Looking for a good all-purpose side dish? Garlicky Sweet Potatoes & Sugar Snap Peas is perfect. Not only is this dish quick and easy to make, it goes well with all those summer grilled meats, poultry, and fish dishes. It is cooked solely in the microwave oven, so it won’t heat the kitchen in the summer, or take up burner or oven space when preparing a big meal throughout the year. The microwave is an amazing time-saving appliance, and although it is definitely underutilized, and in many homes used primarily for heating frozen dinners and softening butter, it can be a huge timesaver for busy cooks.

Although this side dish is delicious as well as colorful and attractive, it is really good for you. Many people have eaten sweet potatoes only on Thanksgiving where they are served candied and can be sickly sweet and full of fat and calories. However, sweet potatoes, before seasonings or syrups, are full of nutritional value: 1 cup (200 grams) supplies a whopping 769% of recommended daily vitamin A and 65% recommended daily Vitamin C, as well as 7 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein, all with 0% fat! No one in the family needs to know this, however (Mr. Picky, the most notorious and difficult Official Hancock Taster, loves them and this side dish; he has no idea he is eating a nutritious food), so it’s okay not to tell them.

6 Servings

1 pound sweet potatoes
1 cup water
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 cups sugar snap peas

2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into 1/4" slices; cut each slice into 1/2" wide pieces.
2. Place the potato pieces in a microwaveable container with the water and garlic.
3. Cover tightly and microwave 8 minutes.
4. Uncover, stir, and add the sugar snap peas.
5. Microwave an additional 5 minutes or until the sugar snap peas are crisp-tender.
6. Drain, transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with the butter and salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 139 Calories from Fat 38
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 27% Protein 8% Carb. 65%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 51 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 3 g

Vitamin A 308% Vitamin C 78% Calcium 0% Iron 8%