YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT TILL FALL TO ENJOY SWEET POTATOES!
Here in the Lowcountry and across the South, orange sweet potatoes are often called yams. Real yams are swollen roots too but they have white, yellow, pink or purple flesh under white or brown skins. The name yam stuck in the south because African slaves called them nyam — the name they used for real yams that grow in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. Another common myth about sweet potatoes are that they are not healthy. This orange root vegetable is loaded with vitamins and minerals!
- It would take 23 cups of broccoli to provide the same amount Vitamin A (beta-carotene) found in one cup of sweet potatoes.
- Sweet potatoes have four times the recommended daily allowance of beta-carotene when eaten with the skin on.
- Two-thirds of a cup of sweet potatoes provides 100% of our recommended daily allowance of Vitamin E.
- Need more fiber in your diet? One serving of sweet potato with the skin (7.1 grams) has more fiber than 1 cup of oatmeal (4.0 grams) or a slice of whole wheat bread (1.7 grams)!
- Sweet potatoes are virtually fat-free, and very low in sodium and one medium sweet potato has just 118 calories.
- SELECT AND STORE?
Look for firm, even-shaped sweet potatoes with even colored skin. Avoid sweet potatoes with mold, wrinkles or holes. Storing sweet potatoes in the fridge will produce a hard core in the center. Try storing them in a cool, dry, location at about 55 degrees instead. For the best flavor and freshness, use the potatoes within a week or two after purchase, but if they are well kept they can last even longer.
We might be used to eating them candied, in a pie or as a casserole but, sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, baked, mashed, boiled, steamed, grilled or slow cooked too.
Baked: Poke holes in the skin and bake at 400 for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender.
Microwaved: Poke holes in the skin and place washed potatoes in microwave on high, turning each potato halfway through cooking time. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Cooking times:
1 medium potato: 3-4 minutes
2 medium potatoes: 5-6 minutes
3 medium potatoes: 7-8 minutes
4 medium potatoes: 8-9 minutes
Grilled: Wrap in two layers of foil and toss them on the charcoals.
Baked Chips or Fries: Slice washed potatoes ¼ inch thick. Season with cinnamon, garlic powder or Mrs. Dash. Spray both sides with cooking spray and bake on a greased sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn and bake until they start to brown. For fries, cut potatoes into shoestrings or wedges, season and bake the same way. Source: http://adams.extension.psu.edu
Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 2 inch wedges
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 2 T garlic powder
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 1/2 T chili powder or cajun seasoning
- 2 T poultry seasoning
- 2 T Italian Seasoning
In a gallon size freezer bag, toss all the ingredients together until the potatoes are coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until softened.
Save your oven space with this quick and healthy sweet potato casserole!
Add skim sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs and a little butter to mashed sweet potatoes, mix and bake on high in the crockpot for 3-4 hours. Add a new twist by mixing in chopped peaches or apples. Top with chopped walnuts.
HOW TO KEEP AND ENJOY FRESH SWEET POTATO FOR MONTHS
Remember that grandparent or older friend who would plant their own garden, harvest the fruit and vegetables and then jar or can them for later use? There is another way keep vegetables for months after they are picked — it’s called freezing! With less than an hour’s work, you can have bags of bright, firm slices of sweet potato ready for your next dish.
Tools You’ll Need
- Large pot
- Wire basket or metal colander
- Large bowl for cooling
- Ice cubes for cooling
- Cutting boards, knives, oven mitts
- Plastic freezer bags
- Clock with second hand
- Baking sheet
- Peel (optional) and slice sweet potatoes.
- Boil a gallon of water per pound of sweet potatoes.
(To keep water boiling, do not add too many veggies.)
- Carefully place wire basket or colander of sweet potatoes in water.
- Cover and boil for 3-5 minutes (start from the time you put potatoes in water).
(You can use the boiling water more than once, change when water gets cloudy.)
- Carefully remove sweet potatoes from water.
- Place potatoes in large bowl of ice water for 3-5 minutes.
- Drain potatoes.
- Lay slices of potato on a baking sheet.
- Place in freezer until frozen solid.
- Place sweet potato in a freezer bag and remove excess air.
- Store bag(s) in freezer.
Source: Freezing Fruits and Vegetables Handout, Clemson Extension (HGIC 3063), hgic.clemson.edu.
What is a “Food of the Month”
Our “Food of the Month” is a product available in our Lowcountry
Food Bank's warehouses. It is one that meets our criteria of a healthy
food.
What is a LCFB's “Healthy Food”?
Healthy foods are fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat and
poultry, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and foods that do not
contain excessive amounts of fat or caloric sweeteners.
How are our recipes designed?
Our recipes are designed with the clients of our agencies in mind:
those who are hungry and poor.
The recipes:
- Use ingredients common in Lowcountry kitchens.
- Are tasty and easy to prepare.
- Meet our criteria for a healthy food.
- Limit high priced herbs and spices which may included as optional
ingredients.
We’d Like to Hear from You
We encourage your comments. They will help us understand concerns and
interests of those who use “Eat Well; Be Well”. Please contact Germaine Hall Jenkins, Nutrition Coordinator at the Lowcountry Food Bank, (843) 747-8146 ext.. 113 or ghall@lcfbank.org.
Sources: www.mypyramid.gov, www.cahe.nmsu.edu, www.foodsthatkeep.com.
Check out www.allrecipes.com! This site allows you to find other healthy recipes for our food of the month and even customizes a recipe when you change the number of servings.
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