Sweet Potato Souffle

Every time I create a new dish, hoping it goes over well, I think about all the other parents out there doing the same thing. It does take effort and time. It's worth it, but there is that crushing moment when your little one spits out the new dish and proclaims it "Yuck!"

Take a deep breath. Repeat after me: THIS IS NORMAL. Give it another fourteen or so times, and maybe your kiddo really doesn't like it. As the movie title goes, "once is not enough."

And then there are the times when that first hopeful bite gets in — a small miracle in and of itself — and stays. And another. And another. Every muscle relaxes, you allow yourself a little hash mark on the imaginary nutritional chalk board and give yourself a gold star.

And you deserve that star. Because it isn't easy. Because you keep trying and you know it's the right thing to do.

This recipe was a first- and second-time success. We all liked it. It tastes even better cold the next day. It's a nice fall side dish that is lighter and healthier than many similar recipes. It is not a true souffle, so you don't have to worry about it falling the second it comes out of the oven.

Sweet potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to like. They are also a fantastic source of beta carotene, over 250 percent of the daily value in a serving plus a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Despite their sweet flavor, this orange variety is lower in glycemic index than white potatoes, meaning a serving will not raise your blood sugars as much.

The vegetables are native to Central America and are one of the oldest known vegetable varieties dating back to at least 10,000 years. The crop was introduced to Europe by Christopher Columbus, and spread around the globe by Spanish and Portuguese sailors.

Sweet Potato Souffle
Looking for this recipe? It will be part of an upcoming book, co-authored with Ali at Cleaner Plate Club.