Sweet Potato Hash

Hey everybody! I hope you've all had a wonderful spring break, or if your spring break is just starting, that you have a relaxing week off. I spent my break doing a fair amount of cooking, and I'm so excited to share my recipes with you guys during the rest of the month!

As you saw last week, this month is all about healthy breakfasts. The recipe I'm posting today isn't ideal for a quick breakfast before running off to school, but it's great for when you've got company over for brunch or if you want to have a nice breakfast with your family on the weekend. One classic brunch item is anything with potatoes: hash browns, potato hash, you name it! My hash that I'm sharing today is a Sweet Potato Hash. I chose sweet potatoes because they are high in vitamin A and beta-carotene, so you can feel good about start off your day with this dish! Plus, I didn't have any actual potatoes on hand... so I used these. It turned out to be a really good thing, though. Serve this alongside your favorite healthy protein. These could be protein pancakes, a protein shake, lean turkey sausage, scrambled tofu, etc. The list goes on! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hash
Serves 4 - 6 

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
½ of a large yellow onion, diced
3 medium-sized garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2½ loosely packed cups pre-washed baby spinach 
Salt and pepper, to taste 

Preparation
1. Put the sweet potato cubes in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and then let cook for about 3 minutes. The potatoes should be almost done cooking, but still not quite fork-tender. Remove from heat and drain into a colander.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir until the onions are coated in oil and then let sit for about 3 - 4 minutes, until the onions are somewhat translucent. It is crucial that you don't stir until this point; the onions will caramelize more rapidly if you don't stir them. 

3. Add the celery and red bell peppers. Saute for about 3 minutes, until somewhat soft. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are soft all the way through and they are beginning to brown. Adjust the seasonings if needed. 

4. Add the spinach and parsley. Stir well and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until spinach is just wilted. Serve. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please share your recreations with me using #teenscancooktoo on Instagram and Twitter so I can see what you guys think! This could be a great recipe for an Easter brunch next weekend. Make sure you are following Teens Can Cook, Too on all the social media sites below so you can see what I'm up to: 

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Stay healthy!
- Madeline