassium	305.3mg