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Feature Articles: Cooking and Produce Sweet Potatoes are a Healthy ChoiceAdapted by Jessica Kovarik, RD, LD, Extension Associate, University of Missouri Extension
Based on materials written by Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist in Barton County, University of Missouri Extension and Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S. Former Northwest Regional Nutrition Specialist, Nodaway County Extension Center, University Outreach and Extension
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Sweet potatoes not only taste great, they are healthful as
well. According to Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy
Nutrition, three fourths of a cup of baked sweet potato
contains 155 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 36 grams of
carbohydrate, 3 grams of protein and no fat. Sweet potatoes are
also a good source
of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
When choosing a sweet potato, you want the skin to be a bright uniform color and firm to the touch. There are two types of sweet potatoes. Dry-meated sweet potatoes have light tan skin and pale flesh that is similar to a white potato in texture. Moist-meated sweet potatoes, often called “yams” in Southern regions of the country have tan to red-brown skin and sweet orange flesh. They can be used interchangeably.
If you are growing your own sweet potatoes, they should be harvested in the fall after the first hard freeze and then cured. To cure the sweet potatoes, put them in a room with high humidity and warm temperatures for seven to ten days. It is during this time that starches are converted to sugars, improving the flavor of the potato. This also allows a callus to form over the cuts and scratches on the skin. Once the sweet potatoes have cured, they should be stored at a cool (50-55 degrees degrees Fahrenheit) temperature with high humidity. Do not store your raw sweet potatoes in the refrigerator as that can alter the taste. Once they are cooked, sweet potatoes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week or frozen for about a month.
To cook fresh sweet potatoes, wash and prick with a knife and place in the microwave oven on a paper towel. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes for per potato, or bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven until tender, or about 45 minutes. To help keep the skin moist, try wrapping the potatoes in plastic wrap for microwave cooking or in foil when baking in the oven.
When cooked or baked “in the jacket” sweet potatoes are easy to peel. Then you can chunk or mash for your favorite serving style.
Sweet potatoes are very versatile. They also be boiled and it is recommended that the skin be left on while boiling.
If desired, the skin can then be easily removed after cooking.
Keep in mind water-soluble vitamins are lost when you drain the
water after boiling potatoes. If possible, try to use the
leftover water. For example, mix in some of the water when
making mashed sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be baked in the
oven or cooked in the microwave like other potatoes. This
cooking method helps preserve the nutrients.
Mashed sweet potatoes can be
substituted for pureed pumpkin in muffin, cake and cookie
recipes. They also taste great added to casseroles, soups and
stews. Another way to prepare sweet potatoes is to boil them.
Sweet potatoes and yams look alike but they are not related.
Yams are more bland than the sweet potato and unlike the sweet
potato, but can be stored, prepared and
used in the same ways that sweet potatoes are used.
Whether you are using sweet potatoes or yams, casseroles and soups can be enhanced by their addition. Muffins and quick breads made with sweet potatoes are a healthful and colorful addition to your fall menus.
Not matter how you use sweet potatoes, they are a healthy and great-tasting addition to your table.
Sweet Potato Casserole
- 4 cups sweet potatoes (cooked, peeled, and mashed)-about two large sweet potatoes
- 1/3 (one-third) cup margarine, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ (one-half) cup skim milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ (one-half) cup sugar
- ½ (one-half) cup brown sugar
- 1 cup oatmeal (or 1 cup coconut or ½ (one-half) cup each of oatmeal and coconut)
- 3 tablespoon margarine, melted
- Microwave unpeeled and pricked sweet potatoes for 5 minutes each. (Or bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes) Cool slightly and peel.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, margarine, eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Spread into a greased 1½-quart casserole.
- Prepare the topping by mixing the oatmeal (or coconut or mixture of both), brown sugar and margarine. Sprinkle over the potatoes.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
Last update: Thursday, June 12, 2008
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