Sweet Potato Rounds
(courtesy of Mena Spodobalski, owner and advanced fitness trainer, Evoke Fitness in Reno. Makes 12 to 16 potato rounds)
1 large sweet potato, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Herbed ricotta or cream cheese (recipe below)
1 cup raw walnuts, roasted and chopped
¾ cup dried cranberries or cherries
Honey, for garnish
Add all ingredients for herbed ricotta or cream cheese to a small bowl and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add sweet potato slices to large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and ground cinnamon over rounds. Use your hands to rub oil and seasonings all over rounds. Arrange rounds on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip rounds, then bake for another 17 to 20 minutes, or until rounds are cooked through and crispy on the edges. Three to 4 minutes before potato rounds are finished cooking, spread walnuts on a baking sheet and place in oven to roast alongside sweet potatoes (be careful not to burn them).
Remove sweet potato rounds and walnuts from the oven. When not too hot to touch, lay walnuts out on a cutting board and chop.
Turn oven to high broil setting and move oven rack to second-from-top position. Place a dollop of herbed ricotta/cream cheese on each sweet potato round and broil in oven for 1 minute, just until ricotta is melty and warm. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and dried cranberries, then drizzle with honey and serve.
For herbed ricotta or cream cheese
1 cup whole milk ricotta or cream cheese
1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon local, organic honey
Sea salt, to taste
Mix together and serve.
