The Goodness of Sweet Potatoes

 Around this time of year, people begin buying and using sweet potatoes for their meals.  The fact is sweet potatoes can be used all year.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) ranks the sweet potato as the #1 most nutritious vegetable.  Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene, Vitamin B6, iron, potassium, and fiber.  The sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate that provides twice the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A and more than one-third of the requirements for Vitamin C.

In case you’re wondering how to mix things up a little and include this vegetable in your daily meals, here are some suggestions:

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

4 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch thick lengthwise strips and toss with olive oil. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and arrange potatoes on baking sheets. Bake potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Turn potatoes over and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown all over. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Apple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins 

3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup apples, skinless, finely chopped
1 cup fresh sweet potatoes (yams), cooked and mashed or 1(15 oz.) can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2/3 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine bran, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apples. Add sweet potatoes, egg, egg whites, oil, and yogurt. Stir all ingredients thoroughly. Spray muffin tins with vegetable cooking spray and spoon 1/4 cup of batter per muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Makes approximately 20 muffins.

For more information on sweet potatoes, check out the Lousiaina Sweet Potato Commission’s website.  There is tons of information about sweet potatoes and recipes.  They’re also having a recipe contest. 

Do you have any sweet potato recipes that you’d like to share?  If so, leave them in the comments or leave a link to your post.

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Tagged as: food, healthy, recipes, sweet potatoes, vegetables