Haile’s Healthy Swaps

It’s nearly summer and I’m feeling grateful to live here in Arizona and enjoy beautiful sunny skies and warm weather. The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and my creativity in the kitchen is blossoming. I’ve been busy, as usual, coming up with delicious and nutritious dishes for my family to enjoy, and to share with all of you!

So, once again, I’ve got three new healthy swaps that are light, fresh, delicious, flavorful, and guaranteed to get you excited and ready to spring into the kitchen and make them for your family.

Sweet Potato BBQ Tortizza.

The first healthy swap is my Sweet Potato BBQ Tortizza. This recipe is so much fun to make. Popular with kids and adults alike, it replaces your average pizza by using tortillas and nutrient-packed sweet potato as the crust elements, then is topped with delicious BBQ sauce and veggies. (I had the awesome opportunity to make this recipe on the Home & Family Show on the Hallmark Channel, so it’s a bit famous.)

BBQ Sweet Potato Tortizza with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers

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BBQ Sweet Potato Tortizza with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large tortillas (I used a sun-dried tomato and basil tortilla)
• 2 medium-large sized sweet potatoes
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I used Organicville brand)
• 1 cup red onions sliced
• 1 cup red bell peppers sliced
• 1 cup clamshell gourmet mushrooms (or use your favorite mushroom)
• chopped cilantro (as much or little as you like, or not at all if you don’t like cilantro)

Servings:

Instructions

1. Roast sweet potatoes—depending on size, 20- 40 minutes.
2. Mash sweet potatoes and spread mashed sweet potatoes on one tortilla, then top with the second.
3. Spread BBQ sauce all over the top of the tortilla (making sure to coat the edges so they don’t curl up when baking later).
4. Add red onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and cilantro.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until pizza is heated through.

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Beet Ribbon Salad with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette.

The second healthy swap is my Beet Ribbon Salad with Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette. For this recipe I used a Spiralizer tool to make my beet ribbons, which is so much fun to do. It replaces your average lettuce and heavy dressing-based salads by incorporating nutritious ingredients and bold flavors to create a delicious dish.

Beet Ribbons with Cream Cashew and Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

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Beet Ribbons with Cream Cashew and Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette Print Recipe

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 2 medium red beets
• 1/3 cup chopped mint

Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons agave syrup
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream Cashew Ingredients

• 1/3 cup soaked, drained and rinsed cashews
• 2 tablespoons dry cashews
• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon everyday seasoning

Servings:

Instructions

1. To make Cream Cashew, preheat oven to 350°.
2. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor for 5 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture into an oiled ramekin and bake for 15 minutes, or until it is firm on top and golden.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the mixture to cool completely in the fridge.
5. To make beet ribbons, spiralize the beets and chop the mint.
6. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and toss into the beet and mint in a large bowl.
7. Cut Cream Cashew into inch pieces and serve with salad.

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Crispy Potato Nachos.

The last healthy swap is my Crispy Potato Nachos. This recipe replaces your typical nachos by adding some extra health benefits from my yummy cashew cream sauce, as well as knock-your-socks-off flavor.

Crispy Potato Nachos

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Crispy Potato Nachos Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups diced potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/3 cup cashews soaked at least two hours
• 1/2 orange bell pepper roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup dairy-free milk (I used flax milk but unsweetened almond or soy milk works)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño thinly sliced
• guacamole

Servings:

Instructions

1. Heat pan on medium-high heat for a few minutes until very hot. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds.
2. Add potatoes to the sizzling pan and sprinkle with cumin and salt and pepper.
3. Cook, flipping occasionally, until crispy on all sides, about 15 minutes.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, make the cashew cream sauce.
5. Place the cashews, orange pepper, flax milk, chili powder, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender.
6. Purée until very, very smooth, about 2-5 minutes depending on the blender.
7. Briefly heat sauce on the stove.
8. Layer the nachos: potatoes, cashew cream sauce, black beans, pico de gallo, chopped red pepper, sliced red onions, sliced jalapeños, and guacamole.

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I hope you enjoy these recipes and our almost-summery weather, and of course don’t forget to follow me online for more yummy eats at YouTube.com/HaileTeenVegan.

Haile Thomas is an eighth grader at The Gregory School, a motivational speaker, a young chef, and the founder of the HAPPY Organization.